How San Francisco Workers Get Hurt on the Job
San Francisco's economy runs on tech and software, healthcare, hospitality and tourism, and transportation. Each of these industries has its own injury patterns and its own claims-administrator tactics. We have handled them all.
- Tech and Software: the most common claims we see involve back and shoulder injuries, repetitive stress, slip-and-fall incidents, equipment accidents, and cumulative trauma from years on the job.
- Healthcare: the most common claims we see involve back and shoulder injuries, repetitive stress, slip-and-fall incidents, equipment accidents, and cumulative trauma from years on the job.
- Hospitality and Tourism: the most common claims we see involve back and shoulder injuries, repetitive stress, slip-and-fall incidents, equipment accidents, and cumulative trauma from years on the job.
We have represented workers from SoMa, Mission District, Financial District, Sunset, and Richmond, and every block in between.
The San Francisco WCAB Office Handles San Francisco Claims
San Francisco workers' compensation cases are filed at the San Francisco District Office of the Workers' Compensation Appeals Board, located at 455 Golden Gate Avenue, 2nd Floor, San Francisco, CA 94102. We appear there regularly. We know the judges. We know which arguments work in front of which trier of fact, and we know how to push cases forward when the other side is stalling.
Distance from our office: Five-and-a-half-hour drive, one-hour flight. We handle San Francisco cases remotely.
What California Workers' Comp Actually Pays For
If you were injured on the job in San Francisco, California law entitles you to a defined set of benefits regardless of fault:
- Medical care: 100 percent of related treatment, no copays, no deductibles, for the rest of your life if necessary.
- Temporary disability: roughly two-thirds of your average weekly wage while you cannot work, up to a state cap.
- Permanent disability: a settlement or lifetime award based on your impairment rating, your wages, and your age.
- Supplemental job displacement: a voucher for retraining if you cannot return to your prior job.
- Death benefits: for surviving spouses and dependents when a workplace injury proves fatal.
The insurance company knows the numbers. They count on you not knowing them. Our job is to make sure you do.
Why San Francisco Workers Choose Noble Attorneys
We are a Glendale-based firm with deep roots in California's workers' comp system. Roughly seventy percent of our practice is dedicated to workers' comp and catastrophic injury. We work cases personally, not through a call center. We answer the phone. We return calls the same day. And when a claim is denied, we appeal.
- Direct attorney access. You work with Michael Chakrian and his team, not a paralegal you never meet.
- Three languages. English, Español, Հայերեն. We serve San Francisco in the language you actually speak at home.
- No fees unless we win. Workers' comp attorney fees in California are capped by law and paid only out of your settlement.
- Over $75M recovered. Real cases, real clients, real outcomes.
San Francisco Workers' Compensation FAQs
The questions we hear most from San Francisco workers. Click to expand.
Do I need a San Francisco workers' comp lawyer specifically?
Not technically. California workers' comp is governed by state law, so any California workers' comp lawyer can represent you. But local knowledge of the San Francisco WCAB office, the local judges, and the industries that hire San Francisco workers matters in practice. We have it.
How long do I have to file a workers' comp claim in San Francisco?
You must report the injury to your employer within 30 days and file a DWC-1 claim form. The formal statute of limitations is generally one year from the date of injury. Cumulative trauma cases follow different timing rules.
What if my employer in San Francisco retaliated against me for filing?
It is illegal under California Labor Code section 132a to retaliate against an employee for filing a workers' comp claim. Retaliation may give you a separate claim on top of your workers' comp case.
Will I have to travel to the San Francisco WCAB office?
Possibly. Most San Francisco cases are filed at the San Francisco WCAB office. We attend all hearings for you. You only need to appear when your testimony is required, which is rare in most cases.
What does it cost to hire a San Francisco workers' comp lawyer?
Nothing upfront. California caps workers' comp attorney fees at typically 9 to 15 percent, paid out of the settlement, not out of your pocket. If we do not recover for you, you owe us nothing.