Aggressive Orange County Workers Compensation Attorney handling cases in Santa Ana, Tustin, Irvine, Garden Grove, Brea, Anaheim, Fullerton, Huntington Beach, Fountain Valley, Newport Beach and all surrounding areas in Orange County.
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A work related injury can occur in a split second but the ramifications can last a lifetime. At Berman More Gonzalez in Santa Ana, Ca. we understand the new workers compensation laws and will work tirelessly to get our clients the best medical care they need. Whether our client is a construction worker who fell off scaffolding, an office worker with carpal tunnel syndrome, a delivery driver involved in a car accident or a factory worker whose back was strained in an industrial accident, workers compensation attorney Keith P. More from Berman More Gonzalez cares.
Our team of workers compensation and personal injury attorneys serve victims of personal injury, workers compensation, spinal cord injury and wrongful death claims throughout Orange County including the cities of Santa Ana, Huntington Beach, Irvine, Tustin, Anaheim, Laguna Beach, Newport Beach, Mission Viejo, Brea, Westminster, Garden Grove, Orange, Costa Mesa, Fountain Valley, Yorba Linda, La Habra, Laguna Niguel and Fullerton in California.
The Workers Compensation Claim Process Now Puts Workers At A Disadvantage.
On April 19, 2004, the California workers compensation process changed. The passing of Senate 899 caused a great deal of harm to the workers compensation system and revamped now making it more difficult for injured employees to get the help they need. Under new laws, the benefits that injured workers are entitled to include:
- Temporary disability: Workers will now receive two-thirds of their average weekly wage up to a maximum benefit depending upon the year’s date of the work related injury.
- Medical Treatment: Employers have an obligation to provide up to $10,000 in reasonable and necessary medical care (including hospital beds, leg braces, wheel chairs, etc) until the workers compensation claim is either admitted or denied. All medical treatment must now pass through a utilization review first and many insurance companies are using this to deny the injured worker of the most fundamental basic benefits.
- Permanent Disability: After the injured workers condition has stabilized, reached maximum medical improvement or been found to be permanent and stationary, the injured worker is entitled to permanent disability. The permanent disability is now based on a whole person impairment relying upon the American Medical Association guidelines rather than an inability to compete in the open job market.
- Vocational Rehabilitation: Before the workers compensation laws changed, if a doctor designated you as a qualified injured worker, you were entitled to $16,000 worth of vocational rehabilitation. Now, under the new law workers compensation laws, an injured employer can only get a voucher for a minimum amount of retraining depending upon the extent of their permanent disability.
Our Team Of Worker Compensation Attorneys Understand The California Workers Compensation Process
If you have been hurt on the job, if you need to use your energy to get well and not fight with the insurance companies, workers compensation attorneys at Berman More Gonzalez have been injured workers attorneys for over 21 years. Our team of workers compensation lawyers consists of Jose Gonzalez and Edward Kelly, Former workers compensation retired judge.
Our team can spot issues that other attorneys will fail to take into account such as an injured workers overtime pay or pay from a second job. Our team also identifies any third party personal injury claims as well and is experienced enough to handle both personal injury and workers compensation claims. Often times, and individual will be injured on a construction site and the accident will be cause by a subcontractor. The injured construction workers will be entitled to workers compensation benefits but also compensation for pain and suffering based upon the third party’s negligence.
Unlike other workers compensation attorneys, Keith More, Jose Gonzales and Edward Kelly will go to court just to get injured workers the basic fundamental medical treatment and disability benefits. In fact, in 2003 and 2004, Keith More was named Orange County Workers Compensation Trail Lawyer of year. This is the first time in Orange County that a trial lawyer has received this award 2 years in a row. Mr. More is also a member of the million dollar advocates club for his handling of personal injury cases.
