While California state law mandates that every company that operates here must provide workers’ compensation insurance for all their employees, it also establishes that police officers are eligible for special additional benefits following on-the-job injuries and illnesses. These presumptions sometimes allow police officers to seek compensation for conditions that people working in other fields might not be able to claim were work-related.
If you became hurt or sick as a direct result of conditions you experienced while working in law enforcement, you have unique rights when it comes to workers’ compensation that a seasoned attorney could help you utilize. With guidance from a dedicated Orange County police officer workers’ compensation lawyer, you could have the best chances possible of maximizing available benefits while avoiding common roadblocks to financial recovery.
In the context of workers’ compensation law in California, anyone who performs active law enforcement service—from city police officers and sheriff’s department employees to probation officers and park rangers—may be considered a “police officer” who in turn may be entitled to special benefits following a work-related injury or illness. Importantly, the Labor Code defines “police officer” somewhat differently depending on the specific injury or illness involved in a workers’ comp claim.
For example, police officers specifically categorized as “peace officers” under California Labor Code §3212.1 may pursue workers’ compensation benefits for certain conditions based on a presumption that their condition is work-related. Eligible conditions include cancer stemming from exposure to a specific carcinogen while working, as well as tuberculosis, meningitis, pneumonia, heart trouble, hernia, and lower back injuries related to the use of a duty belt. An Orange County attorney could offer further clarification during a private initial meeting about what specific conditions could serve as grounds for pursuing workers’ comp benefits as a law enforcement officer.
Workers considered to be police officers in California are entitled to receive certain financial benefits through workers’ compensation that are not available to workers in other industries and fields. Most notably, if a job-related injury or illness leaves a police officer unable to work for any period of time, they are eligible to receive their full normal salary for up to one year afterwards in accordance with Cal. LAB §4850, whereas most workers can only receive up to two-thirds their normal weekly income through temporary or permanent disability benefits.
Police officers who get hurt or sick on the job are entitled to receive these benefits within two weeks of becoming disabled, and after the one-year period for these benefits expires, they can also draw traditional temporary disability benefits for another 52 weeks within the five years following their injury or illness. As a police officer workers’ comp lawyer in Orange County could explain, 4850 benefits terminate along with an injured police officer’s California Public Employees’ Retirement System plan if applicable, regardless of whether they have drawn a full year’s worth of benefits.
Injuries on the job are far from uncommon among California police officers, and state law reflects the unique dangers faced by members of law enforcement in how it approaches workers’ compensation benefits for these employees. However, just because additional benefits may be available does not mean they are always easy to obtain, especially if you are unfamiliar with how workers’ comp claims typically work.
An Orange County police officer workers’ compensation lawyer could provide the assistance you may need to acquire the compensation you deserve. Call today for a confidential consultation.