If you become ill due to a workplace event or exposure, you may be eligible for Workers’ Compensation from the state of California. This may be true even if the event or exposure merely aggravated an existing condition, but did not necessarily cause it.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, recordable cases of occupational illnesses are those that result in missed work, restricted work activity, medical treatment, or even death. If your case involves any of these damages, you may be eligible for compensation for medical care, ongoing rehabilitation, lost wages, or temporary disability.
If you lost a loved one to an occupational disease, you may be able to recover death benefits. The type of benefits that can be recovered depends on a number of factors, including the nature of your illness, the part of your body affected, the source of the injury, and the number of days of work missed.
Some types of occupational diseases for which you may be able to recover compensation include the following:
Poisoning
respiratory conditions
Hearing loss
Diseases or disorders of the skin.
Environmental health effects.
Effects of exposure to low temperatures.
If you or a loved one has contracted an illness due to a workplace exposure or event, you may want to act quickly to protect your workers’ compensation benefit interests. Ideally, you should start the claims process as soon as possible after discovering the illness.
If you were injured at work and are in any of these cases, it is very likely that you will need legal advice or representation to obtain the benefits to which you are entitled, so it is advisable to contact a lawyer dedicated to compensation cases at worker (Workers’ Comp). This article is not intended to serve as legal advice. It is for informational purposes only.