Workers' Comp Lawyer in Los Angeles, California

Do you have a Los Angeles workers' comp case?

If the injury happened while you were doing your job, you very likely qualify. Fault does not matter. Immigration status does not bar your claim.

California workers' comp is a no-fault system. Your employer covers your injury whether the company was careless or you simply had an accident. The core question is whether the injury arose out of and in the course of your employment. A hospital aide at Cedars-Sinai who strains her neck repositioning a patient, a camera operator who falls from a dolly on a Burbank lot, a warehouse loader who tears a knee at an LAX cargo hub, and a garment cutter who develops carpal tunnel in the Fashion District all qualify under the same rule.

Two types of injury are covered. A specific injury happens in one moment: a fall, a crush, a vehicle collision, a chemical splash. A cumulative injury builds up over months or years of the same motion or exposure. Both count equally under California law. There is no requirement that a single accident caused your harm.

Immigration status does not affect your right to benefits. Every California worker, documented or undocumented, has the same right to medical care, wage replacement, and a disability award. Your employer cannot threaten you with your status after you file a claim. That threat breaks California law on its own.

What benefits can you receive?

Medical care paid in full, two-thirds of your wages while you are off work, and a cash award for permanent harm. There are no co-pays and no deductibles.

Medical benefits begin from the date of injury. The insurer covers doctors, specialists, imaging, surgery, physical therapy, medication, and transportation to your appointments. You pay nothing out of pocket for care your treating physician says is necessary.

California Labor Code, medical-treatment right (§4600): "Medical, surgical, chiropractic, acupuncture, and hospital treatment, including nursing, medicines, medical and surgical supplies, crutches, and apparatuses, including orthotic and prosthetic devices and appliances, as is reasonably required to cure or relieve the injured worker from the effects of his or her injury shall be provided by the employer."

While you cannot work, temporary disability pays two-thirds of your average weekly earnings. That continues for up to 104 weeks within five years of the injury date. If the injury heals fully, benefits end there. If lasting damage remains after you reach maximum medical improvement, a doctor assigns a permanent disability percentage. That percentage sets how many weeks of permanent disability payments you receive.

If your employer cannot return you to your prior job, you may also qualify for a retraining voucher worth up to $6,000. That voucher covers tuition, fees, and books at an approved California school or training program. It is separate from your cash award.

How much is a Los Angeles workers' comp claim worth?

The value depends on your lasting damage, your age, and your occupation. The table below shows general California ranges, not a promise about your outcome.

No lawyer can honestly quote a number before reviewing your medical records. Your permanent disability rating is the foundation. For injuries since 2013, the rating process applies a 1.4 multiplier and then adjusts for your age and your occupation. Hard physical jobs such as patient care, construction, and freight hauling often land on the higher end. Older workers may see the calculation adjust in either direction. The final rating then converts to a set number of weekly payments.

Yazdchi Law has recovered $5,000,000 for a catastrophic spinal cord injury and $1,500,000 for a cervical spine injury across the firm's history. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes.

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 if the insurer denies your claim?

A denial is not the end of your case. You have strong appeal rights, and the insurer still owes up to $10,000 in medical care while they investigate.

After you file the DWC-1 form, the insurer has 90 days to accept or deny your claim. That is California's 90-day decision rule. If they miss that window without acting, the law presumes your injury is covered. During those 90 days, up to $10,000 in immediate medical care is owed regardless. The insurer cannot freeze your treatment while they investigate.

If the insurer denies a treatment your doctor ordered, such as surgery or an MRI, you can appeal through Independent Medical Review. An independent doctor reviews your records against the state treatment guidelines. You have 30 days from the denial to file that appeal. If the reviewer overturns the insurer, the treatment must go forward.

For a full claim denial, the case moves to the Los Angeles WCAB. You file an Application for Adjudication, request a state-assigned panel medical evaluator, and set the matter for trial. If the judge rules against you, a Petition for Reconsideration is available within 25 days of mailed service or 20 days for electronic service. A Writ of Review to the Court of Appeal is available within 45 days of that decision.

How long do you have to file in Los Angeles?

Report the injury within 30 days and file your formal claim within one year. For build-up injuries, the one-year clock starts the day a doctor first ties your condition to your work.

Two deadlines control every LA claim. The first: notify your employer in writing within 30 days of the injury. The second: file your formal workers' comp claim within one year. Missing either one gives the insurer a reason to challenge your case.

For a build-up injury, the one-year clock starts differently. It begins the day you both felt the disability and knew, or should have known, that work caused it. A hotel housekeeper near LAX whose wrist tendinitis is first connected to her work by a specialist starts the clock on that date. A garment cutter in the Fashion District whose shoulder impingement is formally diagnosed as work-related does the same. Pain before that date does not start the clock.

Not sure where your clock stands? Call for a free review: (661) 273-1780.

Why Los Angeles workers choose Yazdchi Law

Eman Yazdchi holds a rare Certified Specialist credential, appears regularly at the Los Angeles WCAB, and handles every case himself rather than passing it to a paralegal.

Fewer than 1% of California attorneys hold the Certified Specialist credential in workers' compensation law. Eman Yazdchi earned it through the California Board of Legal Specialization, State Bar of California (CA Bar #285231). The credential requires a written examination, peer references from judges and attorneys, and ongoing continuing education.

The firm appears regularly at the Los Angeles WCAB, 320 West 4th Street, 9th Floor. Cases heard there cover downtown office towers, Hollywood production lots, South LA warehouses, Westside medical centers, and Harbor Gateway industrial plants. Every client works directly with Eman Yazdchi.

Representation is on a contingency basis. The attorney fee comes from your award or settlement only, approved by the workers' compensation judge at the close of the case. The judge-approved fee is typically 12 to 15 percent of the permanent disability component. If there is no recovery, there is no fee. Nothing is owed to start.

The following California Labor Code sections govern the rights described on this page. Each link opens the official statute text at the California Legislative Information portal.

• Cal. Lab. Code §3600, no-fault basis for workers' comp coverage
• Cal. Lab. Code §3208.1, specific vs. cumulative injury defined
• Cal. Lab. Code §3351, covered-employee definition
• Cal. Lab. Code §1171.5, all labor protections apply regardless of immigration status
• Cal. Lab. Code §244, employer may not use immigration status as a threat
• Cal. Lab. Code §4600, insurer must pay all necessary medical treatment
• Cal. Lab. Code §4656, temporary disability, 104-week cap within 5 years
• Cal. Lab. Code §4658, permanent disability payment weeks by rating
• Cal. Lab. Code §4658.7, supplemental job displacement voucher up to $6,000
• Cal. Lab. Code §4660.1, permanent disability rating for injuries since 2013
• Cal. Lab. Code §4062.2, Qualified Medical Evaluator panel process
• Cal. Lab. Code §4610.5, Independent Medical Review, 30-day appeal window
• Cal. Lab. Code §4663, apportionment of permanent disability based on causation
• Cal. Lab. Code §4664, employer liable only for the work-caused share
• Cal. Lab. Code §132a, anti-retaliation; reinstatement plus 50% penalty up to $10,000
• Cal. Lab. Code §5400, 30-day notice of injury to employer
• Cal. Lab. Code §5402, 90-day decision rule and $10,000 interim medical care
• Cal. Lab. Code §5405, one-year deadline to file a claim
• Cal. Lab. Code §5412, date of injury for cumulative-trauma claims
• Cal. Lab. Code §5903, Petition for Reconsideration
• Cal. Lab. Code §5950, Writ of Review to Court of Appeal
• Cal. Lab. Code §4906, attorney fees in workers' comp cases
• Escobedo v. Marshalls (2005) 70 Cal. Comp. Cases 604 (WCAB en banc), apportionment requires substantial medical evidence of the how and why