Benefits of Workers Compensation in California

Workers Compensation in California is a division that has been designed to help employees and families when an illness, injury or even death occurs while on the job. If you are ever the victim of such an awful accident – such as slipping and hurting your back or health issues that sparked when you started a job due to various chemicals used on-site or loss of hearing due to loud noises on the job – then you may very well be eligible for benefits under the workers compensation program in California.

Basically, there are five primary benefits related to workers compensation in California, all of which are briefly outlined below:

Medical – This pertains to any medical care that is necessary in order for you to relieve yourself or cure yourself from the injury effects. Apart from medical expenses themselves, this also includes 50 cents for every mile that is travelled to and from the doctor. Please note: 50 cents is based on 2010 information. Rates are subject to change at any time.

Temporary Disability – If you are hospitalized or have to miss over three days of work then you should be eligible to receive temporary disability benefits. Temporary disability is determined by your current average weekly income and is two-thirds of your general paycheck. Checks are generally received bi-weekly and you will stop receiving the checks when you are released to go back to work. In 2010, the minimum benefit was $148.00 and the maximum payout was $986.69.

Permanent Disability – These benefits are more complex and are determined based on your injury date, disability rating, and previously earned wages. Usually, weekly payments range from $190 to $270 and are started after temporary benefits once you have been diagnosed with a permanent disability from your doctor.

Supplemental Job Displacement – Workers compensation in California allows for an individual injured on the job to attend training, or prep, school. The amount received for such depends on the intensity of disability with $10,000 being the maximum received, 10 percent of which may be used for the help of a counselor.

Death – If there is a job-related death, individuals that rely on the support of the income from the recently departed employee may be entitled to receive death benefits – benefits of which can be obtained even if the fatality occurred off-site as long as the cause of the death was indeed relevant to the job-related injury.

California is a state with more regulation than other states in the contiguous United States. Eligibility for worker’s compensation is decided by a state commission. They assess the situation to determine if claims are legitimate, and how much compensation is necessary. Appeals can be made through the court system. You must seek adequate counsel and not rely on the contents of this article for your case; this is a disclaimer saying we do not guarantee this information to be accurate or timely to your situation.