Nearly every employee in Georgia who gets hurt on the job can seek recovery for their ensuing losses through workers’ compensation. That being said, filing a comprehensive workers’ comp claim and getting the benefits you need is rarely a simple prospect, especially if your injury or illness will have long-term effects.
At Smith Hulsey, a qualified Dawsonville workers’ compensation could provide the assistance you need to effectively seek a positive claim outcome. Beyond just guiding you through the initial claims process, our skilled attorneys could represent your best interests and help with appealing an unfair claim rejection.
Virtually every business in Dawsonville that has three or more workers on staff must purchase workers’ compensation insurance coverage, regardless of whether those workers are part-time or full-time. A covered employee may then file for workers’ comp after any job-related injury, illness, or chronic condition, regardless of how long they have worked for their current employer.
The first step in the workers’ comp claims process is notifying a supervisor, manager, or foreman at work, which the injured worker must do within 30 days of the incident. Following that, the worker has one year after their accident to submit a WC-14 form and relevant medical documentation affirming the nature and severity of their condition to the State Board of Workers’ Compensation.
Available benefits through a successful claim may include reimbursement for:
A workers’ comp attorney in the area could clarify what benefits might be available to a particular employee during a confidential consultation.
There are several procedural steps for appealing a denial of a workers’ compensation claim in Georgia, starting with requesting a hearing before an Administrative Law Judge. If the ALJ declines to overturn the previous decision made for the claim, the claimant may progress their case to the State Board of Workers’ Compensation’s Appellate Division no more than 20 days after the ALJ’s decision.
If the Appellate Division also declines to overturn the lower court’s ruling, the next stage of the appeals process is a petition to a Georgia Superior Court. If the Superior Court does not offer a favorable verdict, the claimant may petition the Georgia Court of Appeals. These stages of the process also have deadlines of 20 days, so it is important to seek counsel from a workers’ compensation lawyer in Dawsonville as early as possible.
Workers’ compensation benefits should ideally be easy for injured workers to obtain so long as they follow the rules for claims and submit sufficient documentation. Unfortunately, this is not always the case, as insurance companies will often go to great lengths to avoid liability for an accident.
At Smith Hulsey, a Dawsonville workers’ compensation lawyer could play a crucial role in securing a beneficial claim resolution. Call our firm today to discuss your options.
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