Van Nuys Legal Blog

California is home to many immigrants who arrived here from various countries of origin. Your circumstances may not be exactly like your neighbor's, although you may find you have some experiences or challenges in common. One type of situation that can be extremely stressful is an immigration interview. If you recently received an order to appear at such a meeting, you'll want to learn as much as you can about the process ahead of time so you know what to expect.  

There are definitely certain things you want to avoid doing, as well as other things that may be beneficial toward helping you achieve your immigration interview goals. U.S. immigration law is highly complex and often changes. If you try to stay updated and fully aware of your rights, you may be able to overcome legal obstacles that arise.  

Not all jobs are easy. Even if you enjoy your job, some aspects of work can make it challenging and at times unpleasant. For you and other Californians, your workplace can qualify as hostile. It is important to understand the factors of a hostile work environment, because the constant stress it places on you might cause health issues that you should not ignore.

Toxic workplaces often cause emotional injuries, which may be difficult to diagnose and to get approved for workers’ compensation. However, as you should understand, work-related mental and emotional illnesses can qualify for workers’ comp benefits. Your workplace might be hostile if any of the following situations apply:

• Your employer, co-workers or clients engage in unlawful harassment and discrimination practices that you find offensive, uncomfortable or threatening.
• When angry or frustrated, your superiors yell, belittle or threaten to demote or fire employees, rather than use positive management strategies.
• A co-worker harasses or stalks you off the clock and away from work premises, but management has ignored your complaints.
• Your co-workers engage in gossiping, backbiting or ostracizing you or others you work with.

As much as most California employees would like to think they have prepared for the worst, accidents tend to happen when one least expects them. Safety risks could become all the more prevalent in the working environment, where workers often have higher stress levels. Whether it was from attempting to multitask or a mere slip and fall, an accident on the job is a serious matter that may require workers compensation procedures.

California's Department of Industrial Relations provides an expansive booklet on state laws regarding workers compensation. With the many helpful sections available, the learning process itself can become overwhelming. Many workers may wonder which steps to take first after an accident has occurred. The DIR shares that after a worker has reported the incident to his or her employer, they must fill out a workers compensation claim. Employers must send these claims within one working day after the employee has reported the accident. Of course, the top priority involves medical care appropriate to the injury; the Department stresses that the physician can help determine when a patient can return to work, refer patients to specialists and assist with other steps of the process.

When you first hear about occupational diseases, you may wonder what exactly this term means. An occupational disease is a condition you incur while performing your job in California. If you have one of these illnesses, it is usually covered by worker's compensation.

An occupational disease can be one of several different illnesses. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, this category includes respiratory conditions, such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and chronic obstructive bronchitis. These conditions are considered occupational diseases because you might incur one of them after inhaling fumes, dust or chemicals at your work place. Although it may not initially seem very serious, hearing loss is also a kind of occupational illness. This is because your hearing can be damaged if you regularly work around loud machinery. Sometimes a skin disease also qualifies as an occupational disease. This can include conditions such as eczema, chrome ulcers and rashes. You may develop one of these conditions if your skin is exposed to certain plants or chemicals.