An individual who suffers an injury on the job should make all efforts to learn what kind of benefits they might receive through the workers’ compensation insurance maintained by their employer. The Law Office of Scott A. Schwartz oversees that injured workers receive the medical treatment after an industrial injury. We also protect injured workers from being forced to pay for any medical bills related to a work injury.

Most clients worry how they will keep up with their expenses during the course of their medical treatment. Many California workers are entitled to temporary disability payments once a doctor states that you are unable to perform your ususal work duties for more than three days or you are hospitalized overnight. Temporary disability payments may come in the form of state disability insurance (for up to 1 year) or from the workers’ compensation insurance carrier (for up to 104 weeks).

Once a doctor decides that you have become permanent and stationary, meaning that your condition is not getting any better or worse, you will be assigned a permanent disability rating. The Law Office of Scott A. Schwartz converts the permanent disability rating into a dollar amount through a statutory formula. Shortly after your condition is declared permanent and stationary, the insurance company will begin to advance reasonable sums of money until the full amount is paid.

The Law Office of Scott A. Schwartz will then explain the different manners by which you may settle your case. In short, you will likely either agree to an Award or a Compromise & Release. An award usually leaves the insurance company responsible for lifetime medical care for the work injury. With an Award, the injured worker is entitled to money for any permanent disability that they have from their industrial injury. The other way to many cases are resolved is by Compromise and Release. The employee receives a lump sum of money and is not entitled to future medical care.