In the city of San Luis Obispo, you are entitled to worker’s compensation if you are hurt on the job. If you are hurt in such a way that you cannot return to work in any capacity, you may be eligible for permanent total disability benefits.
In the state of California, you have the right to be awarded a lifetime pension if you are hurt at work and are rendered permanently disabled. If a doctor makes the determination that you are permanently disabled and you can prove this to your employer and possibly in a court of law, you will receive disability benefits for the rest of you life. In fact, in California, you need only receive a disability rating of 70 percent to receive lifetime benefits.
Many people confuse these disability benefits to those that are given by Social Security. Workers compensation benefits and Social Security benefits are different. To obtain Social Security disability benefits, a person hurt at work must be totally disabled.
Typically, a person will not meet the criteria for permanent total disability until medical treatments for the condition are completed. If there are other options for treatment available, a doctor will not consider a person totally disabled. It does not mean that you are automatically denied for compensation, it only means that the compensation will not occur until treatments have been given and completed.
Any person hurt on the job should contact an experienced attorney to assist with the correct filing of paperwork. This is especially important if a person has been denied workers’ compensation.
