Workers’ Compensation
Fresno Workers’ Compensation Attorneys
Have you been injured on the job?
Our team can help you get the workers’ compensation benefits you deserve.
Workers’ compensation provides financial and medical benefits to employees who are injured on the job. If you have suffered a work-related injury or illness, you may be entitled to compensation for; lost wages, medical expenses, career retraining, permanent disability, and even wrongful death benefits.
The Fresno workers’ compensation lawyers at Cole, Fisher, Cole, O’Keefe + Mahoney have been helping injured workers get the benefits they deserve for over 30 years. Our team of certified workers’ compensation specialists know the workers’ comp. system inside and out, and are committed to securing maximum benefits for our Central California clients.
WE SPECIALIZE IN:
Hand, foot + knee injuries
Heart + lung problems
Permanent disability claims
Law enforcement claims
On-the-job injuries
Farm labor accidents
Back + shoulders injuries
Work-related death claims
We win or you don’t pay!
free consultation.
Types of Claims:
Construction Accidents
Repetitive-Stress Injuries
Law Enforcement
Permanent Disability
Cumulative Trauma Injuries
Temporary Disability
Automobile Accidents
Wrongful Death
Workers’ Compensation Benefits:
Medical Treatment: Reasonable medical treatment needed to cure or relieve the effects of a work-related injury or illness. There are many rules and limitations regarding medical treatment in the workers’ compensation system of California. Our attorneys can help you navigate these complex and ever-changing rules.
Temporary Disability (TD): Wage replacement when you are unable to perform your job duties while recovering from a work-related injury or illness. Your workers’ compensation temporary disability rate is two-thirds of your average weekly salary, up to the legal maximum.
Permanent Disability (PD): Monetary benefit paid when you don’t recover completely, and your injury causes a permanent loss of physical or mental function that a doctor can measure. The amount and duration of this benefit depends on when you were injured, the permanent disability rating you are assigned, and your average weekly salary. Our attorneys will assist you in obtaining the most accurate permanent disability rating possible, and thus, the maximum benefit you are entitled to.
Supplemental Job Displacement Benefits: A voucher you may be entitled to if you cannot return to your pre-injury work and you are not offered a permanent or modified job with your employer within 85 percent of your pre-injury wages. The amount will vary depending on the date of your injury. This voucher is meant to help pay for retraining or skill enhancement and can only be used at specific schools and training institutions.
A workers’ compensation injury can be a “specific” injury, when there is a distinct event that causes it; or a worker may suffer a “cumulative trauma” injury, when injury arises out of a period of exposure to repetitive activity or to a substance. Both injury types are compensable under workers’ compensation laws in the state of California, and our attorneys have over 30 years of experience in assisting workers with both types of claims.
ASK OUR TEAM
Do you have questions about workers’ compensation claims? Our team has answers.
Special Cases
-
Unfortunately, it is all too common workers are killed as a result of injuries at work or as a result of diseases caused by work. If a loved one has died, and you believe it may be related to an incident at work or due to some disease caused by their work, benefits may be obtained for dependents of the injured worker.
Death benefits include burial expenses, up to $5,000 for dates of injury prior to 2013, and up to $10,000 for dates of injury 2013 and later, as well as monetary awards. If death benefits are owed to a totally dependent child, they continue until the child is 18; if the child is physically or mentally incapacitated, benefits (FAQ) continue until the child’s death.
-
Public safety and law enforcement officers are subject to special laws pertaining to workers’ compensation benefits. These are particularly important when considering retirement. These benefits not only include extended leave time (Labor Code §§ 4800 and 4850), but even include special death benefits and presumptions for a variety of medical conditions. Our firm has years of experience in representing many local agency members from fire departments, police, CHP and prisons, to name a few.
A Couple of Examples of the Public Safety & Law Enforcement Laws Are:
1) Labor Code Section 4850. Paid leave of absence for specified public employees. This section entitles police officers, fire fighters and other public employees to a leave of absence while disabled without loss of salary in lieu of temporary disability payments or maintenance allowance payments, if any, that would be payable for the period of the disability, but not exceeding one year, or until that earlier date as he or she is retired on permanent disability pension.
2) Labor Code Section 3213.2. “Injury” includes lower-back impairment for certain law enforcement officers; “duty belt” defined. This section entitles certain enforcement officers required to wear a duty belt as a condition of employment to a presumption that lower back impairment arose out of and in the course of their employment. This presumption is disputable, but unless controverted, the appeals board is bound to find in accordance with it.
Our Certified specialists can Help
If you are injured or become ill at work, you should consider seeking help from a workers’ compensation attorney as soon as possible. A certified workers’ compensation specialist can help you manage every step of the process or appeal a denied claim.
Our Fresno workers’ compensation attorneys are here to help. We offer a free, no obligation consultation to find out if you have a case. If so, we’ll get to work at no upfront cost to you. You only pay us if we win your case. Contact Cole, Fisher, Cole, O’Keefe + Mahoney today.
From our Blog
A thorough look at how long California workers' compensation cases typically take to settle, the stages involved, and what factors affect the timeline.