LAUSD Employees and California Workers' Comp Claims

What happens when an LAUSD employee gets hurt on the job?

LAUSD pays its own workers' comp costs as a self-insured public school district, and it uses Sedgwick, a third-party administrator, to handle claims instead of an outside insurance company.

The Los Angeles Unified School District runs its workers' compensation program inside its Division of Risk Management and Insurance Services, under a branch called Integrated Disability Management. Its Workers' Compensation section serves employees hurt or made ill on the job, according to LAUSD's own site, checked November 7, 2026.

California law gives an employer two ways to cover a workplace injury: buy an insurance policy, or get a state certificate to pay claims itself. Labor Code section 3700 extends that second option to a school district as a public agency. LAUSD's own pages say the District covers the real cost of each accepted claim, while Sedgwick, the administrator LAUSD names, handles the claim files and makes the payments.

LAUSD is only one of several school employers in the Los Angeles area. Our wider guide to Los Angeles school worker injuries covers Cal State LA, LACCD, and charter campuses.

Treat the names and numbers above as a starting point, not a permanent fact. Details can change after this page was checked, and your own claim paperwork always controls over what is printed here.

How do you report an injury and get a DWC-1 claim form?

Notify your supervisor, manager, or site administrator as soon as the injury happens. California law gives you up to 30 days to put that notice in writing.

Labor Code section 5400 sets that 30-day window. You do not have to wait that long. LAUSD's own guidance tells employees to report an injury right away, to an administrator, manager, or supervisor. This applies whether it happened at once or built up slowly.

Once your worksite knows about the injury, Labor Code section 5402 treats that knowledge, from any source, the same as a written notice. LAUSD's own materials say you get a claim form, the DWC-1, within 24 hours of your report; Labor Code section 5401 sets the outer limit at one working day. Fill out the employee part and return it to your worksite right away, since LAUSD's own guidance warns that a delay can hurt your benefits.

Who handles an LAUSD workers' comp claim, and how do you reach them?

Sedgwick administers and pays LAUSD workers' compensation claims. LAUSD's own pages list 1-800-528-7392 and (866) 247-2287 as ways to reach Sedgwick directly.

LAUSD's workers' compensation pages, checked November 7, 2026, name Sedgwick as the claims administrator. After your worksite reports an injury, a Sedgwick representative opens a file, assigns a claim number, and looks into what benefits you are owed. Title 8 of the California Code of Regulations, section 10109, requires a reasonable, timely look at every benefit that might be due, not only the one you first mentioned.

For a new report or a question on an open file, LAUSD's own pages list a nurse-triage and claim line at 1-800-528-7392, and a separate claims-examiner line at (866) 247-2287. Sedgwick also runs a self-service site at mysedgwick.com, where you can check a claim or set up direct deposit. Save your claim number and adjuster name for later calls.

Where do you get medical care, and what if treatment is denied?

LAUSD's medical provider network covers reasonable treatment. A denied or changed treatment request can be appealed through Independent Medical Review.

Labor Code section 4600 requires reasonable treatment for the injury. For most LAUSD employees, that means care inside a medical provider network (MPN), unless you properly predesignated your own doctor in writing before you were hurt. LAUSD's own guidance describes a nurse-triage option when you first report an injury: a nurse discusses your symptoms by phone and can book your first visit inside the network. A true emergency comes first: call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room. For more on choosing or switching doctors, see our page on the medical provider network.

Say Sedgwick denies or changes a treatment your doctor recommended. That decision goes through utilization review first, under Labor Code section 4610, which checks the request against medical necessity. If you disagree, Labor Code section 4610.5 gives you 30 days from that decision to ask for Independent Medical Review. A neutral doctor then reviews your records; Labor Code section 4610.6 generally gives that reviewer 30 days from receiving your request to decide. Independent Medical Review covers one treatment at a time. When Sedgwick denies the whole claim instead, our page on what to do after a workers' comp claim is denied covers the next steps. Those include the DWC's Information and Assistance Unit (1-800-736-7401) and an Application for Adjudication of Claim with the Workers' Compensation Appeals Board.

How soon do disability payments start, and how much are they?

Once Sedgwick accepts your claim, Labor Code section 4650 gives it 14 days from learning about your injury and lost time to send your first disability check.

Sedgwick has 90 days after you file your claim form to accept or reject it; Labor Code section 5402 sets that limit. Meanwhile, the same law authorizes up to $10,000 in medical treatment, whether or not the claim is later accepted. Temporary disability generally pays two-thirds of your average weekly wage while a doctor keeps you off work, under Labor Code section 4653, up to a yearly maximum the state sets. Title 8 of the California Code of Regulations, section 9812, requires Sedgwick to send written notice of that first payment, or of any delay and why.

A late disability payment gets an automatic 10 percent bump under Labor Code section 4650, with no petition needed. A separate law, Labor Code section 5814, lets the Workers' Compensation Appeals Board add a bigger penalty. That penalty can reach 25 percent or $10,000, whichever is less, for any benefit unreasonably delayed or refused. LAUSD's own benefit pages also describe a salary-continuation or sick-leave supplement some employees can use on top of state disability pay; ask your payroll office how it applies to you.

What if you're punished at work for reporting an injury or filing a claim?

California law bars any employer, including LAUSD, from firing, threatening, or discriminating against you for filing a workers' comp claim, or even for saying you plan to.

Labor Code section 132a protects you from the moment you file a claim, or tell LAUSD you plan to, and it covers testifying in a coworker's case too. A violation is a misdemeanor that can raise your compensation by one-half, up to an extra $10,000, plus reinstatement and lost wages. Our page on Labor Code section 132a retaliation protections walks through how to bring that kind of claim.

Say you hire a lawyer because a claim is disputed. Only a workers' compensation judge can approve the fee, as Labor Code section 4906 requires. The fee request is usually 15 percent to 18 percent of the award. Our page on what a workers' comp lawyer costs in California walks through that approval step. Want a second opinion first? The DWC's Information and Assistance Unit offers free, neutral help too.

Yazdchi Law P.C. is not affiliated with LAUSD or Sedgwick Claims Management Services.

This page covers what California law requires after an LAUSD work injury, and what LAUSD's own materials say about its process. It does not describe how Sedgwick handles any one file. The firm reviews each potential case individually. It does not take on every matter.

Say Sedgwick denied your LAUSD workers' comp claim, cut off your disability checks, or your worksite retaliated against you for reporting an injury. Yazdchi Law P.C. can look at what happened. Call (661) 273-1780 or use the contact form. Tell us your job duties, the date you were hurt, and where things stand with Sedgwick today.

More about your rights after an LAUSD work injury

These guides go deeper on the medical, legal, and claim-denial questions LAUSD employees ask most.

• Which doctors can you see through the medical provider network, and how do you change one?
• What are your options once an entire claim, not just one treatment, is denied?
• When does punishing a worker for a claim cross into illegal retaliation?
• What is Sedgwick, and what does California law require no matter who handles your claim?