On September 29, 2022, Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 1127 (SB 1127). The bill reforms California’s workers’ compensation laws to provide additional statutory protections to many public safety workers—specifically most police officers and firefighters. Notably, the bill imposed substantially increased penalties on employers that deny certain types of police/firefighter workers’ compensation claims involving presumptive […]
Category Archives: WCAB
In September 2022, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 1127 (SB 1127) into law. The bill amends several sections of the California Labor Code (3761, 4656, 5402, and 5414.3) and has important implications for workers’ compensation insurance, specifically regarding the available benefits for certain police officers and firefighters. The law officially took effect on […]
California employers are required to provide workers’ compensation insurance coverage to employees, including part-time workers, seasonal staff, and non-traditional employees. There are a few different options to obtain coverage, including self-insurance. Employers in California that have self-insurance are subject to annual reporting requirements. Here, our Fresno workers’ compensation defense law firm provides an overview of […]
Labor Code § 4850 provides that a public safety worker entitled to a one-year leave of absence and is entitled to full pay without loss of salary. Labor Code § 4850(a): “Whenever any person listed in subdivision (b), who is employed on a regular, full-time basis, and is disabled, whether temporarily or permanently, by injury or […]
California requires employers that operate in the state to provide no-fault workers’ compensation coverage. When an employee is hurt on the job, they can claim workers’ compensation benefits—regardless of whether or not their employer bears any responsibility for their injuries/illnesses. However, an employee hurt on the job due to their own intoxication may be denied […]
According to a report from the Insurance Journal, California regulators are stepping up the fight against insurance fraud—especially workers’ compensation fraud committed by medical providers. California Insurance Commissioner, Ricardo Lara, has announced more than $50 million in insurance fraud prevention grants to 34 District Attorneys’ (DA) offices across the state. Notably, a significant portion of […]
On June 29, 2023, the Insurance Journal reported that the total workers’ compensation-related expenses and losses incurred by insurance companies in California in 2022 is approximately $15 billion. The full report was put together by the Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California (WCIRB). California state law mandates that workers’ compensation insurers provide comprehensive financial […]
Small companies are the backbone of the California economy. According to data from the Small Business Administration (SBA), there are 4.2 million small businesses actively operating in California. Under state law (Labor Code § 3700), all small businesses are required to provide no-fault workers’ compensation coverage As a small business owner or operator, you may […]
According to a report from Human Resources Director Magazine, a California Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board (WCAB) has upheld a lower court’s ruling, finding that a claimant’s cancer is reasonably likely to be work-related. It is a noteworthy decision on an important and often misunderstood workers’ compensation claims matter: The extent to which workers’ compensation benefits […]
According to a report from Insurance Journal, California regulators have uncovered an alleged seven-figure workers’ compensation fraud scheme in the Fresno area. An employer stands accused of intentionally underreporting payroll—thereby unlawfully saving itself approximately more than $100,000.00 in workers’ compensation premiums. Proper reporting of payroll is essential. Within this blog post, our Fresno workers’ compensation […]