If you were hurt on the job in California, you are entitled to more than a doctor's appointment. California's workers' compensation system — administered by the DWC (Division of Workers' Compensation) and enforced by the WCAB (Workers' Compensation Appeals Board) — stacks multiple distinct benefits on top of each other. Most injured workers only know about one or two. Insurance adjusters are not in the business of explaining the rest.
We've recovered over $150,000,000 for injured workers across Southern California since 2014. In our experience, the single most common reason workers leave money on the table is not knowing what they were owed in the first place.
Here are all 10 benefits California law entitles you to — with the statute, the real numbers, and what to do if you're not getting them.
Quick summary — the 10 benefits at a glance:
- Temporary Total Disability (TTD): Two-thirds of your wages, up to $1,764.11/week, while you cannot work.
- Temporary Partial Disability (TPD): Two-thirds of lost wages when you return to lighter-duty work.
- Permanent Disability (PD): Weekly payments based on your disability rating if harm is lasting.
- Future Medical Care: All reasonably necessary treatment, covered for life.
- Supplemental Job Displacement Benefit: Up to $6,000 retraining voucher if you can't return to your job.
- Return-to-Work Supplement: $5,000 one-time state payment for eligible displaced workers.
- Death Benefits: Weekly support and burial expenses for dependents after a fatal injury.
- Mileage Reimbursement: 72.5 cents per mile for every medical appointment trip in 2026.
- Medical-Legal Evaluations: Independent QME/AME exam at the insurer's cost when your condition is disputed.
- Penalties for Delay: Up to 25% extra on any benefit the insurer unreasonably withholds.
1. Temporary Total Disability (TTD) — Wage Replacement While You Heal
California workers' comp pays two-thirds of your pre-injury gross wages as temporary total disability — up to $1,764.11 per week in 2026 — while you cannot work at all.
Cal. Lab. Code §4653 is the foundation of every workers' comp case. TTD kicks in on the fourth day you miss work because of your injury (the first three days are unpaid unless you're hospitalized or disabled more than 14 days). Payments equal exactly two-thirds of your average weekly earnings at the time of injury, capped at the state maximum.
2026 TTD rates (DWC):
- Maximum: $1,764.11 per week
- Minimum: $264.61 per week
These payments are tax-free under federal and California law, which is meaningful: a worker earning $1,200 per week before taxes receives roughly the same take-home pay on TTD as they did while working.
TTD continues until one of three things happens: your treating physician clears you to return to full duty, you reach maximum medical improvement (MMI) — the point where your condition has stabilized — or you hit the 104-week cap that applies in most cases under Cal. Lab. Code §4656. Certain severe injuries — 100% loss of a limb, severe burns, high-level spinal cord injuries — are exempt from the cap.
Practical takeaway: The insurer must begin TTD payments within 14 days of learning you are disabled. If checks are late, see Benefit #10.
2. Temporary Partial Disability (TPD) — Partial Pay on Light Duty
Temporary partial disability pays two-thirds of the difference between your pre-injury wages and what you actually earn on light-duty work, bridging your income gap during restricted recovery.
Cal. Lab. Code §4654 governs TPD. It applies when your doctor has cleared you to return to work in a limited capacity — say, no lifting over 10 pounds — but your employer places you in a lower-paying modified role, or you can only work reduced hours.
Example: You earned $1,200 per week before the injury. On light duty you now earn $800 per week. TPD pays two-thirds of the $400 difference — an additional $266.67 per week on top of your light-duty paycheck.
TPD is one of the most commonly missed benefits. Employers sometimes pressure injured workers to return to modified duty without mentioning that partial wage-loss payments are still owed during that period.
Practical takeaway: Keep every light-duty pay stub. You need documentation of your reduced earnings to claim TPD accurately.
3. Permanent Disability (PD) — Weekly Pay for Lasting Harm
If your work injury causes lasting impairment, a permanent disability rating determines how many weeks of weekly payments you receive under California Labor Code Section 4658.
Once your condition reaches MMI, a physician assigns you a whole-person impairment rating. That rating is then run through California's PD rating schedule to produce a percentage — 0% through 100%. Cal. Lab. Code §4658 converts that percentage into a specific number of weeks of weekly payments, with higher percentages yielding more weeks at higher weekly rates.
At 100%, the worker is considered permanently totally disabled and receives PD payments for life.
Several factors adjust your raw percentage up or down before final calculation:
- Age at the date of injury
- Occupation (certain jobs amplify or reduce impairment for rating purposes)
- Apportionment (if a pre-existing condition contributed to your disability, the insurer can reduce the PD owed — this is one of the most aggressively litigated adjustments in workers' comp)
Practical takeaway: The physician's impairment rating is not the final word. An experienced workers' comp attorney can challenge a rating through a QME or AME — see Benefit #9. A small change in the rating percentage can mean tens of thousands of dollars in additional PD payments. You can estimate your potential PD value using our settlement calculator.
4. Future Medical Care — Treatment Covered for Life
Under California Labor Code Section 4600, your employer's insurer must pay for all reasonably necessary medical treatment related to your work injury for as long as you need it.
This is arguably the most valuable benefit in California workers' comp, yet it is also the most frequently disputed and the most commonly signed away in uninformed settlements.
Cal. Lab. Code §4600 requires the employer (or its insurer) to provide medical treatment that is reasonably required to cure or relieve the effects of the work injury. "Reasonably required" is defined by California's evidence-based medical treatment guidelines — the MTUS (Medical Treatment Utilization Schedule).
What this covers:
- Surgeries and hospitalizations
- Prescription medications
- Physical therapy and chiropractic care
- Specialist consultations (orthopedic, neurological, pain management)
- Durable medical equipment (braces, wheelchairs)
- Home health care in severe cases
The key word is "future." Even after your case is fully settled, an open award for future medical care means the insurer must keep paying for treatment related to your injury years — even decades — later. When you settle by Compromise & Release (a lump-sum settlement), you typically give up this right. When you settle by Stipulation with Request for Award, you keep it. This distinction is worth understanding before you sign anything.
Practical takeaway: Never sign a settlement without understanding whether you are keeping or waiving your right to future medical care. Call (818) 794-9947 before you sign.
5. Supplemental Job Displacement Benefit — $6,000 Retraining Voucher
The Supplemental Job Displacement Benefit gives injured workers up to $6,000 to pay for retraining or education when they cannot return to their pre-injury job.
If your injury leaves you permanently partially disabled and your employer does not offer you regular, modified, or alternative work within 60 days of your PD becoming permanent and stationary, you are entitled to a Supplemental Job Displacement Benefit (SJDB) voucher under Cal. Lab. Code §4658.7.
The voucher is worth up to $6,000 and can be used for:
- Tuition and fees at a California public school or DWC-approved training provider
- Licensing or certification exam fees
- Books and equipment required by the program
- Computer purchase (up to $1,000)
- Professional resume services (up to $500)
The SJDB is non-negotiable — your employer cannot simply pay you $6,000 in cash as a substitute. It must be issued as a voucher redeemable through approved providers.
Many injured workers are never told about this benefit. Employers and insurers have no obligation to proactively remind you it exists.
Practical takeaway: If your employer cannot accommodate your work restrictions, request the SJDB voucher in writing within 30 days of your employer's failure to offer modified work.
6. Return-to-Work Supplement — $5,000 State Fund Payment
The Return-to-Work Supplement (RTWS) is a one-time $5,000 payment from the DIR (Department of Industrial Relations) Return-to-Work Fund, separate from your employer's insurer.
You qualify for the RTWS if:
- You received an SJDB voucher (Benefit #5 above), AND
- Your permanent disability award is disproportionately low relative to your actual earnings loss
The disproportion is determined by comparing your PD rating-based award to your documented wage loss. Workers with lower PD percentages who suffered significant real-world wage loss are the primary beneficiaries.
You must apply for the RTWS directly through the DWC — it is not automatic. The application window opens after you receive your SJDB voucher, and there is a strict filing deadline. Missing it means forfeiting the $5,000.
Practical takeaway: As soon as your SJDB voucher is issued, ask your attorney about the RTWS application. The deadline is easy to miss and the money does not come back if you do.
7. Death Benefits — Support for Dependents After a Fatal Injury
When a work injury is fatal, the worker's dependents receive death benefits under California Labor Code Section 4702, including burial expenses up to $10,000 and ongoing weekly support payments.
Cal. Lab. Code §4702 provides:
Burial expenses: Up to $10,000 paid directly to the burial provider or reimbursed to the family.
Total death benefit payments depend on the number and classification of dependents:
- One total dependent: $250,000
- Two total dependents: $290,000
- Three or more total dependents: $320,000
- Minor children continue to receive weekly payments until they turn 18 (or 25 if enrolled in school full-time), regardless of the lump-sum cap
"Total dependent" generally means a spouse, registered domestic partner, or minor child who relied entirely on the deceased worker's income. "Partial dependents" — such as parents who received some financial support — receive a proportional share.
Death benefits apply whether the fatality was immediate or resulted from a work-related illness or injury that developed over time, such as mesothelioma from asbestos exposure.
Practical takeaway: Families often do not know that a loved one's work-related illness — even one diagnosed years after leaving the job — can still trigger death benefits. Call (818) 794-9947 for a free review if you have lost a family member to a work-related condition.
8. Mileage Reimbursement — Travel to Medical Appointments
California's workers' comp medical mileage reimbursement rate matches the IRS standard business mileage rate — 72.5 cents per mile in 2026.
Every trip to an authorized medical appointment — treating physician, QME, physical therapy, pharmacy — is reimbursable. The DWC sets the medical mileage rate equal to the IRS standard business mileage rate. For 2026, that rate is 72.5 cents per mile.
Reimbursable transportation costs also include:
- Reasonable parking fees (keep receipts)
- Public transit fares (keep receipts or Clipper card records)
- Bridge tolls
What you need to get reimbursed:
- A completed DWC Form PR-2 or a mileage log showing date, destination, and round-trip distance
- Receipts for parking, tolls, and transit fares
- Submission to the claims adjuster within a reasonable time
Over the course of a workers' comp case — which can involve dozens or hundreds of medical appointments — unreimbursed mileage adds up fast. A worker making 50 round trips of 20 miles each is owed $725 in mileage reimbursement alone.
Practical takeaway: Start a mileage log on Day 1. Document every appointment. The insurer will not track this for you.
9. Medical-Legal Evaluations at the Insurer's Cost
When your medical condition or the connection between your condition and your job is disputed, California law gives you the right to an independent evaluation — at the insurer's expense — before any disputed benefit can be denied.
Cal. Lab. Code §4060 governs the process for represented workers:
- QME (qualified medical evaluator): A physician certified by the DWC's Medical Unit who conducts independent evaluations. Represented workers select from a panel of three QMEs in the appropriate specialty; they then pick one from that panel.
- AME (agreed medical evaluator): When both sides agree on a specific physician, that doctor serves as the AME. AME opinions carry significant weight because both parties chose them.
The QME or AME's report is then used to resolve disputes over:
- Whether your injury is work-related
- The nature and extent of permanent disability
- The need for specific medical treatment
- Apportionment between work and non-work causes
The insurer pays all costs for the evaluation itself. You pay nothing out of pocket. If the insurer disagrees with the QME's or AME's findings, they must present their own evidence before the WCAB — they cannot simply override the report.
Practical takeaway: Never agree to see only the insurer's chosen physician without understanding your right to an independent QME. An insurer's designated doctor (an "IME" in some other states) is NOT the same as a California QME, and their opinion is not controlling. For a full walkthrough of your case, visit our free consultation page.
10. Penalties for Unreasonable Delay — Extra Payment When the Insurer Stalls
Insurance carriers sometimes delay benefit payments hoping injured workers will give up, go back to work on their own, or settle cheaply. California law responds with a financial penalty that makes delay expensive.
Cal. Lab. Code §5814 provides that if payment of any workers' comp benefit is unreasonably delayed or refused, the WCAB can award a penalty of up to 25 percent of the delayed amount, plus reasonable attorney's fees incurred in recovering it.
"Unreasonably" means without a legitimate dispute as the basis. An insurer that simply sits on a TTD check has no excuse. An insurer that delays pending a legitimate QME dispute may have one. The line is drawn at the WCAB, and it is a factual question each time.
Common triggers for §5814 penalties:
- TTD checks arriving late or stopping without a valid notice
- Authorized treatment being denied without a timely utilization review decision
- PD payments starting late after MMI is established
- Mileage reimbursement requests ignored for months
A §5814 claim is separate from your underlying workers' comp benefits — meaning you can recover the delayed benefit AND the penalty on top of it.
Practical takeaway: Document every late payment with the date it was due and the date it arrived (or didn't). A pattern of delay supports a §5814 petition and gives your attorney real leverage. See our practice area overview for how we approach these cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
What benefits does workers' comp pay in California?
California workers' comp pays up to 10 distinct benefits: temporary total disability (TTD) wage replacement, temporary partial disability (TPD) for light-duty wage gaps, permanent disability (PD) weekly payments, lifetime future medical care, a $6,000 retraining voucher (SJDB), a $5,000 Return-to-Work Supplement, death benefits for dependents, mileage reimbursement for medical travel, independent medical-legal evaluations at the insurer's cost, and penalties for unreasonable benefit delays. Not every case qualifies for every benefit — your specific injuries and circumstances determine the full picture.
How long do workers' comp benefits last in California?
It depends on the benefit. TTD payments continue until you return to full duty, reach maximum medical improvement, or hit the 104-week statutory cap under Cal. Lab. Code §4656 — whichever comes first. PD payments last for a defined number of weeks set by your disability rating percentage. Future medical care can last for life if you settle by Stipulation rather than Compromise & Release. The SJDB voucher must be used within two years of issue.
Can I get retraining through workers' comp in California?
Yes. If your employer cannot accommodate your work restrictions and your injury causes permanent partial disability, you are entitled to a Supplemental Job Displacement Benefit voucher worth up to $6,000 under Cal. Lab. Code §4658.7. The voucher covers tuition, licensing fees, books, and related expenses at approved California schools and training programs. You may also qualify for the separate $5,000 Return-to-Work Supplement from the state fund.
What is the TTD rate for 2026 in California?
For injuries occurring in 2026, the maximum TTD rate is $1,764.11 per week and the minimum is $264.61 per week, as set by the DWC. Your individual rate equals two-thirds of your average pre-injury weekly earnings, capped at the maximum and floored at the minimum. TTD payments are not subject to federal or California income tax.
What happens if the insurance company denies my workers' comp benefits?
A denial is not the end of your claim. You have the right to request a QME (qualified medical evaluator) panel under Cal. Lab. Code §4060 to dispute the medical basis for the denial. You can also file a Declaration of Readiness to Proceed with the WCAB to schedule a hearing. If the insurer's denial is found to be unreasonable, Cal. Lab. Code §5814 allows the WCAB to add a penalty of up to 25 percent of the withheld amount. An experienced workers' comp attorney can help you navigate both paths without any upfront cost.
Do workers' comp benefits cover all my medical bills?
Yes — for treatment that is "reasonably required to cure or relieve" your work injury, under Cal. Lab. Code §4600. The insurer cannot require you to pay copays, deductibles, or balance bills for authorized treatment. If treatment is denied through utilization review, you have the right to an independent medical review (IMR) to challenge that denial. The one caveat: treatment must be provided through your employer's Medical Provider Network (MPN) unless you predesignated a personal physician or the injury is disputed.
How do death benefits work in California workers' comp?
Under Cal. Lab. Code §4702, dependents of a worker who dies from a work-related injury or illness are entitled to burial expenses up to $10,000 and total benefit payments ranging from $250,000 (one total dependent) to $320,000 (three or more total dependents). Minor children receive ongoing weekly payments until age 18, or 25 if enrolled in school. Partial dependents receive a proportional share. The fatal injury does not need to be sudden — a work-related illness that develops over years qualifies.
Is mileage to workers' comp doctor appointments reimbursable?
Yes. Every trip to an authorized medical appointment is reimbursable at the DWC medical mileage rate, which equals the IRS standard business mileage rate — 72.5 cents per mile for 2026. Parking, tolls, and public transit costs are also reimbursable with receipts. Submit a mileage log to your claims adjuster; the insurer will not track your travel independently.
The Bottom Line
Ten benefits. Most injured workers know about two. The gap between knowing your rights and collecting every dollar you're owed is exactly where insurance carriers make their money.
If you've been injured at work in California, every benefit listed here is backed by a statute with your name on it. The question is whether someone is fighting to enforce it.
We've recovered over $150,000,000 for injured workers across Southern California — $0 upfront, no fee unless we win. Call (818) 794-9947 for a free case review with a workers' comp attorney. We're available in English and Spanish.
Reviewed by Minas Nordanyan, CA Bar #296806 — Nordanyan Law, Van Nuys, California. Last reviewed June 2026. This article is general legal information, not legal advice. Workers' compensation laws and benefit rates change; confirm current figures with a licensed California workers' comp attorney before acting.