Lower Back Injuries at Work: What Are You Entitled To?

Lower back injuries are among the most common — and most debilitating — workplace injuries in California. Whether caused by lifting, repetitive strain, slips and falls, or long-term wear and tear, a lumbar spine injury can affect your ability to work and live a normal life.

Here’s what California workers’ compensation law says you’re entitled to if you’ve suffered a lower back injury at work.

🛠️ 1. Full Medical Care — For Life

California law requires your employer (or their insurance) to cover all reasonable and necessary medical treatment, including:

MRI, CT, or X-rays
Physical therapy and chiropractic
Pain management
Epidural injections
Surgery (such as discectomy, laminectomy, or spinal fusion)
Medication (including for chronic pain)

You do not pay a dime for approved care. If treatment is delayed or denied, you may be entitled to an Independent Medical Review (IMR).

💰 2. Temporary Disability Benefits (TTD)

If your back injury prevents you from working, you may receive temporary disability benefits — a type of wage replacement.

Paid at ⅔ of your average weekly wages
Capped at $1,680.29/week in 2025
Continues until you reach Maximum Medical Improvement (MMI)

📉 3. Permanent Disability (PD) Compensation

Once you reach MMI, a Qualified Medical Evaluator (QME) or Agreed Medical Evaluator (AME) assigns you a permanent disability rating. This determines:

The weekly amount you’ll be paid
How many weeks of benefits you’re owed
Whether you qualify for lifetime benefits

For a deeper look at how ratings work, visit our guide to Permanent Disability Ratings.

💼 4. Supplemental Job Displacement Voucher (SJDB)

If your employer can’t accommodate your injury with modified work, you may receive a $6,000 retraining voucher, which can be used for:

Online or in-person education
Tools or equipment for new careers
Vocational counseling

For details, check out our blog post on How Long You Can Stay on Workers’ Comp Benefits.

⚖️ 5. Potential for a Settlement

Your back injury case may resolve in one of two ways:

Stipulated Award: Keeps medical care open, continues PD payments
Compromise & Release (C&R): Lump sum payout, closes medical rights

Learn how and when to settle in our Workers’ Comp Settlement Guide.

🧠 6. Psychological Components

Chronic pain from back injuries often results in:

Depression
Anxiety
Sleep disturbance

California allows for psychological injury claims as part of your workers’ comp case if properly documented.

🔹 Why Choose Employees First Labor Law?

At EFLL, we’ve helped thousands of workers with spinal and lower back injuries:

At Employees First Labor Law (EFLL), we bring more than just experience — we bring strategy, tenacity, and results.

Lower back injuries often trigger some of the most heavily disputed claims in the California workers’ compensation system. Insurance carriers frequently blame pre-existing conditions, minimize disability ratings, or delay access to critical care.

That’s where we step in.

✅ We fight back against delays and denials. Our legal team understands the medical treatment approval process inside and out. We push aggressively to overturn denied authorizations, escalate through utilization review and Independent Medical Review (IMR), and make sure your care isn’t delayed by insurance red tape.

✅ We challenge lowball evaluations and unfair apportionment. Insurance doctors often downplay the true severity of back injuries or attribute the damage to aging or unrelated causes. We coordinate with top orthopedic specialists, submit strong rebuttals to flawed QME/AME reports, and demand full credit for your work-related injury.

✅ We know how to increase your permanent disability rating. Every point in your rating matters. Our team identifies ways to boost your impairment score — such as incorporating psychological components, sleep disruption, or diminished future earning capacity.

✅ We secure high-value settlements. Whether through a structured Stipulated Award or a lump-sum Compromise & Release (C&R), we position your case for maximum payout — not just for today, but to protect your long-term health and livelihood.

✅ We investigate third-party liability. If faulty equipment, machinery, or negligence by a non-employer party played a role in your injury, our in-house civil litigation team is ready to file a separate lawsuit. These cases can yield compensation far beyond what’s available through workers’ comp alone — including pain and suffering and punitive damages.