NEW WORKERS' COMPENSATION LAWS IN CALIFORNIA

Do you need an attorney?

In a minor case, especially one with no loss time from work or permanent disability,  one may fortunately secure the needed treatment, get over the "speed bump," and get on with their life just fine.  In more serious situations, that may not be the case.

In 2004, the California workers' compensation system was altered by our governor in Senate Bill 899.  That law permanently established an unfair advantage for the insurance companies and employers.  It was rammed through Sacramento by our governor, who campaigned on a platform of “reducing workers' compensation premiums.”

That law was actually completely written by a large national insurance carrier  that markets workers' compensation policies in California.  (This same insurance company sponsored the governor’s inaugural ball for over $100,000.)  The old workers compensation system was, in fact, flawed and did need to be changed.  But the Governor used an ax where he should have used a scalpel.  He made wholesale cuts in benefits to the injured worker and gave unfair control over their provision to the insurance companies and large self-insured employers.

Since the insurance companies wrote the law, securing proper benefits, payments and treatment in this “post reform era" requires keen understanding of the Labor Code, Administrative Rules (Title Eight) and the extensive case law that interprets them.  The goal of every insurance company is not as it should be, “the proper provision of benefits.”  Instead, it is their goal “to minimize  the expense of every claim.”  The insurance companies have their teams of attorneys and adjustors trained to achieve their goal.  Who do you have?  Without a skilled California workers' compensation attorney in this highly technical field, injured workers are left as prey in a system skewed to  take advantage of them.

Contact

If you've been injured in a work related accident or cumulative trauma, contact experienced, aggressive,  and highly respected southern California workers' compensation lawyer and advocate, Steven A. Meline.  For a free, confidential consultation, call (888) 793-4878 or (888) 793-HURT.

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