Workers' compensation lawyer Workers' comp. Don't let the boss play dumb.
You got messed up on the job and now the boss is playing dumb. In California you have the right to a doctor and to payments while you heal, papers or no papers.
is how long you have to tell the boss you got hurt. Stay sharp, don't let it slip.
Injuries we fight for
It doesn't matter what you do or how you get paid. If you got hurt doing your job, the law protects you.
Construction
Falls from ladders and scaffolds, accidents with tools and heavy machinery. Construction is one of the most dangerous jobs out there, and when you get hurt, the boss and the general contractor start pointing fingers.
- Falls from heights, roofs and scaffolds
- Machinery and tool injuries
- Struck by falling materials
Warehouses
Lifting all day, forklifts, impossible quotas. Back and shoulder injuries in warehouses are some of the most common, and they often build up until you can't take it anymore.
- Back and shoulders from lifting
- Forklift accidents
- Falling boxes and shelving
The fields and farm work
Farmworkers have the same rights as anyone. Heat, chemicals, ladders and repetitive motion all count, and the law protects you papers or no papers.
- Heat illness
- Pesticide exposure
- Ladder falls during harvest
Restaurants and kitchens
Burns, cuts, slips on wet floors and long hours on your feet. If it happened in the kitchen, it's covered, even if you work part-time or get paid in cash.
- Burns from oil and grills
- Cuts from knives and slicers
- Kitchen slips and falls
Cleaning and yard work
House and office cleaning, landscaping, maintenance. Chemicals, mowers and ladders cause serious injuries, and often nobody tells you that you have rights.
- Chemicals and allergic reactions
- Mowers and blowers
- Falls from ladders and roofs
Repetitive motion injuries
Not every injury happens all at once. Doing the same motion every day can mess you up too, and those injuries are covered as well.
- Carpal tunnel and wrists
- Shoulders, elbows and back
- Injuries that came on slowly
Your rights in California
- Medical careDoctors, therapy, medicine and surgery paid for by your employer's insurance. Not by you.
- Payments while you healIf the doctor says you can't work, you generally get about two-thirds of your wages (with limits).
- Permanent disabilityIf you're left with an injury that doesn't go away, you're owed an extra payment for it.
- Help getting back to workIf you can't do your old job anymore, there may be a voucher for school or learning a new trade.
Papers or no papers
In California, workers' comp covers every worker regardless of immigration status. And it's illegal to threaten you with immigration for filing.
Read the full guideYour boss can't punish you
It's illegal to fire you, cut your hours or treat you badly for reporting an injury or filing a claim.
What to do right now
- 1
Tell your boss
In writing if you can, and keep a copy. You have 30 days.
- 2
Ask for the DWC-1 form
That form opens your claim. Your employer has to give it to you.
- 3
See a doctor
Say you got hurt at work and tell them everything that hurts.
- 4
Call us
Before you sign anything or talk to the insurance company. The consultation is free.
Work injury guides
I got messed up on the job and I don't have papers. Can I file a claim?
Yep. In California, workers' compensation covers workers regardless of immigration status.
Stay sharp on the deadlines: 2 years for a crash, 30 days to tell your boss
The boss says he has no insurance. Now what?
They messed you up? Call El Chingón.
(949) 478-3159Come on, don't leave it for tomorrow. Free and confidential consultation. Hablamos español.