If you have been injured while carrying out your work activities, it is likely that you will have to take leave in order to recover. This can be a very stressful time for many injured employees, since they may worry about the rising medical bills as well as the lost wages that they are suffering.
All injured workers should look into what their rights are in regard to a workplace injury. It is likely that they will find that they are entitled to workers’ compensation, and therefore, be able to recoup the damages that they faced.
Am I eligible for workers’ compensation?
If you are a classified employee in California, rather than an independent contractor, your employer is required by law to have workers’ compensation coverage in order to protect you. This means that when you suffer a work-related injury, you will have financial protection while you recover.
The fact that you must suffer a work-related injury is significant. In many situations, it can be unclear as to whether the injury occurred at work or was due to lifestyle or other factors. This could be true for a back problem or other type of sprain or strain. It might also be true that your working environment contributed to your injury rather than caused it, and this needs to be evaluated within the claims process.
If you have been injured and you believe that the injury was caused by your working environment, it is important that you take action in filing for workers’ compensation so that you can get back what you deserve.
Source: FindLaw, “I Have a Job-Related Injury: What are My Employer’s Responsibilities?,” accessed March 14, 2018