California Workers’ Compensation Lawyer
A work accident will leave you with serious injuries that are painful and expensive to treat. Workers’ compensation is available to help offset your medical costs and a portion of your lost income. However, filing these claims is not always easy and many eligible workers in California are denied every year. In some cases, workers also have additional legal options, such as filing a third party claim. If you or someone you love has been injured on the job, our California workers’ compensation lawyer can help you claim the benefits you deserve.
Common Injuries in Workers’ Compensation Claims
Workers become injured in the workplace in a number of different ways. Some of the most common injuries that form the basis of workers’ compensation claims are as follows:
- Head injuries
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Back injuries
- Broken bones
- Repetitive motion injuries
- Occupational diseases
- Electrocutions
- Entanglement
The above injuries are sometimes life-changing for accident victims, and the costs add up very quickly. Through a workers’ compensation claim, employees can recover benefits to ease the financial burden.
Types of Benefits Available
After you successfully file a workers’ compensation claim, you can recover benefits for:
- Medical treatment
- Temporary disability benefits
- Permanent disability benefits
- Retraining benefits
- Loss of support for heirs that are financially dependent
Under workers’ compensation law, you can remain on these benefits for a maximum of 104 weeks within the five-year period from the date of the accident. If you suffered a very serious injury, you may qualify for up to 240 weeks of workers’ compensation benefits. California also places a cap, or limit, on how many benefits a person can receive weekly. This cap changes yearly. You also will not receive full benefits for lost income, but you can receive up to two-thirds of your wages.
Timelines in Workers’ Compensation Claims
One of the complexities of filing a workers’ compensation claim is following the tight deadlines that are required of you. After the accident, you have only 30 days to report the accident and resulting injury to your employer, but you should notify them as soon as possible. Your employer must then report the accident to their insurance company within ten days of receiving your notice.
Workers’ compensation claims are also governed by a statute of limitations, which is the time limit you have to file your claim. In California, the statute of limitations on workers’ compensation claims is one year from the date of the accident.
Our California Workers’ Compensation Lawyer will Fight for Your Rights
Although the law does allow you to recover workers’ compensation benefits after a workplace accident, claiming them is not always easy. Employers sometimes dispute claims so their insurance premiums do not increase, and insurers want to retain their profits, too. At Litigation, P.C., our California workers’ compensation lawyer will refute their claims to help you recover the fair benefits you deserve. Call us today at 424-284-2401 or fill out our online form to schedule a consultation with our skilled attorney.