If you get hurt on the job, your employer is required by law to pay for workers' compensation benefits.
You could get hurt by a sudden accident at work or by exposure to chemicals, loud noise or doing the same motion over and over. Workers' compensation benefits include medical care for your job injury, fully paid for by your employer. Depending on your injury, you may also be eligible to receive temporary disability payments if you cannot work while recovering, permanent disability payments if you don't recover completely from you injury, and job counseling and retraining benefits if you cannot return to your old job. If you die from a job injury, your spouse, children and other dependents will receive death benefits and a burial allowance.
You may be eligible to receive workers' compensation benefits even if you are a temporary or part-time worker, even if you are called an independent contractor, and even if you are not a legal resident of the United States. Benefits are paid no matter who was at fault for your injury. It is illegal for your employer to punish or fire you for having a job injury or for requesting workers' compensation benefits when you believe your injury was caused by your job.
If you get hurt at work, it is important to tell your supervisor right away. If your employer does not have workers' compensation insurance or if you encounter other problems, get help. Contact a state office of the California Division of Workers' Compensation.