Lab. Code, § 4903 · Chapter 1. Payment and Assignment
Lab. Code, § 4903
Text — As published in the Legislative Counsel's database, tables dated October 18, 2026 (pubinfo_2025.zip)
The appeals board may determine, and allow as liens against any sum to be paid as compensation, any amount determined as hereinafter set forth in subdivisions (a) through (i). If more than one lien is allowed, the appeals board may determine the priorities, if any, between the liens allowed. The liens that may be allowed hereunder are as follows:
(a) A reasonable attorney’s fee for legal services pertaining to any claim for compensation either before the appeals board or before any of the appellate courts, and the reasonable disbursements in connection therewith. No fee for legal services shall be awarded to any representative who is not an attorney, except with respect to those claims for compensation for which an application, pursuant to Section 5501, has been filed with the appeals board on or before December 31, 1991, or for which a disclosure form, pursuant to Section 4906, has been sent to the employer, or insurer or third-party administrator, if either is known, on or before December 31, 1991.
(b) The reasonable expense incurred by or on behalf of the injured employee, as provided by Article 2 (commencing with Section 4600), and to the extent the employee is entitled to reimbursement under Section 4621, medical-legal expenses as provided by Article 2.5 (commencing with Section 4620) of Chapter 2 of Part 2, except those disputes subject to independent medical review or independent bill review.
(c) The reasonable value of the living expenses of an injured employee or of his or her dependents, subsequent to the injury.
(d) The reasonable burial expenses of the deceased employee, not to exceed the amount provided for by Section 4701.
(e) The reasonable living expenses of the spouse or minor children of the injured employee, or both, subsequent to the date of the injury, where the employee has deserted or is neglecting his or her family. These expenses shall be allowed in the proportion that the appeals board deems proper, under application of the spouse, guardian of the minor children, or the assignee, pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 11477 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, of the spouse, a former spouse, or minor children. A collection received as a result of a lien against a workers’ compensation award imposed pursuant to this subdivision for payment of child support ordered by a court shall be credited as provided in Section 695.221 of the Code of Civil Procedure.
(f) The amount of unemployment compensation disability benefits that have been paid under or pursuant to the Unemployment Insurance Code in those cases where, pending a determination under this division there was uncertainty whether the benefits were payable under the Unemployment Insurance Code or payable hereunder; provided, however, that any lien under this subdivision shall be allowed and paid as provided in Section 4904.
(g) The amount of unemployment compensation benefits and extended duration benefits paid to the injured employee for the same day or days for which he or she receives, or is entitled to receive, temporary total disability indemnity payments under this division; provided, however, that any lien under this subdivision shall be allowed and paid as provided in Section 4904.
(h) The amount of family temporary disability insurance benefits that have been paid to the injured employee pursuant to the Unemployment Insurance Code for the same day or days for which that employee receives, or is entitled to receive, temporary total disability indemnity payments under this division, provided, however, that any lien under this subdivision shall be allowed and paid as provided in Section 4904.
(i) The amount of indemnification granted by the California Victims of Crime Program pursuant to Article 1 (commencing with Section 13959) of Chapter 5 of Part 4 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code.
Notes and commentary — not statutory text
History
Amended by Stats. 2014, Ch. 217, Sec. 3. (AB 2732) Effective January 1, 2015.
Source of truth
- Edition
- As published in the Legislative Counsel's database, tables dated October 18, 2026 (pubinfo_2025.zip)
- Official file
- https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=LAB§ionNum=4903.
- Text hash
- sha256 45167c9cad46faf482a288ce336cd889ca3ab2e1ad422dd89bcc2d6cc5f8a9d3
- Composed by
- compose_ca.py 2026-10-22: the Legislative Counsel's CAML content files read by a tokenizer (caml_readers.reader_a); an independent xml.etree reading (caml_readers.reader_b) agrees on every section
This section cites
Provisions in this library that the text above cites, as it prints each citation. A range cited as “ss. 61.13-61.16” links its first and last provisions.
Code of Civil Procedure
Labor Code
- Lab. Code, div. 4, pt. 2, ch. 2, art. 2Medical and Hospital TreatmentPrinted as Article 2 (commencing with Section 4600)
- Lab. Code, div. 4, pt. 2, ch. 2, art. 2.5Medical-Legal ExpensesPrinted as Article 2.5 (commencing with Section 4620) of Chapter 2 of Part 2
- Lab. Code, § 4621Printed as Section 4621
- Lab. Code, § 4701Printed as Section 4701
- Lab. Code, § 4904Printed as Section 4904
- Lab. Code, § 4906Printed as Section 4906
- Lab. Code, § 5501Printed as Section 5501
Welfare and Institutions Code
Cited by 17 provisions
Provisions in this library whose text cites Lab. Code, § 4903. Each shows the citation as that text prints it.
Labor Code
- Lab. Code, § 4555Printed as Section 4903
- Lab. Code, § 4903.05Printed as Section 4903
- Lab. Code, § 4903.06Printed as Section 4903
- Lab. Code, § 4903.1Printed as Section 4903
- Lab. Code, § 4903.2Printed as Section 4903
- Lab. Code, § 4903.5Printed as Section 4903
- Lab. Code, § 4903.6Printed as Section 4903
- Lab. Code, § 4903.8Printed as Section 4903
- Lab. Code, § 4904Printed as Section 4903
- Lab. Code, § 4905Printed as Section 4903
- Lab. Code, § 4906Printed as Section 4903
- Lab. Code, § 5003Printed as Section 4903
Procedural information only. Not legal advice and not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. Confirm the current text with the official publisher before relying on it.