How this injury happens at work.
- Falls from ladders, docks, and trucks
- Slips on wet or oily floors in kitchens, plants, and warehouses
- Vehicle and forklift collisions
- Direct blows from equipment and loads
- Years of heavy lifting and climbing aggravating the joint
The injuries we see.
- Hip fracture (femoral neck, intertrochanteric)
- Pelvic fracture
- Labral tear and hip bursitis
- Femur fracture
- Sciatic nerve injury
- Aggravated hip arthritis requiring replacement
Report it, then file it.
California workers’ compensation runs on fixed deadlines, and the carrier will use every one you miss. Report the injury to your employer in writing, ask for the DWC-1 claim form, keep a copy of everything, and get to a doctor the same day if you can. The deadline calculator on our home page shows how long is left on each clock from your date of injury.
Treatment and your right to a doctor.
Surgical fixation or total hip replacement, inpatient rehabilitation, and extended physical therapy. Long temporary disability periods are common, and home health care may be authorized during recovery.
All treatment reasonably required to cure or relieve the injury is covered — no co-pay, no deductible, no lifetime cap. For the first 30 days you generally treat within the employer’s medical provider network unless you pre-designated your own physician; after that you can change treating doctors within the network, and disputes over diagnosis or disability go to a Qualified Medical Evaluator. Utilization-review denials can be appealed through Independent Medical Review within 30 days.
Two claims, not one.
Workers’ compensation
Medical care, temporary disability at two-thirds of your average weekly wage, permanent disability, and retraining. Your employer can’t be sued — that immunity is the bargain.
Whoever else caused it
A fall on premises controlled by someone other than your employer, or a collision caused by another driver, supports a civil claim alongside workers’ comp.
Both cases run at the same time. You do not choose between them, and the two-year civil statute keeps running whether or not the workers’ comp claim is filed.
Permanent disability and what it’s worth.
Rated on range of motion, gait, and the outcome of any replacement. Permanent restrictions on climbing, prolonged standing, and lifting often follow.
Once you reach maximum medical improvement, the treating physician or the medical-legal evaluator writes a report that is converted to a permanent disability rating and a weekly benefit. Cases then resolve by Compromise & Release for a lump sum, by Stipulated award with future medical care left open, or by trial before a workers’ compensation judge. If your employer can’t offer work within your permanent restrictions, you are also entitled to a Supplemental Job Displacement Benefit voucher for retraining and the Return-to-Work Supplement.
What the carrier will try.
- Denying hip replacement as “arthritis, not injury”
- Refusing home health or transportation during non-weight-bearing recovery
- Cutting temporary disability at an arbitrary date
- Ignoring mileage reimbursement
Questions we hear first.
Does workers’ comp cover hip replacement?
Yes, when the injury or a work-aggravated condition makes it reasonably required. Carriers often argue arthritis is non-industrial; work that aggravates arthritis is compensable.
Can I get help at home after hip surgery?
Home health care can be authorized as medical treatment when prescribed by the treating physician, subject to utilization review.
What if I can’t go back to a physical job?
If your employer can’t offer work within permanent restrictions, you are entitled to a Supplemental Job Displacement Benefit voucher for retraining, plus the Return-to-Work Supplement.
General information about California law, not legal advice about your case. Statutes cited: Labor Code §§ 4600, 4650, 4658.7, 4906, 5400, 5401, 5402, 5405; Code of Civil Procedure § 335.1. Every case turns on its own facts — call for a free consultation.