Nurses and Healthcare Workers’ Comp in California: Know Your Rights

Nursing is one of the most physically demanding — and injury-prone — professions in California. Patient handling injuries, needlestick exposures, slips and falls, and even workplace violence send thousands of California healthcare workers to file workers’ comp claims each year. If you’ve been injured on the job as a nurse, CNA, medical assistant, or other healthcare worker, you have full rights to workers’ compensation benefits.

Most Common Healthcare Worker Injuries

• Back injuries — from lifting, turning, and transferring patients
• Shoulder and knee injuries — from patient handling and long hours on feet
• Needlestick and sharps injuries — risk of HIV, Hepatitis B/C exposure
• Workplace violence — assaults by patients or visitors (especially in ER and psychiatric settings)
• Infectious disease exposure — COVID-19, tuberculosis, MRSA
• Repetitive strain injuries — from charting, lifting, and repetitive tasks
• Slip and fall injuries — wet floors, cluttered hallways

Workers’ Comp Benefits for Healthcare Workers

• Full medical treatment — surgery, therapy, specialist care
• Temporary disability — wage replacement while you heal
• Permanent disability — if you can’t return to bedside nursing
• Prophylactic treatment — for needlestick exposures (antiretrovirals, vaccines)
• Psychiatric injury benefits — for PTSD from workplace violence or traumatic patient events

Can I File Workers’ Comp for Workplace Violence?

Yes. Assaults by patients, visitors, or coworkers are work injuries. California law specifically provides workers’ comp coverage for injuries caused by workplace violence. If your employer failed to implement adequate safety protocols, you may also have grounds for a separate legal claim.

COVID-19 and Healthcare Workers’ Comp

California passed special legislation creating a presumption that COVID-19 contracted by healthcare workers is work-related. This makes it easier to get your claim approved, but insurance companies still fight these claims.

Staffing Agencies and Travel Nurses

If you’re a travel nurse or work through a staffing agency, you’re still entitled to workers’ comp in California. The staffing agency’s workers’ comp insurance should cover you. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

Get Help from a Certified Specialist

Healthcare workers give everything to their patients. When you get hurt on the job, you deserve a workers’ comp lawyer who will fight just as hard for you. Call Yazdchi Law — a Certified Specialist with 20+ years of experience — for a free consultation.