Torrance Police Officer Workers’ Compensation Lawyer

While on-the-job injuries can happen in any line of work, work-related accidents for police officers are often anything but accidental. Either way, police officers who get hurt or sick as a direct result of their working conditions have access to workers’ compensation insurance coverage while they recover, including some benefits that are not available to workers in other industries.

Getting the full amount of benefits you should be entitled to under state law can be more complicated than you might expect, which is why working with a skilled workers’ compensation attorney can be important. From start to finish of the recovery process, your Torrance police officer workers’ compensation lawyer could make sure your claim is as airtight as possible so you can get every cent you need for the harm you sustained.

Basic Workers’ Compensation Benefits

Anyone with workers’ compensation coverage who gets hurt or sick on the job, regardless of what their work entails on a day-to-day basis, is entitled to receive full reimbursement for all reasonably necessary medical expenses they incur for treatment related to that work-related injury or illness. This typically includes not only emergency care and regular doctor visits but also things like:

  • Physical therapy
  • Prescription medications
  • Assistive equipment, like crutches or wheelchairs
  • Travel expenses to and from medical appointments

Additionally, anyone who misses work for a short period of time while recovering from a work-related injury or illness may be eligible to receive temporary disability benefits, and someone who becomes permanently disabled at work can extend those benefits years into the future. Finally, family members of people who pass away on the job are entitled to death benefits intended to help with details like funeral expenses and loss of financial support, as a Torrance police officer workers’ compensation attorney could further explain as it relates to a given situation.

Additional Benefits Available to Police Officers Hurt on the Job

Police officers and other people who primarily perform active law enforcement as their job duties are entitled to two unique perks from workers’ compensation. To start, as an alternative to temporary disability benefits that are typically paid out as two-thirds of an injured worker’s normal weekly wage, police officers who get hurt or sick on the job can choose to receive a full year’s salary during the recovery process as 4850 benefits.

Additionally, the following medical conditions are presumed to be work-related if experienced by an active-duty police officer, allowing them to seek workers’ compensation benefits:

  • Hernia
  • Pneumonia
  • Meningitis
  • Tuberculosis
  • Lyme disease
  • Any bloodborne infectious disease
  • Lower back injuries for officers with five or more years of experience required to wear a duty belt
  • Heart problems, including possible symptoms of heart problems like high blood pressure without any other symptoms
  • Any injury or illness caused by exposure to a chemical or biological substance that can be used as a weapon of mass destruction
  • Cancer, provided the officer can show they were exposed to a known carcinogen while on the job that is directly linked to their cancer

A police officer workers’ compensation lawyer in Torrance could help incorporate these perks into a particular claim to maximize available recovery.

Work With a Torrance Police Officer Workers’ Compensation Attorney

Even when you have solid grounds to file a workers’ compensation claim based on an injury or illness related to your job as a law enforcement officer, you may have a harder time getting benefits than you would expect. The insurance companies that provide workers’ compensation coverage will always fight to minimize their own financial liability. You need to be prepared to fight for what you deserve.

Assistance is available through every stage of your claim from an experienced and dedicated Torrance police officer workers’ compensation lawyer at Silberman & Lam. Call our firm to set up a private initial meeting today.