Workers’ Compensation Lawyer in Bakersfield, California

1. StartThe day it happens

   You’re hurt at work.

   Get medical help, tell your employer in writing and file a claim form. The road below shows what California workers’ comp owes you from here, and when each benefit begins.

2. 1

   Stop 1Treatment

   Medical care

   Treatment reasonably required to cure or relieve the effects of your work injury, paid for by your employer, whether or not you miss time from work.

   Paid by your employer

   Once you’ve filed a claim form, a medical provider who knows your claim is pending can’t collect from you directly, unless your employer has rejected the claim in writing.

   Mileage reimbursement

   Travel to get treatment is paid back: mileage, trips to the pharmacy, parking, bridge tolls and public transportation.

   76¢ per mile

   Rate for travel on or after July 1, 2026. It follows the IRS rate and changes over time.
3. 2

   Stop 2Can’t work yet

   Temporary disability (TD)

   If your doctor says you can’t do your usual work for more than three days, or you’re hospitalized overnight, TD checks replace part of your lost pay. They come every two weeks, and you don’t pay income tax on them.

   ⅔ of lost gross wages2026 limits: $264.61 – $1,764.11 a weekUp to 104 weeks

   Weekly limits depend on your injury date. For injuries after Jan. 1, 2008, TD generally lasts no more than 104 weeks within five years of the injury; certain serious injuries allow up to 240 weeks.

4. 3

   Stop 3Final doctor’s report

   Permanent & stationary

   When your condition stops improving and isn’t getting worse, your doctor finds you permanent and stationary (P&S), also called maximal medical improvement (MMI). Temporary disability generally stops here, or when you go back to work. The doctor’s report becomes the starting point for your disability rating.

   P&S = MMITD generally ends
5. 4

   Stop 4Disability rating

   Permanent disability (PD)

   If the injury leaves lasting limits, PD pays you for them. Your rating is based on your impairment, your age when you were hurt, your occupation and your future earning capacity.

   Impairment · age · occupation

   Supplemental job displacement benefit

   Can’t go back to your old job? If your injury causes permanent partial disability and your employer doesn’t offer regular, modified or alternative work within 60 days of your doctor’s return-to-work and voucher report, you get a voucher for retraining or skill enhancement.

   $6,000 voucher+ $5,000 Return-to-Work Supplement

   For injuries on or after Jan. 1, 2013. Voucher holders apply for the one-time supplement within one year of receiving the voucher.

6. 5

   Stop 5Settlement

   Cash settlement

   The road ends at a fork. A workers’ comp case settles one of two ways, and which one fits depends on your injury and the medical care you’ll need in the future.

   Compromise & Release

   One lump sum.

   A single payment that closes your claim. If it’s meant to cover future medical care, you pay for treatment of this injury yourself from then on, and neither side can reopen the case if your condition gets better or worse.

   Lump-sum payment

   Stipulated Award

   Paid over time.

   Permanent disability payments come over time, and the claims administrator usually keeps paying for medical care for your injury as long as you need it. Either side can ask to change benefits if your condition changes, usually within five years of the injury.

   Payments + future medical

General information about California workers’ compensation, not legal advice. Dollar figures and rates were checked in October 2026 against California Division of Workers’ Compensation sources; some change every year and depend on your date of injury.