Sustaining an injury, illness, or chronic condition due to hazardous working conditions could wreak havoc on your career and life. Fortunately, the majority of employees in Georgia should have access to workers’ compensation benefits through their employer’s insurance in this kind of situation.
The process of applying for workers’ comp can be confusing and complicated, but you could significantly simplify the process by working with an experienced attorney at Smith Hulsey. Guidance from a Braselton workers’ compensation lawyer could make the difference between a fair result to your claim and a denial of the benefits you need and deserve.
Under state law, every business that employs three or more people in a part-time or full-time capacity is required to maintain workers’ compensation insurance. Individuals who work for companies with such insurance are covered from their first day of employment, meaning that there is no “grace period” after a worker’s initial hire date before they receive access to this essential benefit.
To take advantage of workers’ comp coverage after a workplace accident, an injured employee must notify their employer in writing no later than 30 days after the incident, ideally as soon as possible. Then, they must:
A local workers’ compensation attorney could provide assistance throughout the application process and offer crucial guidance about next steps in the event of a claim denial.
An approved workers’ compensation claim allows an employee who gets hurt or ill on the job to seek financial restitution for any medical and rehabilitative care related to that injury. Notably, there are usually some conditions attached to this reimbursement. For instance, claimants may need to seek treatment from a particular physician or specialist selected by their employer or insurance provider, and they must attend all appointments and complete all courses of treatment as directed.
Additionally, workplace accidents and chronic conditions that leave a worker unable to perform their job duties for an extended period of time may make that worker eligible for disability benefits. In most cases, these benefits amount to two-thirds of the claimant’s average weekly wage prior to getting hurt or sick for a prescribed number of weeks based on the severity of their disability, up to a maximum of $675 per week.
Individuals who sustain catastrophic harm that renders them unable to return to their old job may seek help with job retraining and education through their old employer’s workers’ compensation coverage. Additionally, as a workers’ comp lawyer in Braselton could further explain, surviving dependents of someone who loses their life in a job-related accident may be eligible for workers’ comp benefits in their deceased family member’s name.
Making the most of a workers’ comp claim can be a deceptively complicated process. Even if you have substantial medical documentation and submit it with your claim in a timely fashion, your employer’s insurance provider might still fight to avoid covering your losses and to maintain their own profits.
A skilled Braselton workers’ compensation lawyer could help not only with the initial application procedures for these benefits, but also with appealing a claim rejection should it become necessary to take those extra steps. Call our firm today to learn more.
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