My problem isn't a work injury. Who handles it?

This site focuses on workers' compensation — injuries and illness caused by work. Other workplace problems go to other places, and going to the right one first saves months. Here's the honest map. Most of these agencies help you for free, and it is illegal for your employer to retaliate against you for using them.

Wage theft: unpaid wages, overtime, breaks, tips

The California Labor Commissioner's Office (also called the DLSE) takes wage claims directly from workers, free, no lawyer required, forms in multiple languages. dir.ca.gov/dlse. For larger or ongoing wage cases, an employment lawyer may take it on contingency — see the CELA directory below.

→ Our full wage theft guide — minimum wage (and why your city's rate may be higher), overtime, meal and rest breaks, tips, final paychecks, pay stubs, sick leave, and the "independent contractor" trick.

Discrimination (race, sex, age, disability, pregnancy, etc.)

The California Civil Rights Department (CRD) — formerly the DFEH — investigates discrimination and retaliation complaints. calcivilrights.ca.gov. Deadlines are short — generally you must file with CRD within three years, and sooner is always safer. Private employment attorneys handle these cases too: the California Employment Lawyers Association has a worker-side lawyer directory at cela.org.

→ Our full discrimination guide — who's protected, reasonable accommodation (including after a work injury), and how to file.

Sexual harassment

Same agency — the CRD — but the rules are stronger than most workers know: every employer size is covered, a single serious incident can be enough, and punishing you for reporting is its own violation.

→ Our full sexual harassment guide — what counts, who's responsible, and what to do in practical order.

Fired or punished for doing the right thing

California is an at-will state, but an employer may never punish you for exercising a legal right — claiming your pay, blowing the whistle, reporting a hazard, filing a workers' comp claim. Some retaliation deadlines are as short as one year, so move quickly.

→ Our full retaliation guide — the protected activities, the honest limits of "wrongful termination," and which agency takes which complaint.

One overlap worth knowing: if you were fired or punished for filing a workers' comp claim, that's Labor Code § 132a — a workers' comp issue. That one belongs here.

Unsafe working conditions

Cal/OSHA takes safety complaints and can inspect your workplace; you can ask that your name be kept confidential from your employer. dir.ca.gov/dosh.

→ Our full safety guide — how to file a complaint that gets acted on, the honest limits of refusing dangerous work, and heat and smoke protections.

Unemployment or State Disability Insurance (SDI)

Both are run by the Employment Development Department (EDD): edd.ca.gov. SDI matters to injured workers too — if your workers' comp benefits are delayed or denied, SDI can pay while the comp case is fought (it gets sorted out later between the agencies). Don't sit with zero income waiting for the insurance company.

→ Our full UI / SDI / Paid Family Leave guide — who qualifies for each, how to file, and why appeals are worth it.

Free and low-cost legal help

• Legal Aid at Work — free clinics and helplines on most workplace issues: legalaidatwork.org
• DWC Information & Assistance officers — free state help specifically for workers' comp questions: dir.ca.gov/dwc
• Your county bar association — lawyer referral services for everything else

Injured outside California

Workers' compensation is state law and every state's system is different. This site is California only. Find your state bar's lawyer referral service, or that state's workers' compensation agency.