Links to other agencies
Workers' compensation-related units within DIR:
- Workers' Compensation Appeals Board (WCAB) - A seven-member, judicial body appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Senate that reviews petitions for reconsideration of decisions by DWC administrative law judges and regulates the adjudication process by adopting rules of practice and procedure.
- Commission on Health and Safety and Workers' Compensation (CHSWC) - A joint labor-management body created by the workers' compensation reform legislation of 1993 and charged with overseeing the health and safety and workers' compensation systems in California and recommending administrative or legislative modifications to improve their operation.
- Anti-Fraud Unit The Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) takes fraud seriously. DIR works to identify, combat and prevent fraud that affects California’s 18 million workers. Fraud costs taxpayers billions and hurts law-abiding employers as well. When employers misclassify or understate workers, report inaccurate payroll, do not report work injuries or encourage workers to submit fraudulent workers compensation claims—this is fraud. Fraud also occurs when unscrupulous medical providers abuse injured workers in the workers compensation system. Help protect the integrity of our programs and report fraud when you see it.
Other DIR units:
- Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (DLSE) - Enforces requirement that all California employers have workers' compensation insurance, adjudicates wage claims, investigates discrimination and public work complaints and enforces Labor Code statutes and Industrial Welfare Commission orders.
- Cal/OSHA - Conducts inspections of California workplaces in response to industrial accidents, complaints about occupational safety and health hazards, or as part of an inspection program targeting industries with a high rate of occupational hazards, fatalities, injuries or illnesses.
- Cal/OSHA Consultation Service - Assists both public and private sector employers in finding cost-effective solutions to their occupational safety and health problems.
- Office of the Director, Public Information Office - Provides postings required in the workplace free of charge. Postings can be ordered or downloaded from the workplace postings Web page or by calling (415) 703-5070.
Other agencies:
- Department of Insurance - Licenses and regulates workers' compensation insurance carriers, investigates allegations of workers' compensation insurance fraud.
- Employment Development Department - Administers state unemployment and non-industrial disability insurance programs, among myriad other employment-related programs.
- Hazard Evaluation System and Information Service (HESIS) - A joint program of the California Department of Health Services and DIR, reviews and evaluates scientific literature and provides up-to-date, practical answers to workplace health questions. A multidisciplinary team of toxicologists, physicians, librarians, industrial hygienists and other occupational health professionals provides a wide range of expertise.
- International Association of Industrial Accident Boards and Commissions (IAIABC) - A not-for-profit trade association representing government agencies charged with the administration of workers' compensation systems throughout most of the United States and Canada, and other nations and territories.
- Occupational Health Branch in the Department of Health Services - In the California Department of Health Services, Division of Environmental and Occupational Disease Control, the Occupational Health Branch is the focal point for surveillance, evaluation and public education about occupational disease and injury among California workers.
- State Compensation Insurance Fund (SCIF) - A non-profit, public enterprise fund that operates like a mutual insurance carrier providing California employers with workers' compensation insurance protection at cost, with no financial obligation to the public (a list of locations can be found here).
- U.S.Department. of Labor, Office of Workers' Compensation Programs - Administers federal workers' compensation laws.
- Workers' Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California, Inc. (WCIRB) - An agent of the state Department of Insurance and funded by the insurance industry, this private entity provides statistical and rating information for workers' compensation insurance and employer's liability insurance, and collects and tabulates information to develop pure premium rates. Their principal office is in San Francisco, (415) 777-0777.
August 2022