Finding Workers' Compensation Help in Torrance, CA

Finding Workers' Compensation Help in Torrance, CA

If you've been injured on the job in Torrance, you may be wondering how to navigate the workers' compensation system and ensure you receive the benefits you deserve. Workers' compensation provides medical coverage and wage replacement for employees injured at work, but the process can be complex and insurance companies don't always act in your best interest.

Getting proper legal representation can make a significant difference in the outcome of your workers' compensation claim. An experienced attorney understands California's workers' compensation laws and can help protect your rights throughout the process.

What Types of Injuries Qualify for Workers' Compensation?

Workers' compensation covers any injury or illness that occurs as a result of your job duties. This includes obvious accidents like falls, cuts, or machinery injuries, but also covers conditions that develop over time due to repetitive motions or exposure to harmful substances.

In Torrance's diverse economy, common workplace injuries range from construction accidents and manufacturing injuries to repetitive stress injuries in office environments. Even stress-related conditions can qualify for workers' compensation if they're directly related to your work environment or job demands.

The key factor is that your injury must be work-related. This means it happened while you were performing your job duties, during work hours, or as a direct result of your work environment. Your employer's workers' compensation insurance should cover your medical treatment and provide wage replacement regardless of who was at fault for the accident.

How Do You File a Workers' Compensation Claim?

You should report your injury to your employer immediately, ideally within 30 days of when the injury occurred or when you realized it was work-related. Your employer must provide you with the necessary claim forms and cannot retaliate against you for filing a legitimate workers' compensation claim.

After reporting your injury, you'll need to see an approved medical provider for treatment. Your employer's insurance company will provide a list of approved doctors, but you may have the right to choose your own physician under certain circumstances.

Keep detailed records of everything related to your injury and claim. This includes medical reports, correspondence with insurance companies, and documentation of how your injury affects your daily life and ability to work. These records will be crucial if disputes arise about your benefits.

When Should You Consider Hiring an Attorney?

While you're not required to have legal representation for a workers' compensation claim, hiring an attorney becomes important when disputes arise or when you're not receiving fair treatment from the insurance company.

Consider legal representation if your claim is denied, if you're not receiving adequate medical treatment, or if you disagree with the insurance company's assessment of your disability rating. An attorney can also help if you're facing pressure to return to work before you're medically ready.

Workers' compensation attorneys typically work on a contingency basis, meaning they only get paid if they recover benefits for you. This makes legal representation accessible even when you're dealing with reduced income due to your injury.

How Torrance's Industrial Landscape Affects Workers' Compensation

Torrance is home to major manufacturing facilities, aerospace companies, and refineries, creating unique workplace safety challenges. The city's industrial heritage means many workers face exposure to heavy machinery, chemical hazards, and physically demanding work conditions that can lead to serious injuries.

Local emergency medical facilities and occupational health clinics in Torrance understand the types of injuries common in the area's workplaces. This local expertise can be valuable in documenting and treating work-related injuries effectively.

The concentration of large employers in Torrance also means that workers' compensation cases often involve major insurance companies with significant resources. Having experienced legal representation helps level the playing field when dealing with well-funded insurance companies that may try to minimize your benefits.

Don't let a workplace injury derail your financial stability and future. The Law Offices of Stuart H. Garrison has been helping California workers navigate the workers' compensation system since 1976. We understand the challenges you face and can guide you through the process to ensure you receive all the benefits you're entitled to under the law. Contact us at (310) 641-8259 for experienced workers' compensation representation and support with your employment law needs in Torrance and throughout the South Bay area.

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Impairment Meets or Equals Listing of Impairments for Social Security Disability Evaluation

July 23, 2025
Dec. 8, 2021 In the sequential evaluation of disability by the Social Security Administration (SSA), a major step is whether the individual has a condition that meets the twelve-month duration requirement and that is represented on the Social Security Administration's Listing of Impairments (LOI) or equal to a listed impairment. The LOI is divided into two parts. One part applies to individuals over age eighteen and one part is applicable to individuals under eighteen. The LOI includes fifteen major body categories: growth impairment, musculoskeletal system, special senses and speech, respiratory system, cardiovascular system, digestive system, genito-urinary system, hemic and lymphatic system, skin, endocrine system, multiple body systems, neurological, mental disorders, malignant neoplastic diseases, and immune system. An explanation for what is encompassed by each category is included. Within each category, impairments are given that are considered to rise to the level of "severe" such that they would prevent an individual from engaging in substantial gainful activity. A diagnosis falling within the parameters of the LOI must be established by medical evidence obtained through objective clinical and laboratory techniques. In many instances the required medical evidence is stated in the LOI. Absent appropriate medical evidence, a diagnosis of an impairment will not be found to appear on the LOI. Included with the other information present, the LOI sometimes states the symptoms usually associated with certain listed impairments. Even though an impairment is not specifically listed on the LOI, the SSA authorizes impairments that are the medical equivalent to a listed impairment. The medical evidence received to establish a medical equivalency is given varying weights based on the source of the evidence. For example, the medical opinions of state agency doctors and psychologists are accorded the weight of nonexamining doctors and psychologists. These opinions can be accorded greater weight if based on, for example, the complete case file that includes a medical report from a specialist in the individual's area of impairment. The opinion of a doctor or psychologist who has been appointed by the SSA Commissioner is given the weight of an expert opinion.

NON-EMPLOYMENT BUSINESS DISCRIMINATION/HARASSMENT ACTS AGAINST NON-EMPLOYEE OR PUBLIC

July 22, 2025
Non-employees and members of the public at large are protected against business(es) discrimination/harassment and retaliation under the California Unruh Civil Rights Act (Calif. Civil Code Section 51). Generally, the protected categories from non-employer/business misconduct include: Race; Religious Creed; Color; National Origin; Ancestry; Physical Disability; Mental Disability; Reproductive Health Decisionmaking; Medical Condition; Genetic Information; Marital Status; Sex; Gender; Gender Identity; Gender Expression; Age [over age 40]; Sexual Expression; or, Veteran or Military Status (Calif. Civil Code Sec. 51). Aggrieved complainant’s remedies include filing a civil lawsuit against the offending business(s) with a civil employment lawyer (like me) seeking back and front pay; emotional distress; reimbursement of reasonable medical treatment bills; and recovery of reasonable civil rights attorney’s fees, and costs, from the liable business(es). However, an aggrieved complainant may contact the California Civil Rights Department, the California government agency that is responsible for handling these business discrimination complaints. Its website address is: calcivilrights.ca.gov . The aggrieved complainant may file a written Complaint against the offending business(es) with the Civil Rights Dept. within 1 year of the business’ offending discriminatory act(s). (Calif. Gov’t. Code Sec.12960(e)(1).) There is no fee for filing such Complaint with the Civil Rights Dept. Since the elapse of time, many potential witnesses, and documents, necessary to assist in proving your claim(s), due to the passage, fade away. Therefore, it is best to capture this potential evidence sooner rather than later. The Civil Rights Dept’s website deserves your thorough inspection about how the Civil Rights Dept. goes about its business (which can include its limited investigative personnel conducting an investigation [with no out-of-pocket costs to you] of your Complaint.) Please contact me first to strategize and organize your employee discrimination/harassment and/or employer retaliation claims.

EMPLOYER DISCRIMINATION/HARRASSMENT or RETALIATION IN THE CALIFORNIA WORKPLACE

July 22, 2025
Employees and Job Applicants are protected against employer discrimination/harassment and retaliation under the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (Calif. Government Code Sections 12900—12999, inclusive). Protected categories from employer misconduct include: Race; Religious Creed; Color; National Origin; Ancestry; Physical Disability; Mental Disability; Reproductive Health Decisionmaking; Medical Condition; Genetic Information; Marital Status; Sex; Gender; Gender Identity; Gender Expression; Age [over age 40]; Sexual Expression; or, Veteran or Military Status (Calif. Gov’t. Code Sec. 12940(a)). Aggrieved employee’s remedies include filing a civil lawsuit against the offending employer(s) with a civil employment lawyer (like me) seeking back and front pay; emotional distress; reimbursement of reasonable medical treatment bills; and recovery of reasonable employment attorney’s fees, and costs, from the liable employer(s). However, an aggrieved employee must mandatorily contact the California Civil Rights Department, the California government agency that is responsible for handling these employer discrimination complaints. Its website address is: c alcivilrights.ca.gov . The aggrieved employee must file a written Complaint against the offending employer(s) with the Civil Rights Dept. within 3 years of the employer’s offending discriminatory act(s). (Calif. Gov’t. Code Sec.12960(c)(5).) There is no fee for filing such Complaint with the Civil Rights Dept. Since the elapse of time, many potential witnesses, and documents, necessary to assist in proving your claim(s), due to the passage, fade away. Therefore, it is best to capture this potential evidence sooner rather than later. The Civil Rights Dept’s website deserves your thorough inspection about how the Civil Rights Dept. goes about its business (which can include its limited investigative personnel conducting an investigation [with no out-of-pocket costs to you] of your Complaint.) Please contact me first to strategize and organize your employee discrimination/harassment and/or employer retaliation claims.

Supplemental Security Income for Children

July 22, 2025
Dec. 8, 2021 Children who are blind or disabled are eligible to receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI). The Social Security Administration (SSA) considers a "child" to be an unmarried individual who is under age 18 or, if under age 22, is a student who regularly attends school. A "child" cannot be the head of a household. There is no minimum age requirement; a child may be eligible for benefits from birth. A child is disabled if he has a medically determinable impairment that causes severe and marked limitations in his ability to function, which has lasted or is expected to last at least twelve months or result in death. When the child reaches age eighteen, his disability is reevaluated under the criteria for adults, i.e. whether the individual can engage in substantial gainful activity and whether his impairment has lasted or is expected to last at least twelve months or end in death. "Blindness" for purposes of SSI eligibility means that the individual has 20/200 vision or less in his better eye even with corrective eyewear. A person is also considered "blind" if he has a limited field of vision in his better eye such that he has a contraction of peripheral visual fields to ten degrees from the point of fixation or the widest diameter of his visual field subtends an angle no more than twenty degrees. Even though a child does not meet the statutory definition of blindness, he may still be eligible for benefits pursuant to a "disability." A child's SSI benefits are based on the fact that he has "limited" income and resources. For purposes of making this determination, the SSA will impute to the child a portion of the income/resources from the child's parents. The parents' income/resources are deemed to be available to the child as long as he lives with such parents and they are not, themselves, receiving SSI benefits.

Workers' Compensation Award Credit for Actual Earnings

July 22, 2025
Dec. 8, 2021 In some instances, an injured employee will return to his former position and resume making the same earnings as before the injury. When such an individual has received a workers' compensation benefit, the question arises whether the employer is entitled to a credit on the amount of benefits that were paid to the employee. If the employer paid the employee's wages, intending such wages to take the place of any benefit compensation, then the employer would be entitled to a credit. However, there is rarely direct evidence of the employer's intention in this regard. Given the usual lack of evidence on the employer's intention that wages serve in the place of benefits, such intention must be gleaned from the relevant circumstances. For instance, if wages were paid, despite the fact that the employee did not work, it would be reasonable to infer the employer's intention. Likewise, if the employee is paid his pre-injury wage, though he performs a reduced workload, the employer's intention could be reasonably inferred. If the employer denies any workers' compensation liability, the wages it pays to the employee cannot be claimed as a credit for a workers' compensation payment. Additionally, any charitable payments made by the employer to the employee cannot be later recovered by way of credit. If the employer is allowed a credit, the amount of credit is determined on a weekly basis. Basically, the amount of the credit will be determined on a week-by-week basis in relation to the amount of workers' compensation benefits allowed to the employee for such week. No running tally is kept such that the overall total amount of benefits is offset by the amount of wages paid. Consider the employee who earns $400 from the employer in a specific week. The employee's compensation payment is in the amount of $250. Therefore, the employer would be allotted a $250 credit for the week. After that, a new week begins with a separate credit calculation to be made.
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