Benefits & Resources

There are many governmental programs that provide benefits to injured and disabled workers, who may be struggling financially due to their injuries, including the SNAP program, Medi-Cal, the State Dept. of Rehabilitation, CalABLE as well as non-profit organizations that are specifically designed to help people who are, for lack of a better phrase, down on their luck. With a little effort, you may be able to locate a program that can help serve you while you are trying to recover from your medical condition. Feel free to explore our Help Through Hard Times page for links to just a few of these many resources.

You or your company may have purchased a long term disability (LTD) or short term disability (STD) plan as a resource for injured and disabled workers. Many employers, unions, and individuals procure these plans, often managed by companies like ING, Liberty Mutual, AFLAC, Voya, etc. These policies are designed to provide a source of money while recovering from a medical condition that prevents the worker from performing their usual and customary duties.

STD policies are of short duration, usually not more than a year and often much less, but pay much higher benefits. LTD policies generally start after you’ve been off work for a few months and may last until you’re 65 if you remain disabled. however, the criteria to qualify for an LTD policy after two years is the same as it is for an SSDI claim; i.e., the LTD carrier no longer looks at the job you used to perform, but rather considers your skill, education, knowledge and experience to determine if there are jobs in the labor market that you can perform.

Disability retirement benefits are available to any injured and disabled worker employed by a public entity who is permanently incapable of performing their usual duties regardless of the cause of that disability. If it is determined that your disability is work related, then the monthly pension allowance may be higher.

These benefits are controlled by the Board of Retirement for the public entity involved. Some of the Boards include CalPERS (which contracts with many cities), CalSTRS (for teachers), Santa Barbara County Employees Retirement System (SBCERS), Ventura County Employees Retirement Association (VCERA), Kern County Employees Retirement Association (KCERA), Los Angeles County Employee’s Retirement System (LACERA), and the University of California Office of the President (UCOP), among others.

SOCIAL SECURITY RETIREMENT:Anyone who pays into the Social Security system is eligible to take retirement benefits as early as age 62 and as late as age 70. These benefits are for life. Be advised that the earlier you take these retirement benefits, the less the monthly benefit will be.  You may wish to speak with a financial advisor when making this decision. 

SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY INCOME: In the event that you are unable to work for more than 52 weeks, the Social Security Administration (SSA) may provide Social Security Disability Income if it determines that you are unable to engage in substantial gainful employment (regardless of the cause) until you are able to return to work or reach the age of 65 at which time you will begin receiving your SSA Retirement benefits. To determine your SSDI rate, you may contact the SSA and it will tell you the amount you may receive based on your contributions to the SSA system. You may receive SSDI in addition to TD or PD benefits described above.   

SOCIAL SECURITY SUPPLEMENTAL INCOME: This is another disability benefit available through the SSA whenever the individual is unable to engage in substantial gainful employment due to a medical condition and they have very few resources (less than $2,000 for an individual or $3,000 for a family). Past work is not taken into account for this benefit. 

Regardless of the type of claim that you are pursuing, there may be at least some contribution because of work. If your work is a contributing factor to your injuries, then you may be entitled to workers’ compensation benefits.  These include: 

TEMPORARY DISABILITY: Paid by a WC carrier whenever an injured worker is unable to work their full schedule and lose wages because of a work injury. Except in rare circumstances, Temporary Disability (TD) is paid every two weeks at the rate of 2/3 of your wage loss for a maximum period of 104 weeks. There is a maximum rate of TD that is paid based on your date of injury.   

MEDICAL TREATMENT: You are entitled to medical treatment that will help you get better or feel better from your work related injuries. However, there are some limitations on your right to receive medical treatment.   

• You must treat with the WC carrier’s doctors identified on its Medical Provider Network List. 
• The WC carrier is only required to provide you with 24 chiropractic visits, 24 physical therapy visits, and 24 occupational therapy visits, for life. 
• All treatment must conform to the Medical Treatment Utilization Schedule (MTUS) or other evidence based treatment guidelines.
• All treatment requests must be submitted in writing to the WC carrier.  It will then send that request to Utilization Review (UR), which will either approve, modify, or deny the medical necessity of the treatment. 
• UR uses the MTUS to determine medical necessity.  You and/or your doctor have the right to appeal any UR denial and you may appeal the UR denial to Independent Medical Review, which will also use the MTUS to determine if the treatment is medically necessary. 

REIMBURSEMENT OF OUT OF POCKET EXPENSES:  You may recover any expense incurred as a result of seeking WC benefits, including mileage, meals, and lodging to attend any appointment with a doctor, pharmacy or vendor relating to your work injuries.  You may also recover lost wages in the event you miss time from work attending any forensic evaluation such as an Agreed Medical Examiner, Panel Qualified Medical Examiner or Court Appointed Independent Medical Examiner. 

PERMANENT DISABILITY: In the event you suffer a permanent disability (PD) arising out of your work injury, the physician will determine your level of impairment, which we will ensure is a fair, accurate, and adequate measurement of your PD taking into consideration your age and occupation at the time of your injury. The WC carrier will pay you PD at the rate of $290 per week for several months to several years depending on the severity of your PD. This is NOT a lifetime benefit  

VOUCHER FOR RETRAINING – In the event the doctor determines that you cannot return to your usual and customary duties, you may be entitled to receive up to $6,000 in educational retraining to help you return to the workforce.  You may choose to work with a vocational counselor who can help you best use this benefit.