Friday, November 13, 2015

Workers' Compensation Destination

For over 40 years the law firm of Mastagni Holstedt, APC has been the destination to resolve Workers’ Compensation claims in California.


Being one of the largest law firms in California with over 45 attorneys firm wide, including 15 Workers’ Compensation attorneys and over 10 support staff members within the department, Mastagni Holstedt, APC is ready to answer your tough questions and resolve your claim in a timely and professional manner.


With locations throughout California and our central location in the Capital City of Sacramento, Mastagni Holstedt, APC is known for answering legal questions from individuals around the state.

This firm represents the rights of citizens in any profession, such as Police Officers, Firefighters, public employees, and private sector employees. This family owned and run business handles a wide range of different Workers’ Compensation injuries. Dealing with an injury and resolving any claim on your own can be a daunting task, having Mastagni Holstedt, APC on your side can make the process less stressful and you will not feel overwhelmed in the complicated legal system. 

To answer any of your Workers’ Compensation questions, contact Mastagni Holstedt APC throughout the state 27/4 Toll Free Line 800-852-7581 

In Northern California, Monday through Friday 8AM-5PM at 916-446-4692
Fax: 916-447-4614.
1912 I Street, Sacramento, CA 95811.

In Southern California Monday through Friday 8AM-5PM at 909-476-3560.
3400 Inland Empire Blvd, #101
Ontario, CA 91764

Wednesday, November 4, 2015

Supreme Court Rules Regular Sworn Peace Officers Are Not Entitled to Same Disability Benefits as Volunteer Peace Officers

Sworn peace officers who are regular employees of a law enforcement agency are not entitled to the same disability benefits as volunteer peace officers, according to the Supreme Court’s latest decision.

On October 26th, the California Supreme Court decided the case of Larkin v. Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board. The Supreme Court ruled that Labor Code section 4458.2 does not apply to sworn peace officers who are regular, salaried employees of a law enforcement agency.

Under Labor Code section 4458.2 an officer’s temporary disability (or “TD”) benefit is set at the maximum statutory rate instead of being based on what they were actually earning. This means that if an officer was serving as a volunteer or reserve officer when they were injured on duty, they would receive TD benefits as if they were full-time employees of the agency. And the officer would receive TD benefits at the highest possible rate even if they were actually paid less while they were working.

This makes a huge difference in the amount an officer is paid for an on-the-job injury. Normally, an employee’s TD benefit payment is only two-thirds (2/3) of their regular salary. But under Section 4458.2 an officer would receive the maximum statutory rate of TD, as if they were among the highest paid employees.

To put this in real terms, in 2008 Police Officer John Larkin was seriously injured in a vehicle accident while on duty. His average weekly salary at that time was around $1000. The City of Marysville said it would only pay Larkin TD at two-thirds of his salary, meaning around $670 per week. But if Section 4458.2 was applied and Larkin was paid TD at the maximum statutory rate, he would receive over $900 per week in TD benefits. That is a difference of more than $10,000 over a year.

Officer Larkin filed a claim for TD benefits under Section 4458.2. But the Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board ruled for the City of Marysville and denied his claim. The Court of Appeal then ruled against his appeal. With attorneys Brian Dixon and Gregory Gomez from the Law Offices of Mastagni Holstedt, A.P.C. representing him, he took his case all the way to the California Supreme Court.

Unfortunately, the Supreme Court sided with the City of Marysville and ruled that Section 4458.2 did not apply to Officer Larkin. The Court largely deferred to the Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board, although it did offer some of its own reasons for the ruling.

The Supreme Court’s main justification was that Section 4458.2 was originally written to provide disability coverage to volunteer peace officers. Officer Larkin’s attorneys pointed out that the word “volunteer” was removed from the law in 1989 and is not in the other law it references (Labor Code section 3362). But the Court said that when the State Legislature made these amendments it did not mean to broaden the law to apply to all peace officers. To back this up the Court pointed to certain historical legislative documents and ignored others that did not support its ruling.

Another reason the Supreme Court gave was that regular peace officer employees are covered under Labor Code sections 4850 and 4853. These laws allow an injured officer to take up to one year of full-paid leave and then up to one year of TD benefits at the normal two-thirds rate. The Court argued that it was “balancing” the interests of regular and volunteer peace officers by denying regular officers Section 4458.2 benefits.

The Court ignored the reality facing many peace officers in smaller cities and rural counties. Officers like Larkin choose to serve in dangerous positions for less pay than their colleagues in wealthier cities and counties. They should not be punished when they suffer an on-the-job injury. But now, not only will officers like Larkin get less in TD benefits than many regular peace officers. They cannot even get the same TD benefits that volunteer peace officers receive. This ruling affects the rights of more than 73,000 police and sheriff patrol officers across the state. (Employment Development Department, Police and Sheriff Patrol Officers in California.)

On behalf of the thousands of peace officers hurt by this inequity, Mastagni Holstedt, A.P.C. hopes the Legislature immediately fixes the law and overturns the Supreme Court’s ruling.