Los Angeles Workers’ Compensation Lawyer

You count on your employer to maintain a safe, hazard-free work environment, but data on on-the-job accidents and occupational diseases reveals that employees are exposed to many dangers in the workplace. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were more than 466,500 recorded cases of worker injuries or illnesses in California in 2018. More than 59 percent of these incidents resulted in days away from work, a job transfer, or job restriction. As a result, employees with work-related medical conditions lose out on wages, at a time when bills for treatment are mounting.

Fortunately, California workers’ compensation laws protect employees who sustain work-related ailments, so you may qualify to obtain benefits. Litigation, P.C. handles many of these cases on a referral basis, as we partner with leading attorneys within the most skilled, assertive legal network in Southern California. Please contact a lawyer to discuss your rights, but you might find an overview to be useful.

Summary of California’s Workers’ Compensation System

State laws regarding workers’ comp are “no fault,” so you do not have to prove that your employer was negligent in causing your injury or illness. Instead, the system is designed around the requirement that California employers purchase insurance to provide benefits to employees. As such, you need to establish that you qualify for workers’ comp under the strict eligibility rules, which include:

• You must be an employee, rather than an independent contractor;
• You were hurt in a workplace accident or suffer from an occupational illness that you contracted because of conditions in the work environment; and,
• You must provide written notice regarding your medical condition within 30 days after you were injured or diagnosed with an ailment.

Note that filing for workers’ comp benefits is usually your sole remedy, so you are barred from seeking damages through a civil lawsuit. There are exceptions if your employer does not have workers’ comp insurance, your employer’s intentional conduct caused your medical condition, or a third party is responsible.

Benefits for Qualifying Workers

If you qualify, you may be eligible for many different types of workers’ comp benefits. An attorney at Litigation, P.C. will help you obtain:

• All medical care that is reasonably necessary to treat your workplace injury or occupational disease, such as surgery, physical therapy, pain medications, hospitalization, and related costs;
• Payments for temporary disability, which refers to the wages you lose while recovering from your medical condition;
• Permanent disability payments, if you do not fully recover and your impairment will be long-term; and,
• Vocational rehabilitation to provide education and training if you cannot return to your chosen occupation.

For surviving family members of a covered employee who dies because of a workplace medical condition, workers’ comp laws also provide death benefits. 

Get in Touch with a Workers’ Compensation Lawyer Right Away

If you were hurt at work or suffer from an occupational disease, please contact Litigation, P.C., at 424-284-2401 or online to learn about your legal options. We routinely handle matters throughout SoCal. Once we learn about your circumstances, we can get started on the workers’ compensation claims process.