Arizona Workers’ Compensation Lawyer

You can receive medical treatment for your work injury, wage-replacement checks if you can’t work (temporary total/partial disability), permanent disability benefits if you have lasting impairment, and sometimes vocational rehabilitation. We make sure your treatment, bills, and checks line up with Arizona law so you don’t leave money on the table.

Report the injury to your employer right away, get medical care, and tell the doctor it happened at work. In Arizona, your provider or you can file a claim with the Industrial Commission of Arizona (ICA). Keep copies of every form and notice. If you’re unsure whether the claim was filed correctly, call us–we’ll verify your status and fix filing issues.

You can appeal. Arizona allows you to request a hearing before an ICA Administrative Law Judge, but strict deadlines apply. We gather medical records, obtain supportive doctor opinions, prepare you to testify, and present your case at hearing. Whether it’s a denial, a reduced benefit, or a premature “return-to-work” decision, we fight the decision and protect your rights.

You may be sent to an employer-referred clinic for the initial visit. However, in many cases you can select a treating physician after that initial care. Employers or insurers might also schedule an Independent Medical Examination (IME). We explain your options, prepare you for an IME, and, when necessary, challenge opinions that don’t match the medical facts.

Arizona uses an Average Monthly Wage (AMW) to set your disability payment. If the insurer sets it too low, your checks will be too small. We review your earnings history–including overtime, second jobs, and recent raises–and challenge an inaccurate AMW so your wage-loss benefits reflect what you actually earned.

It is a violation of the law for an employer to fire a worker for filing a claim for worker’s compensation benefits. That’s called “retaliation.” On the other hand, there is no requirement in Arizona’s workers’ compensation system that the employer hold your job or keep the job available for you. If a doctor says that you should not resume the regular physical activities of your job (i.e., “don’t lift more than 20 pounds,” “no bending or twisting at the waist,” “no lifting overhead,” etc.), then the employer may offer you “light duty” in another position that accommodates those physical restrictions—if they have such work available. If they don’t, then they may let an employee go because he or she is not able to attend or perform the regular duties of their assigned job. You will be entitled to worker’s compensation disability benefits. An employer may also terminate an injured worker for reasons unrelated to the work injury.

No. A worker’s compensation claim is not like an automobile accident claim or personal injury claim. Under Arizona’s workers’ compensation system, an injured worker is entitled to necessary medical treatment paid for by the employer/insurance company and compensation for wages missed from work. There is no financial compensation for “pain and suffering.

Maybe. Settlement is always an option but not always a good one. Settlement requires compromise and that means that you will usually be asked to give up something that might be important to you. Settlement also often means a permanent closure of your claim and a forfeiture of all future rights. Expecting the insurance company to give you everything that you want is not settlement—that’s surrender, and the insurance companies are not in the habit of surrendering. While the offer of quick cash now may seem tempting (especially if you haven’t been paid in a while), more often than not you will recover more money over the long run if you keep your benefits and rights and do not settle.