Work-Related Joint Pain Results in Higher Workers’ Comp Claims, Some Say

California workers who are injured on the job are entitled to workers’ compensation benefits to help them meet the costs of those injuries in most situations. However, it’s not always easy to get the benefits you need, which is why many experienced southern California workers’ compensation attorneys are dedicated to helping injured workers.

One reason benefits can be hard to obtain is that some injuries have a bad reputation for costing employers and insurers more than others. This is particularly true when an on-the-job accident or injury causes joint pain – a condition that is believed to cost more and result in more long-term disability claims than other conditions.

Joint pain can result from a single acute incident, like a fall, or it can be caused by years of repetitive stress from working with certain types of tools, equipment, or machinery. According to the California Workers’ Compensation Institute (CWCI), joint pain injuries tend to be “relatively severe and costly,” with more than 40 percent of all joint injuries resulting in permanent disability. Only 52 percent of all joint injury workers’ compensation claims are closed after two years, versus 73 percent of all other injury claims.

The severity, length, or cost of an injury suffered on the job is not supposed to affect a worker’s right to workers’ compensation coverage. What matters is whether the injury is acquired on the job. However, severe or permanent injuries can raise a “red flag” to employers or insurers who then decide to drag their feet on the claim or wrongly deny it altogether. If you’re facing such a situation, don’t hesitate to contact a skilled California workers’ compensation attorney at the Kenton Koszdin Law Office who can fight for you – so you can focus on getting well.