No industry — and therefore, no worker — is completely safe from a work injury. When any kind of work injury does occur, it is vital that an injured California worker fully understand the process of utilizing workers’ compensation benefits. It is also vital that every worker understand that benefits may not initially be awarded, at least not to the extent that those benefits are needed. This may mean that an appeal of a ruling concerning workers’ compensation benefits may need to be pursued.
For an injured worker, workers’ compensation benefits may be needed to cover medical bills. Those benefits may also be needed to cover lost wages if a worker needs to miss work to recover or to take part in the rehabilitative process. If a claim is denied or the amount approved is less than what is needed to make a full recovery, a worker has the right to appeal.
The appeal process can vary greatly from how the initial claim was handled. Anyone seeking an appeal must have legal representation from someone who understands how appeals differ and what the process will be like. The court will look at how the first case was handled and the validity of the first decision, rather than focusing on what actually happened to lead to the claim.
Any kind of workers’ compensation case can be complex and time-consuming. An appeal can be equally complex for California workers. Our firm handles appeals of workers’ compensation cases and also has more information about workers’ compensation on our website so as to assist workers who need more information as they move forward after an injury.