California workers compensation education · desk no. 03
Injured at work. The clock is already running.
California workers compensation has deadlines measured in days, forms with legal effect, and a rating system that decides permanent disability. This desk explains the claim machinery in plain language — no invented numbers, no advice dressed as information.
Medical emergency? Call 911. This site does not give legal or medical advice.
Read the file in order.
Start with the document or deadline in front of you. Each page names the public source behind its factual claims.
ST-0102Reporting an injury: the notice clock and the claim clockCalifornia law separates notice of injury from the claim form. Both should be treated as dated file events.ST-0203Temporary disability: follow the work-status recordTemporary disability is a wage-replacement track tied to medical restrictions, earnings, and statutory payment rules.ST-0304Permanent disability rating: inspect the inputsA rating is an output of medical findings and schedule inputs, not a stand-alone description of a worker.ST-0405Medical treatment: MPN, utilization review, and IMR are different lanesThe treatment record has clinical documents and procedural notices; the two should be read together.ST-0506QME and AME: two medical-legal pathsQME and AME reports can address disputed medical-legal issues, but the selection path and party posture are different.ST-0607Labor Code §4850: a special salary-continuation ruleSection 4850 applies to defined public-safety classifications and should be read with the employment and injury facts.ST-0708Labor Code §132a: retaliation belongs in its own issue fileA discrimination allegation requires a separate chronology of protected activity and adverse conduct.ST-0809Denied claims and appeals: turn the denial into an issue listA denial letter states a position. The next useful step is to identify the disputed element and official route for challenging it.ST-0910Supplemental job displacement: read the eligibility conditionsThe SJDB voucher is a statutory return-to-work benefit with eligibility rules tied to injury date and suitable work.ST-10Calm language. Dated records.
This is an editorial reference system, not a lead form. Byline: Workers' Comp Claim Desk — Editorial.
Notice
Separate what was reported, when it was reported, and what the DWC-1 says.
Medical
Keep treatment decisions and medical-legal evaluations in their proper lanes.
Review
Use official California sources and read the current statutory text for the cited section.