This speed seminar is for anyone who needs to know what’s really behind a “zero percent” whole person impairment rating (WPI). To read our blog article on zero percent WPI, click here.
When should an injured worker get an attorney?
If you’re a medical provider in workers’ compensation, then sometimes your patients might want legal representation.
When your patients ask, “Should I get an attorney?” then we recommend referring them the Disability Evaluation Unit.
To learn why, listen to our podcast on the subject here: “Attorneys in Workers’ Comp: A Historical Perspective” (released September 3rd, 2015).
The DEU has offices in the following locations:
| Anaheim 1065 N. PacifiCenter Drive Anaheim, CA 92806 (714) 414-1803 |
Oxnard 1901 N. Rice Avenue, Suite 200 Oxnard, CA 93030 (805) 485-4423 |
San Francisco 455 Golden Gate Avenue, 2nd floor P.O. Box 420603 San Francisco, CA 94142 (415) 703-5030 |
| Bakersfield 1800 30th Street, Suite 100 Bakersfield, CA 93301-1929 (661) 395-2723 |
Pomona 732 Corporate Center Drive Pomona, CA 91768 (909) 629-6288 |
San Jose 100 Paseo de San Antonio, Room 223 San Jose, CA 95113 (408) 277-2024 |
| Eureka * Satellite office Ratings to be sent to Redding |
Redding 250 Hemsted Drive, Second Floor, Ste. B Redding, CA 96002 (530) 225-3179 |
San Luis Obispo 4740 Allene Way, Suite 100 San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 (805) 596-4157 |
| Fresno 2550 Mariposa Mall, Room 2005 Fresno, CA 93721-2280 (559) 445-6427 |
Riverside 3737 Main Street, 3rd floor Riverside, CA 92501 (951) 782-4345 |
Santa Ana 605 W Santa Ana Blvd, Bldg 28, Room 451 Santa Ana, CA 92701 (714) 558-4113 ext. 6749 |
| Long Beach 300 Oceangate Street, Room 325 Long Beach, CA 90802-4460 (562) 590-5017 |
Sacramento 160 Promenade Circle, Suite 300 Sacramento, CA 95834 (916) 928-3150 |
Santa Barbara * Satellite office Ratings to be sent to Oxnard |
| Los Angeles 320 W. 4th Street, 9th floor Los Angeles, CA 90013 (213) 576-7426 |
Salinas 1880 North Main Street, Suites 100/200 Salinas, CA 93906-2204 (831) 443-3222 |
Santa Rosa 50 “D” Street, Suite 420 Santa Rosa, CA 95404 (707) 576-2374 |
| Marina del Rey 4720 Lincoln Blvd 2nd floor Marina del Rey, CA 90292 (310) 482-3868 |
San Bernardino 464 W. Fourth Street, Suite 260 San Bernardino, CA 92401 (909) 383-4522 |
Stockton 31 East Channel Street, Room 417 Stockton, CA 95202-2314 (209) 948-3651 |
| Oakland 1515 Clay Street, 6th floor Oakland, CA 94612 (510) 622-2859 |
San Diego 7575 Metropolitan Drive, Suite 202 San Diego, CA 92108 (619) 767-2081 |
Van Nuys 6150 Van Nuys Blvd., Room 200 Van Nuys, CA 91401-3373 (818) 901-5376 ext. 5 |
RateFast Welcomes Phil Walker
New Podcast
Over at the California Work Comp Report podcast, we’ve just released an episode featuring workers’ compensation attorney Phil Walker.
Phil will be joining us for more podcasts as we explore the intersection of law, medicine, and patients’ needs in work comp.
You can check out the episode called “Attorneys in Workers’ Comp: A Historical Perspective” here, and you can also read a complimentary blog post.
About Phil
Phil has over 30 years experience in several different workers’ compensation systems from Canada to Mexico to the Rockies.
He is an expert on the AMA Guides, 5th edition (which California currently uses for evaluating and rating work injuries). Phil helps employers figure out if doctor’s work-comp reports are correct.
For more information about Phil and his services, you can visit his website here.
Attorneys in Workers’ Comp: Who they are, what they do, and when to get one
Roles that Defense and Applicant Attorneys play in Workers’ Comp: A historical perspective
Many workers’ compensation claims today involve an attorney at some point. The work comp system, when it came to the United States from Germany, was supposed to be simple, transparent and efficient—a system without attorneys or judges, that focused on three simple steps:
- Medical treatment
- Patient recovery
- Patient’s return to work
Any permanent impairment would be measured by a doctor with a simple formula, and would tell you how much that injury was worth.
Permanent disability, on the other hand, was originally used to measure the amount of machines the worker could no longer operate. The amount of compensation that the injured worker received would then come from that loss.
So, how did work-comp become one of the most complicated areas of law?
Why are defense attorneys involved in today’s workers’ compensation system? There are two primary reasons why attorneys need to get involved:
- Suspicious circumstances – Employees sometimes try to obtain compensation that they’re not entitled to.
- Denied medical treatment – Employees sometimes do not receive the treatment that they are entitled to.
This, in turn, results in:
- Increased cost of the claim.
- Increased amount of medical treatment ultimately provided.
And, finally, that an injured worker seeks out an attorney. This can then further result in additional body parts being added to the claim. Therefore, providers should always be asking themselves:
“How do I get this case accurately resolved, in the fastest amount of time?”
When this doesn’t happen, lawyers get involved.