Can Employers Punish Their Workers for Reporting Injuries?

As an employee who works in the state of California, you are entitled to compensation following an on-the-job injury. Almost every employer in the state is required to have a workers’ compensation insurance policy, and must provide benefits to employees who are injured while performing their job duties (barring any legitimate reason for denying their claim).

To receive the financial resources you are entitled to after you sustain a work injury, some of the first steps of the workers’ compensation process are reporting your injury to your employer, and filing a claim with the state’s Division of Workers’ Compensation. Once your claim is in process, your employer can work with their insurance provider, and negotiations can begin.

However, your real-life workers’ compensation reporting experience may not go as smoothly as this simplified explanation. In some cases, employers retaliate against injured employees by firing them or issuing another penalty for reporting their injuries to authorities. This is not legal, and you should contact our attorneys as soon as possible if you were a victim of employer punishment related to a workers’ compensation claim.

An exception to this would be if the worker’s injuries were caused by employee misconduct. Instances of safety violations on the behalf of the worker, intoxication, or criminal activity that lead to injury could be a legal reason for disciplining the employee, as well as denying their workers’ compensation claim. Even in cases of possible misconduct, employees hold the right to have their claim investigated without initial reactionary penalties from their employer.

Legal support is an essential resource during the workers’ compensation claims process. Contact Alvandi Law Group, P.C. if you were injured at work and need skilled lawyers on your side. We offer free initial consultations to provide a risk-free analysis of the details your case and answer your workers’ compensation-related questions.

To schedule your no-cost consultation, call (800) 980-6905 or submit our contact form.