Los Angeles Workers’ Compensation Lawyer

A Los Angeles workers’ compensation lawyer at Abramson Labor Group represents injured employees, never employers or insurance companies. California workers’ comp pays medical care and part of your lost wages when you are hurt on the job. Your employer is liable “without regard to negligence” (Labor Code 3600(a)). Give your employer written notice within 30 days of the injury (Labor Code 5400). The time to start a case at the appeals board generally runs one year (Labor Code 5405). The case review is free, and our fee comes only from benefits we help you win.

Key Takeaways

• Your employer must give you a claim form within one working day after learning of an injury that needs more than first aid (Labor Code 5401(a)).
• If your claim is not denied within 90 days after you file the claim form, the injury is presumed compensable (Labor Code 5402(b)).
• For 2026 injuries, temporary disability pays between $264.61 and $1,764.11 a week (DIR).
• Your employer cannot punish or fire you for having a job injury (Labor Code 132a).
• Your attorney cannot charge you directly. The appeals board approves the fee, and it comes from a portion of your benefits (DWC).

Why Los Angeles Injured Workers Choose Abramson Labor Group

• Employees only. We represent workers, never employers or insurance companies.
• Workers’ comp and job rights under one roof. If you were also fired, demoted, or harassed, the same team can handle the employment claim.
• 4.5 stars across more than 2,000 Google reviews (as of November 2026).
• Founding partner Zev Abramson founded the firm in 2015 and earned his J.D. from Loyola Law School.
• Close to home. Our office is in Burbank, and we take cases across Los Angeles County. Help is available in English and Spanish, with intake also in Armenian.

How Common Are Work Injuries in Los Angeles County?

Los Angeles County produces about one in four work injury reports in California. In 2025, employers and insurers filed 167,299 first reports of injury for accidents in the county. That is 25.21% of the 663,589 filed statewide (DWC Workers’ Compensation Information System, Table 7).

What Is the Workers’ Compensation Law in California?

Workers’ comp is a no-fault system. Your employer is liable “without regard to negligence,” so you generally do not have to prove anyone did anything wrong (Labor Code 3600(a)). In exchange, workers’ comp is usually your only remedy against your employer, “the sole and exclusive remedy,” with narrow exceptions (Labor Code 3602). Every California employer must buy workers’ comp insurance or be approved to self-insure (DWC).

Benefits are available to all workers regardless of immigration status (Labor Code 1171.5). If your employer calls you an independent contractor, California law “starts with an assumption that all workers are employees” (Labor Commissioner).

What Does Workers’ Comp Pay in California?

See how much workers’ comp pays in California for worked examples.

How Does a Workers’ Comp Claim Work in Los Angeles?

• Tell your employer. Give written notice within 30 days of the injury (Labor Code 5400).
• Get the claim form. Your employer must give or mail you a claim form within one working day after learning of the injury (Labor Code 5401(a)).
• Get treatment. Within one working day after you file the form, the employer must authorize treatment, up to $10,000 while the claim is pending (Labor Code 5402(c)).
• Wait for a decision. The claims administrator has 90 days to deny the claim. If it does not, the injury is presumed compensable (Labor Code 5402(b)).
• Get paid. The first TD payment is due within 14 days after the employer knows of the injury and the disability (Labor Code 4650). The administrator may delay it while investigating, usually not longer than 90 days (DWC).

For the full process, read how workers’ comp works in California.

Who Pays You While You Are on Workers’ Comp?

The claims administrator for your employer’s insurance company, or for a self-insured employer, pays your benefits. The claims administrator counts all forms of income when it calculates your TD (DWC). When TD ends, PD payments must begin within 14 days if you have a permanent disability. Workers’ comp checks are not your full paycheck, so ask early about other benefits. Our guide to workers’ comp and disability in California explains how state disability fits in, and whether workers’ comp is taxable.

Police and firefighters

Some public safety workers keep their full salary. City police officers, city, county, or district firefighters, sheriffs, and Los Angeles Unified School District police are among those covered. They get a leave of absence “without loss of salary in lieu of temporary disability payments” for up to one year (Labor Code 4850).

What Are the 90-Day Rule and the 5-Year Rule?

The 90-day rule. If the claims administrator does not reject your claim within 90 days after you file the claim form, the law presumes the injury is compensable. The employer can rebut that only with evidence it could not have found within the 90 days (Labor Code 5402(b)).

The 5-year rule. Two rules use five years. Temporary disability is capped at 104 weeks of payments within five years from the date of injury (Labor Code 4656). The appeals board can also award benefits for “new and further disability” if you file within five years of the injury (Labor Code 5410).

How Much Is a Workers’ Comp Case Worth in California?

No official average exists. Value depends mostly on your permanent disability rating, your wages, and your future medical needs. Doctors rate impairment under the AMA Guides, Fifth Edition. The law multiplies whole person impairment by 1.4 and adjusts it for your occupation and age (Labor Code 4660.1). So a doctor’s 30% impairment is not your final rating. Multiplied by 1.4, it becomes 42% before the occupation and age adjustments.

Each percentage point of permanent disability pays a set number of weeks (Labor Code 4658). For injuries on or after January 1, 2014:

These totals leave out temporary disability, future medical care, life pensions, and the job displacement voucher, and they come before attorney fees.

No body part or injury always pays the most. The injuries that pay more are the ones that leave a higher rating, need more future care, or keep you from returning to your job. A workers’ compensation judge must approve every settlement (DWC). Our California workers’ comp settlement chart shows how ratings turn into dollars.

How Long Does a Workers’ Comp Case Take to Settle?

It depends on your recovery. Settlement talks usually start once your condition is stable enough to rate, and a judge then has to approve the deal. Read when workers’ comp will offer a settlement and when the settlement check arrives.

Can You Sue Your Employer for Stress and Anxiety?

Usually you file a workers’ comp claim, not a lawsuit, because workers’ comp is generally the exclusive remedy against your employer (Labor Code 3602). Psychiatric injuries are covered, with extra rules (Labor Code 3208.3):

• Actual events of employment must be “predominant as to all causes combined.”
• You generally need at least six months with that employer, unless a sudden and extraordinary employment condition caused the injury.
• No benefits are paid when a lawful, nondiscriminatory, good faith personnel action substantially caused the injury.

If the stress came from harassment or discrimination, separate laws may apply. See our Los Angeles discrimination lawyer page.

Can You Be Fired While on Workers’ Comp?

Your employer cannot punish or fire you for having a job injury or for filing a claim (Labor Code 132a). A worker who proves 132a discrimination can get compensation increased by one-half, up to $10,000, plus reinstatement and lost wages. If you lost your job after a work injury, read can you be fired for filing workers’ comp in California, or see our Los Angeles retaliation lawyer page.

Can You Sue Someone Other Than Your Employer?

Often, yes. Someone other than your employer may have caused the injury, such as another driver or the maker of a defective machine. You can then bring a separate claim against that party for “all damages proximately resulting from the injury” (Labor Code 3852). Workers in construction and warehouses often have these claims.

Where Are Los Angeles Workers’ Comp Cases Heard?

Disputes go before a workers’ compensation judge at a district office of the Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board, not at a regular courthouse. Los Angeles County has five district offices (WCAB):

You do not need to visit a district office to start a case with us. We handle the filings and appear at hearings with you.

How Long Do You Have to File?

Three deadlines matter most. Give written notice to your employer within 30 days of the injury (Labor Code 5400). The time to start proceedings at the appeals board runs one year from the date of injury. It can also run from the last date benefits were paid or provided (Labor Code 5405). A claim for new and further disability must be filed within five years of the injury (Labor Code 5410). Missing a deadline can end a claim, so get advice early.

How Do You Get the Most From Your Workers’ Comp Claim?

• Report the injury in writing, with the date, time, and body parts hurt.
• Tell every doctor about every symptom, including ones that started later.
• Keep copies of your claim form, medical reports, letters, and pay stubs.
• Do not sign a settlement before you understand your permanent disability rating and your future medical needs.
• Talk to a lawyer before you give a recorded statement or a deposition.

How to Choose the Best Workers’ Comp Attorney in Los Angeles

When you compare workers’ compensation law firms in Los Angeles, check these points:

• Injured workers only. Some firms also defend employers and insurers. Ask.
• Fees the board approves. Workers’ comp fees come from your benefits and must be reasonable under Labor Code 4906.
• Job rights too. A firm that also handles retaliation and discrimination can protect your job, not only your benefits.
• Language access. You should understand every document you sign.

Serving Injured Workers Across Los Angeles County

We represent injured workers in Burbank, Glendale, and across Los Angeles County, and statewide through our California employment lawyers. For quick answers, see our workers’ compensation FAQ.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does a workers’ comp lawyer cost in California?

Nothing up front. The DWC says, “Your attorney can’t directly charge you for his or her services.” The fee “will be paid out of a portion of your workers’ compensation benefits” (DWC). The appeals board decides what fee is reasonable, based on the attorney’s responsibility, care, time, and results (Labor Code 4906). If there is no recovery, you owe no attorney fees.

Can I get a free consultation with a workers’ comp lawyer in Los Angeles?

Yes. Our case evaluation is free, and you can request it online or by phone. A member of our team will ask how you were hurt, when you reported it, and what the insurer has done since.

What happens after 104 weeks of workers’ comp in California?

Temporary disability payments generally stop once you reach 104 weeks within five years of the injury, though some serious conditions can receive more (Labor Code 4656). Medical care and permanent disability benefits are separate. PD payments must start within 14 days after TD ends if you have a permanent disability (DWC).

How long can you stay on workers’ comp in California?

TD is capped at 104 weeks within five years for most injuries (Labor Code 4656). PD lasts a number of weeks set by your rating, and a rating of 70% or more adds a life pension (Labor Code 4659).

My claim was denied. What now?

A denial is not the end, and it is a common reason people call a denied workers’ compensation claim attorney. You can challenge it before a workers’ compensation judge, and medical treatment disputes can go to independent medical review (DWC). Keep every letter the claims administrator sends, because some reviews have short deadlines.

Can I get workers’ comp if I am undocumented?

Yes. California workers’ comp benefits are available to all individuals regardless of immigration status (Labor Code 1171.5).

My employer says I am an independent contractor. Can I still file?

Possibly. California law starts with an assumption that all workers are employees, and the label your employer uses does not decide it (Labor Commissioner).

Do I have to use the doctor my employer picks?

At first, usually. Your employer generally selects the treating doctor for the first 30 days, and different rules apply inside a medical provider network (DWC). Using your own M.D. or D.O. requires three things. You named that doctor in writing before the injury. You had health coverage for non-work injuries on the date of injury. The doctor agreed in advance.

What is a QME, and do I need one?

A qualified medical evaluator (QME) is a doctor who resolves medical disputes in a claim. Without an attorney, you request a panel of QMEs from the state and have 10 days from the date the list is mailed to pick one. With an attorney, your lawyer and the claims administrator may agree on a doctor without the state panel, called an agreed medical evaluator (DWC).

What if my employer has no workers’ comp insurance?

You still have options. Workers’ comp is the exclusive remedy only when your employer is properly insured. Against an illegally uninsured employer, you may file a civil lawsuit as well as a workers’ comp claim. The Uninsured Employers Benefit Trust Fund, a unit within the Division of Workers’ Compensation, may pay benefits and then seek repayment from the employer (DWC).

Are repetitive stress injuries covered?

Yes. California covers cumulative injuries caused by “repetitive mentally or physically traumatic activities extending over a period of time” (Labor Code 3208.1). One example is hurting your wrist from doing the same motion over and over. Report it as soon as you learn or believe your job caused it (DWC).

What if I cannot go back to my old job?

You may qualify for a supplemental job displacement voucher. For injuries on or after January 1, 2013, the voucher is $6,000 regardless of your PD rating. You generally qualify if you are permanently unable to do your usual job and your employer offers no other work. Offered work must pay at least 85% of your old wages and be expected to last at least 12 months (DWC).

Is the Los Angeles workers’ compensation appeals board a court?

It works like one. The Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board holds hearings before workers’ compensation judges at its district offices, including the Los Angeles office at 320 West 4th Street (WCAB).

Talk to a Los Angeles Workers’ Compensation Lawyer

If you were hurt at work, a Los Angeles workers’ compensation lawyer at our firm can review your claim and explain your options. Request your free case evaluation, contact us, or call (213) 493-6300.

You do not pay ANYTHING unless we win!

Last updated: November 2026

This page is general information about California law, not legal advice. Every situation is different. For advice about your specific case, talk to a licensed California workers’ compensation attorney.