The California workers’ compensation system was created in 1910’s to help workers who are injured on the job by giving them both medical treatment and monetary disability benefits, vocationally retraining them, and then returning them to the workforce so that they can once again be productive members of society. Prior to the existence of such a system, all too often the injured workers who could not do the job well post-injury were fired and left with little or no help. The Legislature believed that this situation was unfair and untenable and thus opted to create a workers’ compensation system which is now embedded into the California Constitution.

The first thing you ought to do when you are injured on the job is to right away REPORT YOUR INJURY!!!!! Tell your boss or supervisor and then ask for or go seek medical care immediately without delay — even if you have to go the emergency!!!!

Why?

We Fong brothers will be happy to tell you. California workers’ compensation laws impose certain obligations and duties on the employer and/or insurance carriers (e.g. duty to give a claim form along with the necessary paperwork to the injured worker, duty to provide and set up medical care, duty to accommodate work restrictions, duty to pay disability benefits, etc.). If the employer or insurance carrier does not know that you were injured, then these duties and obligations are not triggered.

Even worse is that if you don’t report your injury and start your claim, there is something called the “statute of limitations” which will bar you from filing the said claim. Generally, you have one year from date of injury to file your claim. Please note that even if you have passed the one-year deadline, there are certain exceptions to this one-year deadline. So, GIVE ME A CALL FOR FREE and we will tell you to see if you qualify even if your injury occurred more than one year ago and even if you believe the time to open a claim has passed.

You must be an “employee” and be injured on the job to qualify for them. For example, if you are an “independent contractor” or a “volunteer” you will not qualify. But don’t be fooled!!! Sometimes an employer will simply label you an “independent contractor” or a “volunteer” in an attempt to avoid paying workers’ compensation insurance premiums and benefits when in fact you may truly be an “employee”. If you find yourself in this situation, don’t wait! GIVE ME A CALL FOR FREE!!!!

No!

The employer may not fire or even threaten to fire you if you file or made your intention known to file a claim for workers’ compensation. Under California Labor Code Sec. 132a, the law makes the employer criminally guilty of a misdemeanor if the employer discharges or threatens to discharge you the injured worker for filing or intending to file such a claim. If the employer discharges you, you have to right to seek reinstatement and work benefits, lost wages, an increase in compensation (not to exceed $10,000), and costs. You may also file a civil claim for wrongful termination!!!!

Whether you have reported your injury timely or late to your company, all workers’ compensation claims start with the filing of a “claim form” (DWC-1 form) with the employer and/or insurance carrier.

Download DWC-1 Claim Form

Fill in this form as much as you can, submit it to your company and keep a copy for yourself for your records. Having a copy of this form with you will act as proof positive that you filed your claim timely.

The following are the types of benefits available:

1. Temporary disability benefits;
2. Permanent disability benefits;
3. Job retraining (supplemental job displacement voucher);
4. $5,000.00 return-to-work fund;
5. Medical Treatment;
6. Penalties & interest.
7. Death Benefits.
8. Life Pension.

See our “workers’ compensation benefits” page.

No worries!!!! Your immigration status is not important!!!

California law gives undocumented workers the right to seek and receive these benefits and will treat your case equally just like all other injured workers. The only exception is that the court cannot order the employer to rehire you if you are an undocumented immigrant when you have been fired.

Yes!!! Whether you are paid in cash, by checks, or by other forms of pay (e.g. exchanging free rent for your labor) you still qualify.

Then it is all the more reason to retain an attorney for help, or at the very least GIVE ME A CALL FOR FREE!!! When the insurance carrier denies or rejects your claim, there is no point in asking the insurance company for help because it will not help you once your claim is rejected/denied. It is time to seek help.

You must be an “employee” and be injured on the job to qualify for them. For example, if you are an “independent contractor” or a “volunteer” you will not qualify. But don’t be fooled!!! Sometimes an employer will simply label you an “independent contractor” or a “volunteer” in an attempt to avoid paying workers’ compensation insurance premiums and benefits when in fact you may truly be an “employee”. If you find yourself in this situation, don’t wait!!!! GIVE ME A CALL FOR FREE!!!!

Then it is time to seek legal help and dont wait!!!

In general, if the carrier accepts liability but still refuses to pay, then it is typically because it is relying on one of its own insurance doctors’ opinion which likely states that you have little or no disability. For example, the insurance company may have sent you to one of its own network doctors who opined that despite your injury (e.g. back injury), you can return to work without any restrictions or problems. Based on this opinion, the carrier will not pay.

However, you can do something about this situation by obtaining a “panel qualified medical examination” (or PQME) from the Medical Unit to try to rebut the insurance company’s network doctor’s opinion. Another option is to find another qualified doctor to rebut the insurance company’s doctor’s opinion. We can explain how to you. GIVE ME A CALL FOR FREE!!!!

There is no litmus test as to when to retain or not retain an attorney. But in general, studies have shown that having a lawyer yields a higher recovery than not having one. However, you must decide if it is worth doing so.

Our recommendation is that if the insurance carrier has accepted liability, is paying you, and you are happy, then there is no need to obtain an attorney. But most cases are not ideal and at the very least call an attorney for a free consultation. GIVE ME A CALL FOR FREE!!!!

In general, a case lasts approximately two (2) years from start to finish. Please be aware that this is just a general rule of thumb and not all cases will last so long or short. I have had cases which lasted several months while others lasted for many years. The complexity of your case will determine the length. For example, if you have injured one body part on one day (e.g. lifted a heavy box and suffered a hernia), then it will be shorter than another person who worked multiple jobs and hurt many parts of the body.

For the lawyer, the maximum charge is 15% (fifteen percent) of what you recover. You don’t pay until you win. If we don’t win, you pay nothing.

You also do NOT have to pay the doctors for medical treatment because the law requires the employer or insurance carrier to pay “all reasonable medical care cost to cure or relieve the effects of an industrial injury” per California Labor Code Sec. 4600.

Yes!!! The workers compensation system is based on a no-fault premise which means that if you are at fault, you can still recover. For example, if your boss told you that your job was to be a janitor doing clean-up only but you decide to change the company’s vehicle tire and hurt yourself changing the tire, you can still qualify (because it is a no-fault system).

In general, you have one year from the date of injury or one year from the last provision of benefits to submit a claim. See California Labor Code Sec. 5405 et. seq. But do not worry about the one-year deadline because it is riddled with numerous exceptions. GIVE ME A CALL FOR FREE AND WE SHALL EXPLAIN IT TO YOU!!!!

No problem!!!! The law requires that all employers (except for permissibly self-insured employers) must buy and carry workers’ compensation insurance. Unfortunately, some employers have chosen not to do so. If you file a claim against an uninsured employer you will likely have to proceed against the “Uninsured Employers Benefits Trust Fund” (or UEBTF) which is a state agency in charge of acting like an insurance company covering your claim. In order to proceed against the UEBTF to cover your claim, you must properly name and serve the employer with the correct process (i.e., “special notice of law suit”) and then petition the Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board for an order to join the UEBTF. Sounds complicated? It can be complicated. So, GIVE ME A CALL FOR FREE AND WE SHALL EXPLAIN IT TO YOU!!!!

No!!!! California Labor Code Sec. 4600 et. seq. states that if a worker is injured on the job medical treatment “shall be provided by the employer.” Even if your need for medical treatment was partly triggered by a work injury and partly not triggered by the work injury, the employer must provide medical care.

See this website’s “medical treatment” page for further explanations by clicking here.

Yes, we accept COVID-19 or Coronavirus cases. Even if you are uncertain if the infection came from the job or not, call us for a free consultation and we will advise you accordingly.