As more and more women enter the workforce, the issue of worker’s compensation is quickly becoming a women’s issue, at least one that working women need to give some consideration to. According to recently collected statistics, women now make up about 47% of America’s workforce and a whopping 40% of American households with children under 18 include mothers who are the only or primary source of household income. Of the mothers who are considered breadwinners, over 60% of them are single mothers.
This is an important figure in terms of worker’s compensation benefits because single mothers are less likely to have a college degree, which means that any kind of serious injury has a much higher chance of negatively impacting single mothers and their ability to find meaningful employment after an injury. While these figures represent national trends, it would not be surprising to learn that California specific statistics rival, if they are not greater than, national averages.
Deciding to Pursue Benefits
For many single mothers and mothers who provide a family with a primary source of income, the decision to pursue worker’s compensation benefits may not be an easy one to make. Some mothers might think that it is better to avoid filing a claim for worker’s compensation benefits than to have workplace superiors place extra scrutiny on their abilities and performance. However, anyone who sustains an injury while at work, including single and working mothers, must understand that it is their right to pursue worker’s compensation benefits when a legitimate injury has been sustained.
California’s worker’s compensation system is set up in a way that places many of the burdens of the system on private employers. Every employer in California is required to carry a worker’s compensation insurance policy in order to lawfully conduct business in the state, no matter whether the employer maintains a single employee or thousands. When an injury is sustained, the injured employee is then required to file a claim for worker’s compensation benefits through the employer’s insurance company, which will then hand down a decision of whether to pay the claim or not. Should the injured employee disagree with the decision, it can be appealed through the state.
A Few Bad Apples Sully the System
Make no mistake about it, many employers in California will be more than willing to help their employees secure the benefits which they are entitled to if they ever sustain an injury while on the job. However, many insurance companies and certain unscrupulous employers will place profits before people and will try to do everything they can to avoid paying a claim or paying as much as the injured victim expects. Unfortunately, most employees have no idea how an employer will react to a worker’s compensation claim until one needs to be filed, and finding out that they work for a business that doesn’t want anything to do with a claim can put the injured employee at a major legal disadvantage.
Instead of finding out too late that their employer is not as nice or honest as originally thought, victims of workplace injuries are encouraged to secure the advice of worker’s compensation legal counsel as quickly following an injury as possible. By having an attorney ready and willing to represent their best interests, workplace injury victims can be sure to have the best chance possible at recovering the benefits which they may be entitled to under the law.