Located in the Santa Monica Mountains in a truly picturesque setting, Agoura Hills is a community with around 20K hard-working residents. While the city is only about 35 miles from the center of Los Angeles, life in Agoura Hills is far from what you would see, do, and experience in the Big City. There are many small businesses, pedestrians shopping at local markets, and families out enjoying the natural beauty and many activities in this family-friendly place.
The draw for many in this area is the peaceful setting, but it also helps to have many great job opportunities in a wide array of industries, such as manufacturing, technology, transportation, and the booming agricultural business in this mild climate. Each of these industries and the individual businesses relies on the hard work of the local residents to prosper and contribute to the local and state economy and the growth of the city. But all of that is in jeopardy when a worker or multiple workers get hurt on the job and are unable to work and earn a living, as well as contributing to the success of the business and local economy. Fortunately, when there are mishaps that result in a worker sustaining a workplace injury, they have the help and stability of the California Workers Comp Program to help them get back on their feet.
The California Workers Compensation Program was created to help meet the needs of workers who suffer an injury while on the job, as well as employers who were facing many personal injury lawsuits filed by workers who sustained injuries at work. The program was meant to ease the financial burden on the hurt worker as well as the legal costs incurred by the employer as they faced litigation. While the California program is one of the most robust of its kind in the country, it is not always fully understood by workers or even employers. So, if you get hurt on the job and are struggling to cover your bills or lost income, you are sure to want more information about this helpful program. Many workplace injury victims search for a Workers Comp attorney near me in Agoura Hills and discover that California Labor Law Employment Attorneys Group is the premier firm to help them get the benefits they deserve and provide peace of mind that there are viable solutions to the challenges they face because of a workplace injury.
All you need to do is grab your phone and reach out to the dedicated office staff at California Labor Law Employment Attorneys Group, who can be reached around the clock to help you understand the program, how it can help you, and the process you must follow to ensure you receive all the benefits owed to you after sustaining harm while you are at work. And the best part for many workplace injury victims is that California Labor Law Employment Attorneys Group offers a free consultation with a seasoned Workers Comp in Agoura Hills.
What If I Never Signed Up For Workers Compensation In California?
Many workers who get hurt on the job are afraid they will not be covered by the California Workers Comp Program because they never signed up or enrolled in the program when they began their employment. But that is never a concern for an employee in the state because the program legally requires all employers to enroll and cover all their employees in this very beneficial program. In addition, you should understand that when your employer hires you and signs you up for the Workers Comp Program, they are required to cover all the costs for this helpful insurance coverage that protects you in the event of a workplace injury incident. You are never required to pay any premium, deductible, or co-pay related to your workers comp coverage. So, if you are an employee in California, you are almost certainly covered by the Workers Comp Program if you get hurt while on the job.
What Does California Workers Compensation Cover?
The coverage provided to employees who get hurt at work is quite comprehensive and offers help to overcome the many challenges that can arise when you get hurt on the job. As long as the injury incident happened while you were working at your regular job and performing tasks that are a part of that job description, you will be able to open a claim with Workers Comp to get assistance in covering the losses and expenses caused by the incident and injuries.
While some workers think the program covers only major injuries, and others think it is in place to help with minor incidents, you should understand that it covers all injuries from the most minor to the most significant or even life-threatening. So, if you slip and fall or trip and fall at work and sustain a cut that will require a few stitches, please seek immediate medical care and let the care provider know it was a workplace incident and will be handled by the California Workers Comp Program. In addition, if you are involved in a serious workplace accident, it is vital that you get any and all medical care and emergency treatment needed. But rest assured, you will have the coverage from the California Workers Comp program to pay those medical expenses. In most instances, the medical professional will work to bill their services directly to the Workers Comp Program to eliminate any issues or charges that you would be required to pay.
To better understand the complete benefits offered by the WC program in California, here is a short explanation of the benefits that can be provided to a hurt worker as needed to help them overcome the hardships of a workplace injury:
- The program covers all medical expenses related to your workplace injuries, with the total payment per workplace accident at $1,000,000. The amount paid can cover everything from the cost of services from doctors and other medical professionals to your stay in the hospital and rehabilitative services. The goal of the program is to eliminate all of the medical expenses that were incurred because of an accident in the workplace.
- If you are unable to immediately return to work after a more severe injury, the WC program can provide you with up to 66% of your regular weekly income to help you pay your routine living expenses until you recover and return to work. This money is paid right to you, and you are free to use it as you see fit.
- In instances that result in serious harm that might cause you to be away from work for an extended period of time or that will leave you with limitations that result in diminished earning capability, the WC program can provide you with long-term disability compensation to help offset your lost or decreased earning capability
- For victims who will never be able to return to their previous Agoura Hills job because of the severity of their on the job injuries, the WC program will provide free vocational training to help you prepare for a new career path once you have healed and are ready to rejoin the workforce in a new capacity.
Can I Sue My Agoura Hills Employer For Workplace Injuries?
As previously mentioned, the California Workers Comp Program provides benefits for both employees and employers. One of the challenges employers faced prior to the creation of the WC program was costly and lengthy legal cases related to the expenses incurred by workplace injury victims who wanted their employer to cover their losses and expenses. The Workers Comp Program now meets these needs for hurt employees using the funds paid for the coverage by employers. In exchange for the cost of WC coverage for employees, employers are provided with protection from nearly all workplace accident injury lawsuits. The short answer is that in most cases, a worker who gets hurt on the job s not permitted to seek compensation from their employer by filing a personal injury lawsuit. They are limited to receiving the benefits provided by the WC program only; there is a single exception.
In cases that involve gross negligence on the part of an employer, the worker who suffers an injury at work because of that gross negligence can file a personal injury lawsuit. Gross negligence is defined as the employer showing little or no regard for the safety and well-being of employees. As an example of gross negligence, imagine that your job requires you to use a large chainsaw each day. After weeks or even years of use, you discover that the safety cover over the cutting chain on the saw is damaged or worn out. You immediately report this issue to your employer and ask for a new saw or for the current saw be repaired to eliminate the potential of an injury. Instead of fixing the current chainsaw or providing you with a new, safe chainsaw, your employer tells you to keep using the saw with the damaged safety cover.
Because you have no other way to complete your daily work, you continue to use the saw, trying to be as careful as possible. But one day, the chain gets snagged and jumps off the bar and wraps around your wrist, causing severe injuries. In this case, it could be argued that your employer showed no concern for your safety and actually put you at unnecessary risk when forcing you to use the damaged saw. This injured worker should contact the California Labor Law Employment Attorneys Group to discuss the details of the incident and determine if they have grounds for a personal injury lawsuit against their employer to seek compensation for the harm inflicted on them due to gross negligence. In cases like this, the victim can often sue for items that were not included in the benefits package from WC, such as the remaining lost income in excess of what the WC program provided, the cost to repair or replace personal property damaged in the workplace accident, and even pain and suffering.
How Long Do I Have To Open A Workers Comp Claim?
The California Workers Comp Program requires an injured worker to contact the program staff and open a claim within 30 days of the injury incident in most cases. This time limit is strictly enforced and if you do not open your claim within that time, you risk immediate denial of the claim and no ability to receive benefits. The most common exception to this 30 day time limit is when the injuries are due to cumulative trauma, such as an injury caused by repetitive motion. To open a claim for a cumulative injury, the harm and injury must be diagnosed by a medical professional. From the date of diagnosis or the first day that you miss work because of the cumulative injury, you have one year to open the Workers Comp claim.
Why You Need California Labor Law Employment Attorneys Group Working For You
When you sustain an injury at work, it can feel like your entire world is about to crumble. There are the costly medical treatments, your mounting household bills, and your lost income that all make the situation feel overwhelming. And when your employer is not assisting you in understanding your option and ability to open a WC claim, you begin to feel hopeless. Please know that the dedicated team at California Labor Law Employment Attorneys Group is here to help you understand your right to use the California Workers Comp Program and to advise you if you have other legal options to help you receive any compensation that is owed to you for the harm you suffered. And you are never going to be charged for your initial free consultation to discuss the facts of your on the job injuries.
Please understand that any time you think you need a Workers Comp attorney in Agoura Hills, the staff at California Labor Law Employment Attorneys Group is just a phone call away, and we are ready to provide you with exceptional legal guidance and peace of mind at your free consultation.
