“Eman really knows his stuff and we were very pleased with our end result.”
Myretta & Thomas Knorr
Workers' Comp Lawyer in Encino, California
Certified Specialist (CA Bar)No Fee Unless We Win (Costs May Apply)Millions RecoveredSe Habla Español
- Years of Practice
- 14+
- Cases Handled
- 500+ over 14+ years of practice
- Recovered
- $7M+ over 14+ years of practice
- Bilingual + Farsi
- English + Español + Farsi
By Eman Yazdchi, Esq. · Certified Specialist in Workers' Compensation Law, State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization · Cal Bar #285231
Getting hurt at work can shake a whole household, especially when one paycheck holds it together. If a job injury has you anxious tonight in Encino, take a breath. California law stands behind injured workers, and learning your rights starts with a free phone call.
Here is what eases most minds first. When your job causes an injury, benefits are usually yours, even if you share some blame for the accident. California built the system without fault on purpose. It can cover your full medical care, replace two-thirds of your wages while you cannot work, and pay a cash award when the harm lasts. You normally have one year to file, so act soon.
Eman Yazdchi is a Certified Specialist in Workers' Compensation Law, certified by the California Board of Legal Specialization, State Bar of California. He represents Encino workers at the Van Nuys WCAB, in English and Spanish. Your first call is free.
Three steps for today:
- Tell your employer in writing. A text or email works. Include the date and how the injury happened.
- Ask for the DWC-1 claim form. Your employer must hand it over within one working day. If they refuse, call (661) 273-1780.
- Get medical care and say it is work related. Those words at the first visit link the injury to your job.
Do you have an Encino workers' comp case?
If your job in Encino caused the injury, you very likely have a claim. It can cover treatment, replace part of your pay, and compensate any lasting harm.
Most injured workers start unsure whether they truly have a case. If your job caused the harm, you usually do. A single accident counts, like a slip in a Ventura Boulevard medical office. So does damage that builds slowly, like a nurse's back after years of patient transfers at Encino Hospital Medical Center.
The legal test is short. Did the injury arise out of and in the course of your job? Said simply, did work cause it, and were you working when it struck? A dental hygienist with worn-out wrists qualifies. So does a restaurant cook burned on the line, or a building-services worker who slips on a polished office-tower floor.
California splits injuries into two kinds. A specific injury happens in one moment, like a fall or a heavy box that lands wrong. A cumulative injury grows over time from repeating the same task. Both are covered. With a slow injury, your one-year clock starts only when you learn the harm is tied to your work.
California Labor Code section 3600(a): "Liability for the compensation provided by this division ... shall, without regard to negligence, exist against an employer for any injury sustained by his or her employees arising out of and in the course of the employment."
Every Encino worker is covered, including those without papers. A cash-paid kitchen worker and a temp office assistant share the same right to file. Your immigration status cannot block a claim, and no employer may use it to frighten you into silence.
Which benefits can you claim?
Your claim can pay treatment, replace two-thirds of your wages while you heal, award money for permanent harm, and cover travel and retraining.
Think of a claim as a bundle, not one check. Several benefits run side by side while you heal. Here is what an Encino claim can deliver.
Treatment with nothing out of pocket
From day one, the insurer must cover every reasonable treatment your recovery requires. Visits, surgery, rehab, imaging, and prescriptions are all part of it. No copay, no deductible. When a hospital aide needs back surgery, that cost lands on the insurer.
Pay while you are off the job
If the injury stops you from working, temporary disability covers two-thirds of your usual weekly pay, up to a state cap. That support can run as long as 104 weeks within five years. A medical-office worker on the mend keeps a check coming through the hardest stretch.
A payout for lasting damage
Not every injury fully heals. When you reach the point where you will not improve, a doctor assigns a percentage to the permanent damage. That figure drives your disability award. How the percentage turns into dollars is the next section.
Care that may last a lifetime
Major injuries can demand care for years. If your doctor confirms you will need ongoing treatment later, your claim can hold that care open for as long as the injury affects you.
Travel pay and a route to new work
The insurer must also reimburse mileage to your appointments. And when your old job is no longer possible, a retraining voucher of up to $6,000 helps you build new skills.
What is an Encino workers' comp claim worth?
The value depends on how serious the lasting damage is, your age, your job's demands, and the care you will still need. Every claim is its own story.
Be wary of anyone who names a figure before reviewing your file. Honestly, it varies. Four things drive the number: the degree of permanent damage, your age, the physical demand of your job, and your future treatment.
Here is the path from injury to dollars. After you heal as far as you can, a doctor measures the lasting damage with the state's rating guides. For injuries from 2013 on, that score is multiplied, then weighed up or down for your age and the strain of your trade. The chart gives broad statewide figures, not a forecast for your claim.
| Injury severity | Typical permanent disability | Approximate value range |
|---|---|---|
| Minor strain or sprain, full recovery | 0 to 5 percent | $2,000 to $12,000 |
| Moderate injury needing surgery | 10 to 25 percent | $15,000 to $55,000 |
| Serious injury or a single-level fusion | 30 to 50 percent | $60,000 to $150,000 |
| Severe or multi-level injury | 55 to 80 percent | $160,000 to $370,000 |
| Catastrophic, spinal cord or brain | 85 to 100 percent | $400,000 and up, plus lifetime care |
These are general California ranges, not a prediction. Your actual award depends on your disability rating, age, occupation, and future medical care. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes.
What happens if your claim is denied?
A denial is only a setback. You have 30 days to appeal a refused treatment, and roughly 20 to 25 days to challenge a judge's decision in writing.
Claims get denied for all kinds of reasons, some fair and many not. Hold onto this: a denial is not a dead end. The law builds in real ways to fight back, and the sooner you start, the better.
After you file, the insurer gets 90 days to accept or deny. During that wait, they remain responsible for up to $10,000 of your care. When they reject a treatment your doctor ordered, you can request an independent medical review within 30 days. When a judge rules against you, a written petition asks the appeals board to reconsider, usually due within 25 days of a mailed ruling.
You will not face any of this alone. We study the denial, find its weak point, and assemble the medical evidence to turn it around.
How long do you have to file in Encino?
Tell your employer within 30 days and file the claim within one year. A missed deadline can wipe out your benefits, so move fast.
Strict clocks govern California workers' comp. They are firm rules, not friendly hints, and blowing one can sink a claim. For each client, we mark every date on day one. The table lists the key ones.
| Step | Deadline |
|---|---|
| Notify your employer of the injury | 30 days from the injury |
| File the formal claim (DWC-1) | 1 year from the injury |
| Slow-building injury over time | 1 year from when you knew it was work related |
| Insurer must accept or deny | 90 days after you file |
Why Encino workers turn to Yazdchi Law
You get a Certified Specialist who knows the Van Nuys WCAB and the San Fernando Valley's hospital and medical-office workforce.
Eman Yazdchi carries the Certified Specialist credential in Workers' Compensation Law from the California Board of Legal Specialization, State Bar of California. That mark sets a small group of lawyers apart. He has stood up for hundreds of California workers and is a regular at the Van Nuys WCAB, the office that hears Encino claims.
There is no charge to begin. Your fee is a modest share of the award, fixed by the judge, commonly 12 to 15 percent. No recovery means no fee. Our team serves you in English and Spanish and explains each stage in plain language.
Injured at work? Call (661) 273-1780
Tap to call →Encino runs on the businesses lining Ventura Boulevard and the medical campuses just off it. Encino Hospital Medical Center, the surgical centers and dental and medical offices along the boulevard, the banks and financial firms, the restaurants, and the crews who maintain the high-rise office buildings all employ people doing physical, demanding work. The injuries follow: nurses and aides hurt lifting patients, medical and dental staff worn down by repetitive clinical motions, kitchen workers with burns and slips, and office and janitorial staff with back and shoulder strain.
Your case would be heard at the Van Nuys district office of the Workers' Compensation Appeals Board, at 6150 Van Nuys Boulevard, a short drive north. Hearings, settlement conferences, and trials all run on that court's calendar. Yazdchi Law appears there regularly, with Spanish available at every step.
A single Encino paycheck often holds a household together, which makes a work injury frightening. You should not have to choose between your health and your job. Call (661) 273-1780 for a free review in English or Spanish.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does it cost anything to start?
No. We are paid only from a successful result, through a contingency fee. The judge sets that fee, normally 12 to 15 percent of what you recover. If there is no recovery, you owe nothing. The first call and the case review are always free, in English or Spanish, with no pressure to sign.
Can my employer fire me for filing in Encino?
No, that is illegal. California bars an employer from firing or punishing a worker for filing a claim or planning to. Under Labor Code section 132a, a worker treated this way can win back lost wages, return to the job, and collect an added penalty. If you were let go after reporting an injury, call us.
I am undocumented. Can I still file?
Yes. California's protections apply no matter your immigration status. You can pursue medical care, wage replacement, and a disability award like anyone else. Your employer cannot deny the claim over your status or use it to scare you. We represent many medical-office and restaurant workers in this position.
Do I get to pick the doctor?
At first you usually see a doctor inside the insurer's network, unless you named your own physician in writing before the injury. If a network doctor brushes you off, you keep the right to a fair, independent exam when you disagree with the findings. We help you reach a doctor who takes you seriously.
What if I work part-time or per diem?
You are still covered. Part-time, per diem, and temporary workers in California have the same rights as full-time staff. Your average weekly wage is figured from your actual earnings. If a clinic or office told you part-timers are not covered, that is wrong, so call us.
How long will my case take?
It hinges on the injury. A straightforward claim may wrap in a few months. A severe one can stretch beyond a year, since the law holds off on valuing permanent damage until your recovery levels off. We keep steady pressure on the claim so it does not sit idle.
Is a lump sum better than ongoing coverage?
It depends on your future needs. A lump sum, a Compromise and Release, pays once and closes later care. A Stipulated Award spreads payments and can keep your medical open. If more treatment is likely, keeping care open often makes sense. We lay out both clearly.
My injury came on slowly. Covered?
Yes. A gradual or cumulative injury is fully covered, whether a worn back, bad wrists from clinical work, or a shoulder ground down over years. The one-year clock starts the day you tie the harm to your work, not the first day it ached. You may well still be in time.
Last reviewed by Eman Yazdchi, Esq., June 2026.
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