Regardless of the cause of your personal injury, you need to receive full compensation for the injuries sustained. Insurance companies always shortchange victims by offering the lowest fee possible. Therefore, if you want someone to be on your side, you have come to the right place.
With the help of a workers’ compensation lawyer in Atlanta, Georgia, you can rest assured that you will receive compensation. Call us now at 470-518-5026 and work with experienced attorneys for your workers’ compensation case and Atlanta maximum medical improvement.
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What Is Maximum Medical Improvement?
Maximum Medical Improvement is a term that is mostly used in workers’ compensation cases. MMI refers to when your injury after an injury at the workplace has improved as much as is possible medically. Yes, you might be experiencing both the disability and pain coming from the injury for the rest of your life.
However, at this point, a medical professional has determined there is no possible way for you to get better because you have reached the maximum improvement.
It might happen when you are still receiving treatment especially if the treatment is being offered to ensure a certain level of functionality. For instance, in some cases, the treatment is ongoing if it provides pain management.
Once you have reached MMI, you will be assigned a permanent partial disability rating.
Who Determines When The Employee Has Achieved Maximum Medical Improvement In Georgia?
The authorized treating physician is the only person who determines whether or not you have reached maximum medical improvement. If anyone else does it, then this will be voided and considered unlawful. Remember, MMI is a state that you can only reach after treatment.
Therefore, it is not a state of mind or place. As such, the authorized treating physician should make a determination whether or not you have improved to his level.
MMI doesn’t mean that you are better. It simply means that you have improved as much as medically possible. Note that, your employer can’t make this determination.
If your employer does this, it will not have a legal effect on your workers’ compensation claim. Also, physical therapists or nurse case managers can’t make the determination.
Sometimes, you might feel as though you are better and this is as good as you will get. It will not be considered a medical determination that is acceptable. The authorized physician might have some alternative treatments that they want to try which might improve your condition.
Just because you feel better, you might be in a precarious state that might deteriorate quickly resulting in further injuries if you continue with your normal duties at work.
Does Medical Treatment Continue After An MMI Diagnosis In Georgia?
In most cases, medical treatment might continue even after you have reached MMI if you are not yet approved to go back to work without restrictions. Also, you might go back to work with restrictions and still follow treatment.
As mentioned, treatment might continue if it is simply for pain management purposes. At this point, the authorized physician can’t come up with alternative treatment options because the MMI diagnosis would be completely wrong.
What Happens If You Can’t Return To Work And Perform At The Same Level After Your MMI Diagnosis?
Yes, you might have been given an MMI diagnosis but you might have a hard time going back to work because of your sustained injuries. Note that, in Georgia, you can continue to receive medical treatment and weekly benefits, even once you have reached MMI.
It might continue for a period of 400 weeks. If you are not able to go back to work full-time, you can receive your benefits comfortably. However, your workers’ compensation coverage will end after 400 weeks.
Note that in most cases, once you have reached the Atlanta Maximum Medical Improvement in Georgia, your employer’s insurer might decide it’s time to settle the case. At this point, they choose to do it if the medical treatment has plateaued or wound down. You might have already received the most expensive medical treatment and have a proper understanding of the type of injury you will be living with for the rest of your lives.
Make sure you discuss your medical treatment with your lawyer so you can determine the best time to resolve your claim. As mentioned, MMI can only be determined by the authorized treating physician. Therefore, after you have been injured at the workplace, you need to visit an authorized doctor who will listen to your needs and concerns.
If you are healthy enough, you will get an Atlanta Maximum Medical Improvement rating and your doctor will release you to go back to work without any restrictions. That’s when your insurance benefits will be suspended.
If you have been issued with a permanent disability rating, it means that you can’t go back to work and if you have to go back, there will be restrictions in place. If you are partially disabled, you can continue receiving workers’ comp benefits but it will be determined by the percentage of disability. The Georgia State Board of Workers’ Compensation is a great resource for any questions you may have.
Call Us Today To Understand Your Atlanta Maximum Medical Improvement
Were you injured at work or became sick? Well, you are entitled to workers’ compensation benefits in Georgia. However, you have to meet specific criteria to be eligible for these benefits. Once you have qualified for the workers’ compensation benefits, you should be able to receive them.
With Atlanta’s maximum medical improvement, you need to understand what your doctor means if you have to continue receiving your benefits. If you have been issued a disability rating, we can make sure that you get enough compensation to push with your life for as long as possible.
Having worked with numerous insurance companies over the years we have been in business, we understand that they like lowballing clients so they don’t have to pay out as much as possible. However, if you are shortchanged, it’s because you didn’t work with the best attorneys for the job.
We always put our clients first and are ready to make sure that you are fully compensated for your workplace injuries. Call Workers’ Compensation Lawyers Coalition Atlanta now to make an appointment with the best workers’ compensation attorneys in Georgia to help you with your Atlanta maximum medical improvement case.
