Notice to employer
Date, recipient, and what was said.
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.
01
Hand & wrist — repetitive record
02Lumbar spine — lifting event
03Shoulder — overhead work
The short version
Four facts that cover most of it.
Each carries its source. Every topic file expands on these.
- 01 / Report
Thirty days is the danger zone.
DWC warns that if the employer does not learn of the injury within 30 days and that prevents a full investigation, the worker could lose the right to receive workers' compensation benefits.
- 02 / The DWC-1
One working day.
The employer must give or mail the claim form within one working day after learning of the injury or illness (Labor Code §5401). Complete it, return it, keep a copy.
- 03 / Tracks
Medical care and payments are separate tracks.
A treatment decision does not automatically decide disability. A work-status report does not by itself calculate a payment. Keep each track complete.
- 04 / Denial
A denial is a position, not the end.
DWC states that a worker has the right to challenge a denial. The next step is extracting the stated reason and matching it to the correct procedure.
Index
Topics, in reading order
01How a claim worksThe DWC-1 is the first durable record: report, form, receipt, response.Read file →02Reporting deadlinesThe notice clock and the claim clock are two different deadlines.Read file →03Temporary disabilityWage replacement tied to the work-status record and statutory limits.Read file →04Permanent disability ratingA percentage is an output: inspect the medical inputs behind it.Read file →05Medical treatment rulesMPN, utilization review, and IMR are three lanes with three jobs.Read file →06QME and AMETwo medical-legal paths: the panel and the agreement.Read file →07Labor Code §4850A special salary-continuation rule for defined public-safety classes.Read file →08Labor Code §132aRetaliation belongs in its own issue file, separate from the claim.Read file →09Denied claims and appealsTurn the denial letter into an issue list and the right route.Read file →10Supplemental job displacementThe voucher has conditions: injury date, suitable work, statutory rules.Read file →11Frequently asked questionsThe questions this desk is asked most, answered from the same sources.Read file →12GlossaryEvery term this desk uses, defined once, plainly.Read file →
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Your employer must give or mail you a claim form within one working day after learning about your injury or illness.DWC — How to file a claim (dir.ca.gov)
Why documentation matters
The file is the claim's second life.
A workers' compensation claim moves on dated records: the report, the DWC-1, work-status reports, benefit notices, and payment explanations. The gap between records is where valid claims get lost.
Start the claim file →Claim chronology
One injury. Five records.
DWC-1 returned
Form completed, copy kept, receipt preserved.
Medical record
Work status, restrictions, treatment plan.
Benefit notices
TD payments, explanations, changes in writing.
Rating or dispute
Return to work, PD rating, or the correct procedure.
California time limits
“Thirty days” is not a safe calendar reminder.
DWC warns that notice problems after 30 days can cost the claim; the DWC-1 duty runs in one working day (Labor Code §5401); and temporary disability commonly carries a 104-week limit within five years of the injury date. Get fact-specific advice early.
Read the deadline file →Authority is traceableRead the source.
Read the source.
See the boundary.
Every file distinguishes medical information from California legal and procedural guidance. The desk grounds itself in the Labor Code (leginfo), DWC fact sheets and injured-worker guides, the DWC Medical Unit, and WCAB materials — so readers can move from a plain-language explanation to the underlying authority.