A diagnosis that appears years after your aerospace career can raise an immediate question. Could your old work at Lockheed Martin still be connected to your illness?
For former Lockheed Martin employees, that question can be harder to answer than it sounds.
Chemical exposure may have occurred gradually over years of working around solvents, plating operations, coatings, degreasers, or other industrial materials. By the time a serious condition is diagnosed, the job may be long behind you and the facility may have changed or closed.
That does not automatically end the possibility of a California workers’ compensation claim. Occupational disease claims involve different rules from injuries tied to one identifiable accident, and the medical evidence connecting your condition to your employment can become a central part of the case.
Larson, Larson & Dauer has represented workers in California workers’ compensation matters involving aerospace employment since the 1990s.
If you developed an illness after working at a Lockheed Martin facility, our firm can review your employment history, medical records, and potential exposure history to determine what options may be available.
Key Takeaways
- Occupational illnesses caused by repeated workplace exposure are treated as cumulative injuries under California workers’ compensation law.
- The date used for a cumulative injury is not necessarily the last day you worked for the employer. California law looks at when you became disabled and knew, or should have known, that the disability was caused by your employment.
- Former Lockheed Martin workers may have questions about exposure to chemicals used in aerospace manufacturing, including hexavalent chromium and industrial solvents.
- Medical evidence can play a major role in establishing whether an illness is work-related.
- Leaving Lockheed Martin or seeing a facility close does not by itself answer whether a former employee can pursue workers’ compensation benefits.
If you are dealing with a serious diagnosis after years of aerospace work, Larson, Larson & Dauer offers a free consultation to review the circumstances.
Why Past Lockheed Martin Work Can Matter Today?
A workplace exposure case does not always look like a traditional workers’ compensation claim.
There may be no single accident to identify. Instead, the relevant history can span years of employment, multiple job assignments, different production areas, and repeated contact with industrial substances. A worker may remember the type of work performed without knowing the chemical names or understanding what those substances could mean for a later diagnosis.
Lockheed Martin’s Burbank and San Fernando Valley operations have a long industrial history. Environmental investigations in the area have involved contaminants including hexavalent chromium and volatile solvents such as trichloroethylene and perchloroethylene.
The federal government designated the area as a Superfund site, and environmental cleanup has continued over the years.
For a former employee, the important question is not whether you can identify every chemical yourself. It is whether your employment history and medical evidence can establish a connection between workplace exposure and the illness you developed.
When an Illness Becomes a California Occupational Disease Claim
California workers’ compensation law recognizes injuries that develop through repeated workplace exposure.
Labor Code Section 3208.1 addresses cumulative injuries, which can include conditions that arise from repeated events or exposures rather than one particular accident.
Occupational illnesses can take many forms. Depending on the medical evidence, a claim may involve conditions such as:
- Respiratory disease or other chronic lung conditions
- Certain cancers associated with chemical exposure
- Skin conditions associated with workplace chemicals
- Kidney damage
- Neurological conditions
- Certain blood disorders
The diagnosis alone does not establish a workers’ compensation claim. The medical evidence must address whether employment contributed to the condition and whether the legal requirements for benefits are satisfied.
Workers’ compensation is also a no-fault system. You do not have to prove that Lockheed Martin intended to expose you to a hazardous substance or acted negligently in order to pursue workers’ compensation benefits. In some cases, a separate personal injury claim against a third party, such as a manufacturer or supplier of a hazardous product, may also be worth evaluating.
A Diagnosis Years After Lockheed Martin May Still Raise a Claim
One of the most important issues in a long-term exposure case is timing.
California Labor Code Section 5412 provides a specific rule for determining the date of injury in a cumulative injury case.
The relevant date involves both the point when the employee suffers disability and when the employee knew, or should have known, that the disability was caused by employment.
That means the date you stopped working at Lockheed Martin is not necessarily the date that controls every limitation issue.
The timing can become more complicated when symptoms developed gradually, a condition was diagnosed years after employment ended, or several doctors treated the condition before anyone considered a workplace connection.
Other filing requirements can also apply, so the date of injury should be evaluated from the actual medical and employment history rather than reduced to a single rule.
If you recently learned that an illness may be work-related, gathering the relevant records promptly can help preserve the information needed to evaluate the claim.
Building the Connection Between Your Job and Your Diagnosis
For an old exposure claim, your work history can be as important as the diagnosis itself.
Useful information may include:
- The Lockheed Martin facility where you worked
- Your job titles and departments
- The years you worked there
- Specific production or maintenance duties
- Chemicals, solvents, coatings, or other substances you remember using
- Safety equipment and workplace conditions
- Coworkers who performed similar work
- Old medical records and diagnostic reports
- Pay records, personnel records, badges, or other evidence of employment
You may not have all of this information. That does not mean the claim cannot be investigated.
A workers’ compensation attorney can help identify what employment records may exist and determine what medical evidence is needed to address causation.
In a disputed case, medical-legal evaluation procedures can become an important part of establishing the nature and cause of the condition.
What Workers’ Compensation Benefits May Include
When an occupational disease is found compensable, California workers’ compensation can provide several types of benefits.
Medical treatment
Workers’ compensation may cover reasonable medical treatment related to an accepted work injury or illness.
Temporary disability benefits
If a work-related condition prevents you from working or limits your ability to work during recovery, you may qualify for temporary disability benefits subject to California’s rules and limitations.
Permanent disability benefits
A lasting impairment may result in permanent disability benefits. The amount depends on factors including the medical findings and the applicable disability rating rules.
Death benefits
When a compensable occupational illness results in death, eligible dependents may have a claim for workers’ compensation death benefits.
The benefits available in a particular case depend on the medical evidence, employment history, disability, wages, and other facts. There is no single recovery amount that applies to every former Lockheed Martin employee.
What If Lockheed Martin Is No Longer Your Employer?
You do not lose the ability to investigate a potential occupational disease claim merely because you stopped working for Lockheed Martin years ago.
The more difficult issue may be establishing the connection between the old employment and the present condition. That can require reconstructing your work history and obtaining medical evidence addressing causation.
Old employment records can therefore be valuable. Pay stubs, personnel documents, union records, employee identification, tax records, old photographs, job descriptions, and other documents may help establish when and where you worked. If you ran into problems getting your own personnel file, or believe you were treated unfairly after reporting symptoms or filing a claim, an employment law attorney may be able to help with those issues separately.
Even incomplete records can provide useful starting points.
What Happens If the Claim Is Denied?
A disputed workers’ compensation claim is not necessarily the end of the process.
If the claims administrator denies liability, the dispute can proceed through the California workers’ compensation system.
Depending on the issue, that may involve obtaining additional medical evidence, addressing the medical-legal evaluation process, and seeking a hearing before a workers’ compensation judge.
The challenge in an older toxic exposure case is often proving the medical connection between a past workplace and a present illness.
A denial may focus on that connection, the timing of the claim, the extent of exposure, or another legal or medical issue.
The response should be based on the reason for the denial and the evidence available to address it.
FAQ’s About Lockheed Martin Workers’ Compensation Claims
Can I file a workers’ compensation claim if I left Lockheed Martin years ago?
Possibly. Leaving the employer does not by itself prevent a former employee from pursuing an occupational disease claim. The timing of the claim and the evidence connecting the illness to employment need to be evaluated under California law.
What if I do not know which chemical caused my illness?
You are not expected to diagnose the cause of your condition yourself. Your employment history, medical records, exposure information, and qualified medical opinions can be used to investigate whether workplace exposure contributed to the illness.
Can workers’ compensation cover cancer diagnosed years after aerospace employment?
It can in appropriate circumstances. California recognizes cumulative injuries and occupational illnesses, and the date-of-injury rules can apply differently from those used for a single workplace accident. The medical and employment history should be reviewed before assuming a claim is too old.
What records should I bring to a consultation?
Bring anything that helps establish your work history or medical condition. Older pay stubs, personnel documents, job descriptions, employee badges, medical records, pathology reports, diagnostic imaging, and information about your former work duties can all be useful.
What if my workers’ compensation claim is denied?
You may have the right to challenge the denial through the California workers’ compensation system. The next step depends on why the claim was denied and what medical or factual evidence is available to address the dispute.
Talk With Larson, Larson & Dauer About Your Claim
You may have left Lockheed Martin years ago, but the questions surrounding your health and your former workplace can still be very current.
If you developed an illness after years of aerospace work, the first step is to establish what happened during your employment and what your medical records show today. That means looking beyond the diagnosis itself and examining the work you performed, the substances you encountered, when your condition became disabling, and what medical professionals have said about its cause.
Larson, Larson & Dauer can review that history with you and explain whether a California workers’ compensation claim may be available. We can also help identify the records and medical evidence needed to evaluate an older occupational disease case.
Contact Larson, Larson & Dauer to schedule a free consultation about your potential claim.
ES