Work Comp and Pre-Existing Conditions

When you suffer an injury on the job in Folsom, or are inflicted with an occupational illness, you are entitled to workers' compensation benefits to cover the cost of your medical treatment and to provide partial wage replacement. But what about pre-existing conditions?



What is a Pre-Existing Condition?
A medical illness or injury that you have before you start a new health care plan may be considered a “pre-existing condition.” Conditions like diabetes, COPD, cancer, and sleep apnea, may be examples of pre-existing health conditions. They tend to be chronic or long-term.

How does Pre-existing Condition Affect Workers' Compensation?
The definition of a pre-existing condition in workers' compensation law is a previous medical condition or an aggravation of a pre-existing condition. ... Workers' compensation will only pay for a new injury sustained on the job, either unrelated to the pre-existing condition or ones that may have been aggravated by it.

If you have been injured at work or in the course of your employment, having a pre-existing illness can complicate your workers' comp claim. A condition that pre-dates your industrial injury may have an impact on the workers' comp benefits you receive. Your benefits will be impacted most significantly if your pre-existing condition is medically related to your workers’ compensation claim. For example, if you have a history of left knee arthritis and you have a left knee injury at work, your benefits will be more impacted than someone who previously had hip surgery and now has a left knee industrial injury.

If you have a significant pre-existing condition when you are injured at work, you should talk to a workers’ compensation attorney immediately. This is not something you will be able to handle yourself, at least without losing some benefits and rights. Many claims involving pre-existing conditions end up in litigation due to the liability exposure involved for your employer. The earlier you hire an attorney, the more benefits you are likely to receive, and you may be able to avoid litigation.

Folsom Prison Correction Officer Job Description

Correctional Officer is an entry-level-class job in California. Candidates who are accepted for the position attend a 16-week training program followed by a two-year apprenticeship at a correctional institution. Candidates must be willing to relocate to work at any of the more than 30 correctional facilities located throughout the state.

Correctional officers in California earn a monthly salary of $3,050 while at the academy and $3,774 and up after the academy with a top pay of $6,144 per month.

Workers Comp Risks to Folsom Prison Correctional Officers
Aside from becoming accustomed to, and even bored by, the routine of the job, officers are exposed to a number of illnesses often carried by inmates and may need a workers comp attorney in Folsom. Inmates have a higher-than-average rate of deadly diseases like Hepatitis C, the HIV virus that causes AIDS, tuberculosis (TB), and MRSA (Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus). Inmates also typically have high rates of STDs (Sexually Transmitted Diseases), in the event that guards are sexually assaulted.

Additionally, corrections officers face all of these challenges while unarmed. Since it would be too dangerous to risk an inmate getting their hands on weapons, officers in direct contact with inmates typically are not allowed to carry firearms.

How to Protect the Corrections Officers in Your Employ With Duress Alarms
Unfortunately, there is also a dark side to working in a detention center. The work is often boring, lulling guards into a false sense of security. That's when it's easiest for inmates to jump them or use a handmade prison weapon on them. Officers need to be able to get help, even when they are unable to summon help for themselves.