When workers are hurt on the job, or become injured or ill from a work-related cause, your employer must pay for medical care related to the illness or injury.
The employer must also pay for any time you need to be off work to treat or recover from the injury or illness.
These two things are the law.
If your injury requires a very long time to recover, your employer is also mandated to pay for temporary disability, generally up to 104 weeks (two years).
If it turns out you will be permanently unable to return to work, your employer is required to pay for permanent disability.
If you must get another type of job because you can’t work in your old occupation because of injury, workers compensation will pay for retraining.
If a worker should die as a result of job-related illness or injuries, their dependents will receive a death benefit from workers compensation.
Employers are required to have workers compensation insurance that will pay for the benefits above if a worker becomes sick or injured in the line of work.
A covered illness or injury can be a one-time event, such as being hit by a falling beam on a construction site. It can also be cumulative, from a gradual, repetitive cause, such as carpal tunnel syndrome.
Note that injuries or illnesses that are not caused by your job, or are a result of failure to follow safety rules or wear proper equipment, are not covered by workers compensation.
What Injured or Ill Employees Should Do
Work-related injuries or illnesses need to be treated by medical personnel. It’s important both for your safety and to make a workers compensation claim.
Go either to a physician approved by your company or your own doctor. Indicate that the illness or injury is caused by work conditions.
You must give the employer written and signed notice of the injury or illness within 30 days after it happened. If the symptoms are gradual, it needs to be within 30 days of the date you noticed symptoms.
Do You Need a Ventura County Workers Compensation Attorney?
Workers compensation law can be complex. To make sure you have filed a claim properly, it’s prudent to contact a Ventura County workers compensation attorney.
Not only is the process complex, but claims are sometimes denied. They can be appealed, but it’s very important to increase your chances of success by consulting a Ventura County workers compensation attorney.
Call the Law Office of Jim T. Rademacher at (877) WCB-ATTY (1-877 922-2889) to discuss your workers compensation claims.
Source
- State of California. Department of Industrial Relations. Workers’ Compensation in California: A Guidebook for Injured Workers. https://www.dir.ca.gov/InjuredWorkerGuidebook/InjuredWorkerGuidebook.html
- Ventura County Workers Compensation Office. https://www.countyoffice.org/ca-ventura-county-workers-compensation/
