Do I need a workers' comp lawyer in Bakersfield?

Bakersfield claims fall under Kern County

Bakersfield is in Kern County, and a workplace injury there is handled under the same California workers' compensation law that covers the rest of the state. County lines do not change what you are entitled to ask for, and they do not change the deadlines.

Start with the report and the doctor

Report the injury to your employer and ask for a claim form. Write it down if you can — a text, an email, a note handed to a supervisor — because the date of the report is one of the first things anyone will look for later. Then get medical care and say plainly that this happened at work. Ask for copies of what you sign.

Deadlines, stated generally

Two rules come up in nearly every Bakersfield conversation. A work injury should generally be reported to the employer within thirty days, and a claim generally has to be filed within one year. Both have exceptions. If your injury built up over time, or if you were told something that kept you from reporting, the dates deserve a careful look rather than a guess.

Working with a firm that is not down the street

We are honest about this: our office is in Palmdale, not Bakersfield, and we serve Kern County remotely. In practice, that is how most of a workers' compensation case runs anyway. Documents move electronically, questions get answered by phone or text, and video calls handle the conversations that need a face. When an in-person meeting makes more sense, we schedule one in Palmdale by appointment.

When it is worth making the call

Even a Kern County claim that was accepted and is being paid deserves a second look. Insurance companies generally provide the minimum they are required to provide, so an attorney reading your file can often identify benefits you are owed and are not receiving. Reach out sooner when the claim is denied, when weeks pass with no decision, when treatment is refused, when you are sent to a doctor you did not choose, or when your job changes right after you report. We work in English and Spanish, California workers' compensation covers employees regardless of immigration status, the evaluation is free with nothing up front, and attorney fees must be approved by a workers' compensation judge.