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If you have recently been injured at work, you may have a claim for workers’ compensation in California. The best type of lawyer to handle your case is a workers’ comp attorney Los Angeles with experience handling workers’ compensation cases. If you are located in the Los Angeles, California area, a workers’ compensation attorney in Los Angeles, CA, is a great choice.
Workers’ compensation is the name for the system that allows injured workers in the state of California to receive benefits and compensation for injuries that take place at work. One of the main goals of providing workers’ compensation benefits is to cover all reasonable and related medical bills and costs incurred by injured employees. The ultimate goal is to help the injured worker return to work.
Additionally, workers’ compensation benefits are also designed to partially replace the wages lost by an injured worker while he or she is recovering from the work injury. Unlike personal injury cases, workers’ compensation benefits do not typically include damages for pain and suffering or for punitive damages.
However, under particular circumstances, other causes of action may be available for an injury that happened at work. Hiring a workers’ compensation lawyer California can help ensure that you are pursuing all of your legal options to receive the best chance at the most favorable outcome.
Workers’ compensation cases are handled through an arbitration system. California has a no-fault workers’ compensation system, which means that an injured worker does not need to prove that their employer was at fault for the injury in order to receive benefits.
Since these claims proceed through the arbitration system, the court process and proceedings are different from those in civil court. Top workers’ comp lawyers in Los Angeles will be able to help you with your questions about the workers’ compensation case process.
You might have a workers’ compensation case if you suffered a work-related injury or illness that arose out of and occurred in the course of your employment. As soon as you become aware of your injury or illness, it is crucial to notify your supervisor as soon as possible.
In some cases, a work-related illness or injury may develop gradually. If you have a gradual onset injury, be sure to report it to your supervisor as soon as you believe or confirm that your job caused it.
Reporting your injury or illness promptly can help you avoid delays in receiving benefits, especially with your medical care. Additionally, it is important to note that you could lose your right to benefits if you do not report your injury or illness within 30 days.
For this reason, it is crucial to report your injury right away or as soon as you believe a cumulative trauma injury is work-related. If you have questions regarding whether or not your injury or illness is considered a work injury, workers’ compensation lawyers Los Angeles, CA can help you.
There are a wide variety of injuries that can be work-related, and therefore, fall under the California Workers’ Compensation Act. These injuries can generally be categorized into two main categories. These categories include specific trauma injuries and cumulative trauma injuries.
Specific Trauma Injuries
A specific traumatic injury is an injury that happened at a definite time and place. One example of a specific trauma injury is straining your back while lifting a heavy object at work. A fall at work is another example of a specific trauma injury.
Cumulative Trauma Injuries
The other major category of workers’ compensation injuries includes cumulative trauma injuries. Cumulative trauma injuries are also called repetitive-use injuries. These injuries occur over a period of time rather than in just one singular traumatic event.
Cumulative trauma injuries happen due to repeated exposure or by performing a repetitive action. One example of a relatively common cumulative trauma injury is carpal tunnel syndrome.
Cumulative trauma injuries can also include injury due to continuous heavy lifting at work or due to constant or frequent exposure to toxins or chemicals that lead to injury or illness. Workers’ comp lawyers Los Angeles will be able to help you learn more about what type of work injury you have and how that may impact your case.
If you are considering filing a workers’ compensation claim, you may be interested in what benefits may be available to you. A workers’ compensation California attorney can answer your questions about benefits in greater detail.
In California, there are five main benefits provided to injured workers who file successful workers’ compensation claims. These benefits include payment of medical bills and costs, temporary disability benefits, permanent disability benefits, supplemental job displacement benefits, and death benefits.
Under California workers’ compensation law, your employer must pay all reasonable and related medical bills and costs for treatment for your work injury. These costs include doctor visits, along with other treatment services, prescriptions, equipment, tests, and sometimes travel costs that are reasonably necessary to treat your injury.
In some cases, while the claim is accepted, there may eventually be a dispute over whether proposed medical care is reasonable or related—for example, a surgical procedure. If this happens in your case, your Los Angeles workers’ compensation lawyer will request a hearing before the arbitrator assigned to your case to resolve the dispute if they are unable to do so through negotiation.
Another benefit available to injured workers in California is temporary disability. Temporary disability benefits are payments that you are eligible to receive if you are unable to perform your usual job while you are recovering and you lose wages due to your work injury.
You will receive payments for temporary disability in an amount equal to two-thirds of your gross wages that you lose while you are recovering from your work injury. However, it is important to keep in mind that you cannot receive more than the California maximum weekly amount set by state law.
The amount of temporary disability payments is also subject to a state minimum, which is adjusted each year. Your Los Angeles workers’ comp lawyer can review your wage statements and help you understand whether your temporary disability benefit checks will be impacted by the state maximum or minimum amounts.
You may also be eligible to receive permanent disability payments for your work injury. Permanent disability is the term for lasting disability due to your work injury or illness that impacts your ability to earn a living. Even if you are able to return to work, you may still be entitled to permanent disability benefits if your injury or illness results in permanent disability.
There are multiple factors that go into determining how much you will receive in permanent disability benefits. These factors include the date of your injury, your average wages prior to the injury, and your impairment rating (calculated as a percentage by a qualified medical examiner). To learn more about how much you may be eligible to receive in permanent disability benefits, contact a workers’ compensation attorney Los Angeles.
Supplemental job displacement benefits are another type of benefit you could be eligible to receive in your workers’ compensation case. This benefit is available to injured workers who:
The Supplemental Job Displacement Benefit is provided in the form of a non-transferable voucher that the injured worker can use to pay for skill enhancement or educational retraining. The voucher must be used at state-approved or accredited schools. Workers’ compensation law firms Los Angeles can help you navigate this issue if it is relevant in your case.
Workers’ compensation death benefits may be available to the family of a California worker who died as a result of their work injury or illness. Qualifying family members include the spouse, children, or other dependents.
These benefits also include reasonable burial expenses up to $10,000 for injuries that occurred on or after January 1, 2013. The total amount paid in death benefits depends on the number of total and partial dependents. If you have questions about death benefits in a workers’ compensation case, workers’ compensation lawyers California can help.
Each case is different and has a unique set of facts. For that reason, it is impossible to predict exactly how much a workers’ compensation case will be worth, especially if the injured worker is still receiving medical care and has not yet recovered from the work injury. At this point in time, the full extent of permanent disability due to the work injury may still be unknown.
Hiring one of the best workers’ comp lawyers in Los Angeles will give you the best chance at obtaining a fair and valuable settlement for your work injury. While no lawyer will be able to predict the final outcome of your case, it is possible to get an idea of the range of which your case may be worth.
Since a major factor of your settlement is your permanent disability rating, the biggest factor in determining case worth is the type of injury you suffered and how severe your permanent disability is due to the injury. For example, if you have a minor lumbar spine strain, need minimal medical treatment, and are able to quickly return back to work in your former capacity—your case will most likely be worth less than a case involving a herniated disc surgery and a significant permanent disability rating. Workers’ compensation attorneys California can help you understand more about what you can expect to receive for workers’ compensation benefits and an eventual settlement in your case.
If you have recently suffered a work-related injury, you may be wondering if you can handle your case on your own or whether it might be better to hire a workers’ compensation lawyer Los Angeles. Studies have shown that injured workers who hire attorneys tend to receive higher settlements than those that handle their cases on their own.
Finding the best workers’ comp lawyer in California can give you a huge advantage in your case. With some time and a little effort, some basic research can help you find a workers’ comp attorney in California who is a good fit for your case.
Los Angeles workers’ comp attorneys have years of experience handling workers’ compensation cases and have strong negotiation skills, which can substantially increase your settlement. While you may be able to manage your workers’ compensation case on your own, it is always better to hire Los Angeles workers’ compensation lawyers who can ensure that your case has been filed properly and promptly and that the case is moving forward as it should be.
Additionally, it is beneficial to have top workers’ comp attorneys in California on your side ready to help you in the event that a dispute of any kind arises in your case. Even if your claim was accepted shortly after it was filed, there are a number of different disputes that can arise down the road, particularly if your injury will require substantial medical treatment to resolve.
Having a Los Angeles workers’ compensation attorney already handling your case may help you to resolve these disputes faster. Further, if a dispute cannot be resolved, then your workers’ compensation attorney California can quickly request a hearing to have the matter heard before the judge. This is the best way to avoid lengthy delays in medical care approval and delays in receiving other benefits, such as temporary disability payments.
When you think of hiring a workers compensation lawyer in Los Angeles, CA your first concern is likely how much it will cost you. You may have heard that workers compensation lawyers charge their clients hundreds of dollars per hour to work on their cases.
In many areas of the law, lawyers do charge by the hour. They will often ask for a retainer fee upfront to cover the workers compensation attorney fees for the initial hours of work that they will perform on a case. It is also true that, typically, larger law firms with more experienced attorneys will charge more per hour to work on your case.
However, lawyers practicing in the area of workers comp law tend to take a different approach to attorney fees. It is common for workers’ compensation attorneys who represent injured workers to collect their attorney fees on a contingency fee basis. A contingency fee is a percentage fee that is based on the outcome of the case.
After suffering an injury and seeing the medical bills start to roll in, one of the first concerns you may have about moving forward with a work comp case is how much you will have to pay your lawyer. The good news is that many workers compensation lawyers, including those at the Odjaghian Law Group, work on a contingency fee basis.
At the Odjaghian Law Group, you will not be required to pay a retainer or attorney fees upfront. In fact, you will not need to pay any attorney fees unless we achieve a settlement for you or win your case.
The cost of a Los Angeles workman’s comp lawyer will vary since it depends on the outcome of your case. The fees will then be calculated based on a percentage of the settlement or award received in your case. The higher the settlement or award, the more you will pay in attorney fees—however, in many cases, you will still walk away with more money than you would have if you handled your case on your own without an attorney.
The best time to hire a workers’ comp attorney Los Angeles is as soon as possible after your personal injury. An experienced attorney can help you file a workers compensation claim, making sure that everything is done properly with regards to compensation for medical, medical bills and lost wages, among others.
Another advantage of hiring a Los Angeles workers compensation attorney immediately after suffering your personal injury on the job, is that your attorney will immediately take on the responsibility of dealing with your employer’s insurance company on your behalf. You will not need to worry about damaging your case by saying the wrong thing or being pressured into accepting a settlement beneath the true value of your case. Having your attorney handle these matters can alleviate some of your stress and uncertainty and will allow you to focus on your recovery.
Receiving a settlement offer early in the process is actually another reason to hire a work comp attorney. In some cases, the workers’ compensation insurance company will make a small settlement offer in the early stages of your case in an attempt to resolve it quickly without having to spend a lot of money.
The settlement offer may seem like a great offer, but it is important to take into account the long-term implications of your injuries. Early on in the treatment process, you may not yet know exactly how serious your injury truly is. If you accept an early settlement offer, you may end up closing out your case, and then finding out down the road that your injury requires an expensive surgery that was not included in the settlement.
A workers’ compensation attorney can help you evaluate the offer. If it seems low for the type of case you have, and you are interested in pursuing a higher settlement, you can hire the attorney to fight for a better settlement.
Once you have decided that it is in your best interest to hire a Los Angeles workers’ comp attorney, the next step is to do some research in order to find the best workers’ compensation attorney Los Angeles. Hiring the best workers’ compensation lawyer in California will give you the best chance at a favorable outcome for your case.
As you begin your research, it is important to make sure that you choose workers’ compensation California lawyers who practice in your jurisdiction. This simply means that the California workers’ compensation attorney you want to hire can accept your case since it is local enough for them to handle.
Next, it can be helpful to ask around with friends and family to see if any of them have had good experiences with a workers’ compensation attorney group Los Angeles. A negative review from someone you trust about a workers’ comp lawyer Los Angeles can also be helpful—as it can help you to avoid workers’ compensation law firms Los Angeles that may not be a good fit for you.
The next step in finding the best workers’ compensation attorney Los Angeles is to look for reviews of workers’ compensation law firms Los Angeles online, including testimonials of past clients. After you have done your research and believe you have found the best workers’ comp attorney Los Angeles, the final step is to contact the workers’ compensation attorney group Los Angeles, CA to schedule a meeting with the best workers’ comp lawyer in Los Angeles.
In 2020, the Odjaghian Law Group settled over a dozen cases for $1,000,000 or more. Of these cases, 10 of them were settled for $3,000,000 or more. The Odjaghian Law Group’s incredible track record of success with Los Angeles workers’ comp cases makes our firm a great choice for any injured worker in California looking for legal representation.
At the Odjaghian Law Group, our attorneys regularly take on challenging work injury cases, often involving complex medical and legal issues. We understand how complicated injuries, such as traumatic brain injuries, can impact an injured worker’s entire future—and we aggressively fight for the compensation that they deserve.
If you have recently been injured in the workplace or have developed an illness caused by your employment, a California workers’ compensation lawyer at the Odjaghian Law Group is ready to help you. Contact our law office today to schedule a consultation with one of our California workers’ comp lawyers. We can help you to quickly move forward with your case and begin receiving the workers’ compensation benefits that you deserve.
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