James A. Yoro

Tell us a little bit about your practice and what makes it unique.

• Our law firm, Chain | Cohn | Stiles, has represented clients from all over the San Joaquin Valley and throughout California for more than 80 years. We concentrate our efforts on protecting the rights of individuals who have been seriously injured due to the negligent, reckless or intentional conduct of another, as well as work injury cases. At Chain | Cohn | Stiles, we pride ourselves on having the reputation and resources necessary to overcome the most difficult challenges while achieving the best possible results for our clients.

What common questions are you asked by clients, and what are your answers?

• What are the steps of a workers' compensation case?
  
  To many, a job can mean making sure you and your family live comfortably day to day. So, when a work injury occurs, you want to make sure you and your family will be taken care of if you are not able to work. To assist those who have been injured on the job and are trying to figure out how to maneuver the confusing workers’ compensation legal system, we outline 12-steps in the workers’ compensation process.
  
  1) Worker suffers an illness or injury while on the job.
  2) The employer must be notified of the injury or illness immediately.
  3) The employer will give the employee a Workers’ Compensation Claim Form (DWC-1), which the employee must fill out and bring back to the employer within 30 days.
  4) The employer’s insurance must authorize medical treatment within 1 day and submit a comp claim to your insurer within 5 days.
  5) Within 14 days, the insurer will send your employer a notice notify you whether your workers’ comp claim has been denied, delayed, or accepted.
  6) If denied, all benefits will stop. If delayed, the insurer will have up to 90 days to investigate, and medical treatment will continue. If accepted, you’ll receive workers’ compensation indemnity benefits and medical treatment.
  7) If denied, contact a workers’ compensation attorney.
  8) If accepted or delayed, both parties start medical discovery and take depositions. Contact a workers’ compensation lawyer to guide you through the process.
  9) If denied, the parties must try the issue for the denial before the case can proceed.
  10) Once medical discovery is complete, the parties start settlement negotiations. If settlement negotiations are unsuccessful, the parties will have a Mandatory Settlement Conference.
  11) If the parties cannot settle at the Mandatory Settlement Conference, the case proceeds to trial.
  12) A workers’ compensation case can settle by either a lump sum amount or weekly payments with lifetime medical care.