Riverside Permanent Disability Claims Lawyers
Fighting for Injured and Disabled Workers in Riverside to Get the Benefits They Deserve
Workers injured on the job in California are entitled to certain benefits. If the injury is so extensive that it prevents the employee from returning to work permanently, the worker is not left to their own devices. They may be eligible for certain benefits on an ongoing basis so that they are able to make ends meet even without returning to the same job. Disabled workers may also be eligible for Social Security Disability Insurance benefits (SSDI), although workers’ comp benefits will offset SSDI coverage.
At Ochoa & Calderon, our experienced California workers’ compensation attorneys have over two decades of experience helping injured workers get the medical care and benefits they are owed after an on-the-job injury. Whether you are partially or totally disabled, and whether your disability is short-term or long-term, we can help you get the financial assistance you are owed.
Eligibility for Permanent Disability Benefits
In order to be eligible for permanent disability benefits, a physician must certify that the injured worker’s recovery has reached its limit and that they are not likely to get better in the next year, regardless of additional medical treatment. At that stage, the employee has reached “maximum medical improvement” (MMI) or “permanent and stationary” and they will be able to transition from temporary disability benefits to permanent disability benefits.
A permanent disability may be either physical or mental, and it may be partial or total. Total permanent disability means that an employee is unable to return to any job in any capacity for the rest of their life. Certain severe injuries, including blindness, total paralysis, or loss of both arms, automatically qualify for total and permanent disability coverage. Other injuries may be classified as total and permanent based on a “permanent disability” rating.
Workers who have fully recovered from their injuries are not entitled to disability benefits, be they partial or full. Recovering any disability benefits requires submitting proof from treating physicians and other medical records to establish the extent of the disability.
Partial Disability
You need not be fully disabled to receive some benefits. Whether you are seeking temporary or permanent disability benefits, you may be eligible for partial coverage if you can perform some, but not all, of your usual job tasks, or if you may be able to switch jobs with additional training. So long as you have a permanent injury that limits your ability to perform your full job long-term, you can collect partial benefits. The extent of the limitations caused by the disability (the permanent disability rating) will determine the amount of benefits collected as well as for how long the benefits will last.
Representing Workers Suffering All Types of Permanent Disability
The California workers’ compensation lawyers at Ochoa & Calderon represent injured workers suffering from any number of debilitating conditions. Any condition that permanently limits a worker’s ability to perform their job duties may give rise to a permanent disability claim. We help clients recover due to all manner of injury, including the following:
- Paraplegia
- Quadriplegia
- Blindness
- Deafness
- Traumatic brain injury
- Permanent back pain
- Loss of limb
- Limited functionality of limbs or extremities
- Damage to knees, wrists, elbows, or other joints
- Neurological damage
Our Riverside Permanent Disability Lawyers Are Standing By to Help You Recover the Benefits You Are Owed
For help getting benefits after an on-the-job injury or workplace illness, call Ochoa & Calderon to discuss your case with a professional and talented California workers’ comp lawyer. Call 951-901-4444 in Riverside or 844-401-0750 toll-free throughout Southern California.
