Most people do not realize how dangerous it is to work on a farm. Regardless of whether you are working with livestock or in the crop fields, large machinery, strong animals, and the weather can cause injuries. Oddly enough, many states do not require farm owner's carry agricultural worker's compensation insurance. Luckily, California does.

Injured workers in the state of California are by law entitled to certain benefits if they are injured at work. These benefits would include: temporary disability, medical care as currently allowed by the law, mileage for expenses to medical care and if the injured worker suffers permanent residuals, a disability award as proscribed by an evaluating doctor.

Ouch! You’ve become injured on the job. Co-workers say, “Get a lawyer.” Your boss says, “I’ll handle it.” How do you know what to do?

If you are injured on the job in the state of California, it is important to know what benefits are available to you should your injuries be severe enough to prevent you from working. If your injury prevents you from working, you may also be eligible for Workers’ Compensation.

The actions you take after being injured on the job can affect your workers' compensation claim. They can affect your ability to file a claim, the acceptance or denial of the claim, and your final settlement in relation to the claim. Unfortunately, people often unknowingly make mistakes that can harm their case.

In the past, the full retirement age for Social Security used to be your 65th birthday. Now, depending on when you were born, you may not reach full retirement age until you are 67 years old. However, you can still file for what's home as "early retirement" at age 62 or 63 (depending on your birthday).

Arguably, the most important benefit provided by Workers’ Compensation is medical treatment. Unfortunately for injured workers in California, this is often the most denied benefit. The reason behind this harsh reality is known as the Utilization Review and Independent Medical Review process, and the en banc decision of Dubon v. State Comp. Ins. Fund, handed down October 6, 2014.