5 Reasons You Need A Workers’ Comp Lawyer in California

1.   Your Workers’ Compensation Lawyer Will Help You Navigate The Difficult System and Help You Get the Benefits You Deserve

First and foremost, navigating the workers’ comp route is complicated in and of itself. If this is your first time filing a workers’ compensation claim, then it may be overwhelming to advocate for yourself. Our workers’ compensation attorneys have over 20+ years of combined experience in the field (over 1,000 clients represented) and will stand beside you to defend the benefits you are entitled to: temporary total disability, permanent disability and medical treatment. I’ll explain what these are further below.

2.   Your Workmans’ Comp Attorney Will Try To Get You Paid Money While You Are Off Of Work
   

   If you suffer an injury on the job you are entitled to workers’ comp benefits

After getting injured at the job, it may be difficult to figure out what will happen with your income. Our attorneys will ensure that you receive the temporary and permanent disability benefits that you are entitled to. You get temporary total disability benefits if a physician sets work restrictions for you after your injury occurs and your employer cannot accommodate those work restrictions for you. Temporary disability payments equate to two thirds of your overall average weekly wage. 

Additionally, our attorneys will also ensure that you get the compensation you deserve when we settle your case.

3.   Your Workers’ Comp Lawyer Will Have You Treat with Doctors Who Will Care About Your Injury and Obtain the Medical Treatment You Deserve 

Our attorneys will ensure that you get the appropriate treatment by referring you to medical providers that are fairer than those elected by the workers’ comp insurance. Oftentimes, the insurance elects doctors for you that convene them the most. For example, they may pick a doctor that is highly conservative and will write a report saying that your injury is miniscule or nonexistent. This is problematic because then you will not get adequate treatment for your work-related injury.

If the workers’ comp insurance does not authorize the treatment that your doctor requested in a timely manner, then we can help accelerate the process by filing a hearing.

4. A Workers’ Comp Attorney Makes Sure That Your Employer is Following the Rules and Your Work Restrictions

If your doctor sets work restrictions, such as lifting no more than 10 pounds or remaining seated for your entire shift, then your employer can either accommodate those restrictions or pay you temporary disability benefits. If your employer expects you to work beyond those restrictions without taking into consideration your work-related injury, then you are entitled to claim your temporary disability. Our attorneys will stand beside you and demand your employer to either respect your work restrictions or to accommodate you at the job. 

Again, it is important that your doctor, or primary treating physician, treat your work-related injury in a way that reflects your condition. This way, they can request treatments or medications that are appropriate for you. Your primary treating physician sets the above-mentioned work restrictions for your employer to follow. Our attorneys elect primary treating physicians who are more considerate of your work-related injury and whose evaluations reflect your condition better than those elected by your employer’s workers’ comp insurance.

5. Your Work Comp Attorney Helps You Get Compensated at the End of Your Case if You Are Still Experiencing Symptoms From Your Injury

If you are still experiencing discomfort, our attorneys will have you evaluated by a state doctor, known as a qualified medical evaluator (QME) or an agreed medical evaluator (AME). An AME is a state doctor chosen in an agreement between your attorney and the employer’s attorney. Again, our attorneys strive for doctors who accurately evaluate your work-related injury. QME’s and AME’s will write a report based on their evaluation of your work-related injury and conclude a permanent disability (PD) rating. The PD rating will help ease the process towards settling your case and our attorneys will ensure you get the most out of your compensation if you are entitled to it.

 If still you have any questions, our attorneys Rene Munoz and Steve Franco will be glad to help you.  Contact the team at Franco Munoz Law for more information or to set up an appointment to go over your claim. We offer a free consultation – so you have nothing to lose.

 About the Author

Adriana Bolaños  graduated from UC Santa Cruz with a BA in psychology; her interest in helping people and her problem-solving skills have brought her to be a great fit to assist you in any concern regarding workers’ compensation.