How this injury happens at work.
- Repetitive overhead work — drywall, painting, electrical, HVAC, warehouse stocking
- Lifting and pulling in logistics, nursing, and caregiving
- Falls onto an outstretched arm
- Sudden load — catching a falling object or patient
- Years of vibration and pulling in mechanical trades
The injuries we see.
- Rotator cuff tear (partial and full thickness)
- Labral tear and shoulder dislocation
- Impingement syndrome and bursitis
- Biceps tendon rupture
- Fractured clavicle or humerus from falls
- Cumulative trauma from repetitive overhead work
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.
MRI to confirm the tear, physical therapy and cortisone injections, then arthroscopic repair when conservative care fails. Recovery after rotator cuff surgery commonly runs four to six months of temporary disability, with restrictions on overhead work long after.
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
Falls on a job site controlled by a general contractor or property owner, or injuries from a defective lift or ladder, may support 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 loss of range of motion and strength. Dominant-side injuries and surgical cases rate higher. Permanent restrictions against overhead work often mean the job is gone — which is what the retraining voucher is for.
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.
- Calling a rotator cuff tear “age-related” to deny surgery
- Sending you back to modified duty that isn’t really modified
- Delaying the MRI for months of “conservative care”
- Apportioning the rating to prior shoulder complaints
Questions we hear first.
My shoulder hurt for years. Is it too late to file?
Probably not. For cumulative trauma, the date of injury is when you first had disability and knew or should have known it was work-related — often the date a doctor told you. The one-year statute runs from there.
Will workers’ comp pay for rotator cuff surgery?
Yes, when it is reasonably required to cure or relieve the injury. Utilization review may deny it initially; that denial can be appealed through Independent Medical Review within 30 days.
Can my employer make me do overhead work after surgery?
No. Your employer must honor the treating physician’s restrictions. If they can’t offer work within the restrictions, temporary disability continues and the retraining voucher may apply.
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.