Know Your Rights: Worker’s Compensation in California
No one expects to get hurt at work, but when it happens, what seems straightforward can quickly become a painful, costly ordeal. You have rights, but they’re not always protected. If that’s the case, you’ll need an attorney who’s an expert on Worker’s Compensation, a passionate advocate for the rights of injured workers.
Lisa Hernandez of Bender Kurlander Hernandez and Campbell is one of those attorneys. She has a profound understanding of California’s complex workers’ compensation system, and her background and experience allow her to tirelessly navigate the system’s intricacies, ensuring that clients receive the fair benefits, support, and compensation, they deserve.
“In California, we have an adversarial system-initially called the ‘Grand Bargain,’ that wants both employees, and employers, to be protected,” Lisa said. “If you are hurt on the job, you deserve at the minimum medical care and wage replacement, but often people don’t know their specific rights, and their employers unfortunately take advantage of that fact.”
Advantages being taken by employers take on the form of under-reporting injuries and preventing claims by promising an employee that they will “take care of the matter” without going through proper reporting procedures. When those take place, injured employees can find themselves with lost wages, inadequate medical care, personal stress and even job loss.
To help workers understand their specific rights, protect themselves on the job and promote legislation to strengthen workers’ protection, Lisa has been an active member of the California Applicants’ Attorneys Association (CAAA), serving as the organization’s secretary.
As Secretary, Lisa Hernandez actively contributes to CAAA’s mission of legal, policy, and educational advocacy aimed at strengthening the rights of injured workers across the state. This involves monitoring key Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board decisions, participating in legislative and regulatory processes in Sacramento, and educating legal and medical professionals on current laws and best practices, thereby safeguarding injured workers from common pitfalls within the system, according to CAAA.
“It pains me to see how badly people are treated,” Lisa added. “As an attorney, it’s critical that we ensure that California’s workers’ compensation system serves its intended purpose of providing a safety net for those who have sacrificed their health and well-being, especially those who have been taken advantage of due to language barriers, economic status and a system where regulations often go unenforced. No injured worker should go into this alone.”
If you have a Worker’s Comp claim, the team BKHC can help. Call us for a free initial consultation at 619-842-3232. No fees are incurred by clients unless compensation is awarded.
