Wednesday, January 16, 2019

How your Second Job Affect your First Job Workers Comp Benefits?


Having a job means having a stable source of income. However, it does not mean that you will be able to pay all your bills and mortgages and live happily ever after. Desperate and not knowing what to do, people go and look for another, the second job.

When working 2 jobs, you will push yourself and your body to the limits, go through a lot of stress and experience things you have never experienced before.

When the body becomes too tired and exhausted, injuries are not far away.

However, what happens when you receive an injury at one of your jobs? Does it affect your second job, and can your second job affect your worker's compensation benefits?

California’s Concurrent Employment

It is no secret that there are many hard-working individuals in California. A lot of them have two jobs as one simply does not bring them enough income to live a normal life. As long as they are physically and mentally able to perform two jobs, they have the right to do it.

But what happens when one such individual receives an injury at one of their jobs?

Just like with everyone else, they are entitled to receive workers compensation benefits, as long as they received an injury while performing their regular work duties, assuming that they reported the injury to their superiors within 30 days and filed a work comp claim.

Filling a claim is not as easy as it sounds, and it usually requires professional help. Contact Los Angeles workers compensation lawyer and let them help you file a proper claim with all the information and details included.

The only difference is, you have to list that you have two jobs and that the injury prevents you from performing your other work to its full capacity. Your attorney can help you obtain benefits that will cover for:
  • Lost wages at both jobs (even though the injury happened at one of them)
  • Medical bills
  • Pain and suffering
  • Temporary or permanent disability benefits (if applicable)
The good news is that you get higher benefits as you cannot work on any of your two jobs anymore. However, there is also bad news, and it concerns your employment at your second job position.

No Obligations To Keep You

After sustaining an injury at one job, your other employer has no obligation to keep you employed. He or she may offer you a light-duty work, but if you appear to be nothing but a burden, they have every right to terminate you. As they have no legal obligations towards you, it will not be considered as wrongful termination or retaliation. Your second employer is not the one paying your worker’s compensation benefits since you sustained the injury at another location and while performing another job.

Verdict – your second employer can decide to keep you around and allow you to perform limited duties fo your original working position, transfer you, or fire you if you are no longer able to do your job.

Speak with Workers Compensation Attorneys in Los Angeles right after you receive the injury and learn how your two jobs can additionally impact your work comp benefits. If you have any additional information, feel free to ask our knowledgeable attorneys.

Do not hesitate to give us a call 818-609-7005.

Wednesday, January 2, 2019

Do You Know What to Do if You Are Injured on the Job?

Workplace Injury Lawyer Workers’ compensation in California is designed to provide you virtually immediate medical care if you are injured on the job. It will also provide you with a portion of your wages while you recover as well. However, you must follow some very specific guidelines and restrictions to receive these benefits.

Although your employer is supposed to help you through this process, employers may not always have your best interests in mind after an on the job injury. Getting an experienced attorney that you can trust and who also known California workers compensation can be essential to get the benefits you deserve. The following information provides a general overview of a workers’ compensation case, including what you should do after a work accident. However, it is a good idea to talk to a Los Angeles workplace injury attorney to get specific information for your case. Get emergency care if you need it.

You will need specific instructions from your employer about how to get medical care. However, if you need emergency medical attention, do not wait to see a doctor or other medical professional. Your employer will cover any emergency medical care you need after a work accident, regardless of who you look to for help.

Report the injury to your employer.

You should let your employer know about an accident as soon as you can. If your injury developed over time, you must still report it within 30 days of when you realized that your condition was work-related or was likely to affect your ability to work moving forward. The sooner you report your injury, the faster you can get medical attention as well.

Follow the doctor’s orders.

Continuing to follow up with treatment is important, but often-overlooked part of your workers’ compensation claim. If you do not attend appointments or do your physical therapy as instructed, that can undermine your ability to receive benefits or even go back to work. Of course, continuing regular treatment as directed by your doctor is good for your overall health as well.

Reach maximum medical improvement.

Unfortunately, you may never fully recover from a work injury. Instead, the best you can hope for is “maximum medical improvement.” Under this term, you may not be fully recovered, but you are essentially as good as you are going to get with regard to this particular injury. Once the doctor determines that you are at maximum medical improvement (or MMI), then he or she can assign you an impairment rating.

Get your impairment rating.

Your impairment rating is the percentage of loss of the functional use of your body because of your work injury. It will vary significantly depending on the part of your body that was harmed, how well you have recovered, and other factors. Your functional impairment rating is provided by a doctor. Then, you can use that rating to determine your industrial disability rating. This number represents the effect the injury has had on your ability to earn money in the future.

The last few steps can be tricky, but they are a necessary part of the workers’ compensation process. The Los Angeles workplace injury attorneys at The Law Offices of Kropach & Kropach can help you every step of the way through your case. Call our team today to set up a free case evaluation: 818-609-7005.