Workers’ Compensation Overview

Workers’ compensation is the oldest social insurance program; it was adopted in most states, including California, during the second decade of the 20th century. It is a no-fault system, meaning that injured employees need not prove the injury was someone else’s fault in order to receive workers’ compensation benefits for an on-the-job injury.

The workers’ compensation system is premised on a trade-off between employees and employers. Employees are supposed receive the prompt delivery of defined statutory workers’ compensation benefits for on-the-job injuries, and in return, the defined workers’ compensation benefits are, for the most part, the exclusive remedy for injured employees against their employer, even when the employer negligently caused the injury.