The residents of Agoura Hills work hard to earn a living and support their families. Located in the Santa Monica Mountains, this community of around 20,000 full-time residents is about 35 miles from the heart of Los Angeles. But life in Agoura Hills is drastically different than life in that big city. The community is filled with natural beauty and a wide array of businesses. There are many who live in the area who work in the service industry, as well as others in manufacturing, technology, and transportation, as well as some are focused on the agriculture business. But what all of them have in common is that they rely on their skills, hard work, and ability to go to work each day to support themselves and their families. Much like most people in the state and country, if they suddenly lost their ability to earn a living, they would suffer grave financial hardships.
Fortunately, workers in Agoura Hills who suffer an injury at work have the ability to seek help from California worker’s compensation. This program was created to help workers who get hurt on the job and prevent them from suffering severe financial challenges due to medical care costs and other issues created when they were unable to work. But not all employees know about this program and not all employers are willing to share the information with workers. So if you got hurt on the job and found yourself struggling to learn more about your options and are not searching for injury at work lawyers near me in Aurora Hills, please know that the team at California Labor Law Employment Attorneys Group is here to help. Our staff can be reached around the clock to answer your general questions, help you understand the benefits and services offered by the California worker’s comp program, and explain how to secure any help that would benefit you after suffering harm while at work. Our goal is to swiftly provide you with the expertise needed to get you back to full health and ready to return to work without the added stress of costly medical bills and other monetary struggles.
How Do I Qualify For California Worker’s Comp Coverage?
It is very simple to know if you qualify for worker’s comp coverage in California. All employees in the state are covered by the program because all employers are legally required to participate in the program. Worker’s compensation was created to help protect honest and hardworking people from suffering financial hardships when they are hurt due to an accident at work. The program is paid for by employers who are obligated to cover all employees with this very helpful insurance policy that protects them if they get hurt at work.
In addition, it is vital that workers know the program and its coverage applies to all kinds of on the job injuries, from a slip and fall or trip and fall to getting hurt by a falling object or suffering a laceration from a sharp object. It is also helpful to learn that employers are not permitted to try to stop an employee from opening a worker’s comp claim, nor are they permitted to punish an employee if they open a claim. So, if you have gotten injured at work and are afraid to use the worker’s comp program to get the medical care you need, please put that worry out of your mind. Seek the medical care you need and know that the California worker’s compensation program and California Labor Law Employment Attorneys Group are here to help you get the justice and medical care you need after a workplace injury.
What Benefits Are Offered By Worker’s Comp?
As a worker who is hurt on the job in California, you are able to seek benefits from one of the most robust worker’s compensation plans in the country. The program is focused on getting hurt employees the best medical care possible while also streamlining the process for the employee. The focus of the program and the staff at California Labor Law Employment Attorneys Group is ensuring you get the treatment you need to have the best potential outcome when healing and returning to the workforce. Your California workers’ compensation benefits package includes:
Payment of all medical expenses related to your workplace injuries, with a total coverage amount of $1M per injury incident. Equally as beneficial is the understanding that most medical care providers, from hospitals and doctors to therapists and rehabilitation facilities, will bill worker’s comp directly when they learn your injuries are due to a workplace incident. This expedited process means you are not asked to cover any deductible or out of pocket copays nor are you responsible for any communication or submission of invoices for the care you receive. The idea is to provide you with the healthcare you need and eliminate the stress and worry of cost or any of the administrative chores.
Workers who are not able to immediately return to work after suffering a workplace injury are provided compensation for their lost income that can be as much as 66% of their regular weekly income to help cover living expenses until they return to work.
If the harm sustained in the injury at work is severe and will cause you to be off work for a lengthy time or result in physical limitations or diminished earning capability, you can also receive long-term or permanent disability benefits to increase your income and cover that loss of earning potential.
If you will never be capable of returning to the work or job you had at the time of your workplace injury, the worker’s comp program will provide you with free vocational training to allow you to prepare for a new job or career path once you are fully healed and ready to return to regular employment status.
Can I Sue My Employer For More Compensation?
In most cases, a worker who gets hurt on the job is required to take the benefits offered by workers comp and is not permitted to file a lawsuit to seek added compensation from their employer. Keep in mind that the benefits you receive, including the coverage for your medical bills, are all being paid for because of the participation and payments of your employer to participate in this insurance program. The benefit that employers receive for covering all these costs is protection from a lawsuit filed by an injured worker.
The only time a worker can file a lawsuit against their employer for injuries suffered on the job is when gross negligence is involved. Gross negligence is defined as the employer having little or no regard for the safety and well-being of an employee. For example, if an employer makes the choice to take safety risks like not repairing a safety feature o a piece of equipment and a worker gets hurt, that employer was grossly negligent They know that their action or lac of action was placing the employee and their safety at risk, but the employer made the choice to act in that fashion regardless of the employees well being and risk. If you feel gross negligence was a factor in your workplace injuries, please reach out to California Labor Law Employment Attorneys Group immediately for a free consultation with a lawyer focused on gross negligence and workplace injuries.
What Is The Time Limit For Opening A Worker’s Comp Claim?
The worker’s comp program requires you to have your claim open within 30 days of the injury incident in most cases. If you do not open the claim in the time provided, it is very likely to be immediately denied when you try to begin processing a claim for an injury incident that was more than 30 days prior. It is also vital that you understand that ultimately, it is the employee’s responsibility to open the claim with worker’s compensation. Even though some employers have a staff member begin the claim process on the hurt worker’s behalf, the company is not responsible for that process. It is always in your best interest to contact the worker’s comp staff to verify that your claim is open and is being processed to ensure you receive your full benefits package that applies to your injury incident.
The exception to the 30 day time limit to open a workers compensation claim is when there is cumulative damage injuries that are the result of your job. A cumulative injury is one where you suffered harm because of a specific repetitive motion or action that is part of your job. Some examples of this issue are typing or using other equipment that requires a repetitive motion, like some assembly jobs or digging. In these cases, the injury must be diagnoses by a medical professional. In addition, once you know you are suffering from a cumulative injury, it is diagnosed, or you miss work due to the injury, you have one year to open your claim with worker’s compensation.
California Labor Law Employment Attorneys Group Is Here For You
There are few things that are more frustrating than suffering an injury at work and being unable to get the medical care you need, or suffering because you are afraid to miss work. Please know that when you have suffered an injury at work and need a lawyer near you in Agoura Hills, the team at California Labor Law Employment Attorneys Group is here to help you get the benefits and help that are owed to you. In addition, our staff is ready to help you protect yourself and your rights if your boss or anyone at your company is threatening you with punishment, a demotion, or termination if you open a worker’s compensation claim.
Please also know that when you contact California Labor Law Employment Attorneys Group, there is never a need to be stressed about up front legal fees or expenses. Instead, please know that our staff will meet with you for a free consultation, help you sort out any issues with your worker’s comp claim, and get you the benefits you are entitled to receive as a result of a workplace injury. In Addition, if your case involves gross negligence and you pursue a lawsuit. California Labor Law Employment Attorneys Group only gets paid after the case is resolved and you have gotten the compensation that includes funds to cover your legal fees. Finally, if your California Labor Law Employment Attorneys Group lawyer fails to win your case and get you the help and compensation you deserve, you owe the firm nothing for the time and investment in preparing your case. Please do not hesitate to reach out to our dedicated staff today to learn more about the California worker’s comp program and what it has to offer an Agoura Hills worker who gets hurt on the job from the legal team you know you can trust.
