Almost all employees in California have the protection of workers’ compensation insurance because state law mandates that employers carry this important form of protection. If an employee falls off a ladder, gets struck by a forklift or gets diagnosed by their doctor with a repetitive motion injury related to their job, they can file a claim for certain benefits.
Many workers only ever require medical benefits because their injury is minor. Workers’ compensation in California will pay for all of someone’s necessary treatment costs and for ongoing symptom management if someone has residual symptoms after initial treatment ends. Some workers with more severe injuries or permanent medical consequences may need to request disability benefits as well.
Those who can never work again may qualify for permanent, total disability benefits. Workers in one of the two scenarios below might qualify for partial permanent disability benefits.
Those unable to return to the same position during treatment
There are many professionals who can work a job after their claim begins but not the same job they usually perform. They don’t require a leave of absence, but they still feel the economic pressure of their injury.
If a worker has to accept a lower-paid position during their treatment and recovery, temporary partial workers’ compensation benefits will help reduce the gap between their typical paycheck and what they earn during their convalescence because of their limited work abilities. Those benefits will typically end when the worker is able to return to their usual job and starts earning their typical wages.
Those forced to change professions entirely
A back injury can very easily end the career of someone who has long worked in factories. They may have neither the education nor the job training to move into a role with similar pay. When a worker has to accept a lower-paying job because of permanent injuries, they can qualify for permanent partial disability benefits.
Although workers’ compensation won’t fully replace lost wages, it can go a long way toward helping someone pay their basic expenses after a diagnosis with a job-related medical issue. Learning about the available workers’ compensation benefits in California will help those who need support because of a work-related medical issue.
