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Not every injury does, and if yours does not, we will tell you on the phone. These are the moments, in any line of work, when one usually matters.

• You were paid in cash, or told you are a contractor.

  California presumes anyone performing services is an employee, and whoever hired you has to prove otherwise.

• Your employer had no insurance.

  You still have a claim. The state fund pays benefits, and you can sue your employer, with negligence presumed.

• Your claim was denied or delayed.

  Filing the claim form started a 90-day clock, and up to $10,000 in treatment while they investigate.

• Your checks stopped, or come late.

  The law adds an automatic 10% to any late temporary or permanent disabilityPD Permanent Disability. Compensation for lasting impairment. A different and much lower weekly rate — 2026 maximum $290/week. payment.

• A machine, a vehicle or a property owner played a part.

  Workers’ compensation does not pay for pain and suffering. A third-party claim can reach it.

• It built up over years, with no accident.

  Cumulative traumaCT — Cumulative trauma Injury from repeated exposure over time. The largest injury category in California and the least claimed. is a recognized claim, and the date of injuryDate of injury For a cumulative or occupational disease claim, the law sets it as when you first suffered disability and knew or should have known it was work-related — not when the wear began. Almost every deadline runs off this. is when you first suffered disability and knew, or should have known, it was work-related.

• You were fired, or threatened, after you got hurt.

  Firing you because of the claim is unlawful, and the disability discrimination laws, which require reasonable accommodation, often protect you more.

• You are afraid because of your immigration status.

  California workers’ compensation covers all workers regardless of immigration status, and threatening you over it is unlawful retaliation.

Call the same day if the claim was denied, you were fired or punished for filing, or more than a year has passed with nothing paid. Those involve deadlines that cannot be fixed once missed.

And when you probably do not need us. If the claim was accepted, treatment is being authorized, payments are arriving every two weeks, and there is no permanent impairment, you probably do not. Every DWCDWC Division of Workers’ Compensation, part of the Department of Industrial Relations. Administers the system. Information Services Center: 1-800-736-7401. district office has an Information & Assistance officer who answers questions and helps with forms at no cost. We will tell you that on the phone, too.

Every page above turns on the same four things. They are where a claim is won or lost before anyone argues about the injury.

1. Who your employer actually is. You may have two employers, and both may be liable: the company an agency sent you to shares liability when the agency fails to insure. An unlicensed contractor’s crew is frequently deemed employees of the licensed contractor or property owner who hired them.
2. Whether it happened at work. There does not have to be an accident; cumulative trauma is a recognized claim. And for work at home, California’s personal comfort doctrine reaches further than employers expect.
3. What you were actually paid. Overtime, a second job, bonuses, tips, and in-kind wages belong in the earnings your benefits are based on, and they are the most common thing left out. Benefits figured from the base hourly rate are wrong.
4. Who else caused it. Machine injuries are usually product cases, and a third-party claim reaches the pain and suffering workers’ compensation does not pay.

The pages above tell you which rules apply to your work. A call tells you how they apply to you. You do not need the paperwork to call: tell us what you remember, and the documents can come later.