San Francisco Bay Area Workers' Compensation Law Blog

There are specific forms that must be filed if you wish to file a workers’ compensation claim in California. While you may file on your own, you also have the option of having a qualified workers’ compensation lawyer file on your behalf at no cost to you. There are many attorneys in the San Francisco Bay Area who can help you. They get paid once there is an award. If there isn’t an award, then you pay nothing. Attorney Scot Shoemaker, in San Francisco, California, has over 2 decades of experience fighting for hard-working Northern California employees. He is among a select few attorneys recognized as a workers’ compensation certified specialist from the State Bar of California. To speak with Attorney Shoemaker about your specific claim, call (415) 463-5310 today.

You have a right to benefits under California’s Workers’ Compensation Act if you live in California and have suffered a job-related injury. By law, the employer is required to pay workers’ compensation benefits, including medical treatment, to any employee who has been injured on the job.

What do I do after I was injured on the job?

The first thing you should do after a work-related injury is to get medical treatment right away. In an emergency situation, the injured employee is not limited, and may go anywhere to receive treatment, and the employer must pay for medical services. The employee should let the doctor or hospital know that the injury happened at work.

The Department of Industrial Relations (www.dir.ca.gov) has announced the launching of the Return-to-Work Supplement Program for injured workers. As part of Senate Bill 863, a 120 million dollar fund was created to assist eligible injured workers. It is a quick way to receive an additional $5,000 for injured workers who have been unable to return to their job. The program was announced on 4/13/15.

Qualifying is easy. The Applicant must have a date of injury after 1/1/13 and have received a Supplemental Job Displacement Benefit (SJDB) voucher for their injury.

Applying for the $5,000 is easy too.  The application is completely done online and detailed instructions can be found at: Return-to-Work Supplement Program (RTWSP)

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At the Law Offices of Scot D. Shoemaker, we are glad to bring you this information so that you can quickly access these benefits. You should act immediately. The 120 Million is the total statewide amount and we imagine that injured workers across the state will be filing their applications early. If you have questions, please contact our San Francisco workers' compensation lawyer for a free initial consultation today by calling (415) 463-5310 or fill out our online form today.

As we say goodbye to 2014 and we welcome 2015, we need to keep in mind that with the new year we have new laws relating to workers' compensation in California. A summary of the new laws can be found at the following Department of Industrial Relations website link:
 
http://www.dir.ca.gov/OPRL/Leg_Digest2014.pdf
 
With respect to workers' compensation, The Governor signed AB 1035 which extends the time period for public safety employees (firefighters or peace officers) to file a case to collect death benefits from 240 weeks to 420 weeks but no more than one year after the date of death subject to certain conditions.