Jobs and careers aren’t just sources of income. Hopefully, they’re your way of making contributions to the society we all live in. Whether you feel it or not on any given day, you probably take some satisfaction in the offerings you make to everyone else while getting paid for it.
Hopefully, you make enough between wages and benefits to take care of yourself and your family.
Who takes care of you in the event of a workplace injury though? There are workers’ compensation benefits available, but only if you qualify and meet the criteria. You need help going through all the details, and having a veteran legal team experienced in such matters can make all the difference in the world when it comes to this.
We can help you get workers’ compensation benefits in Carrollton, GA. Contact our Carrollton workers’ compensation lawyers today at 470-518-5026 for a free consultation.
Table of Contents
Georgia Workers’ Compensation Income Limits
Temporary total disability benefits range from a minimum of $30 per week up to 2/3 of your income, capped out at $1,066 per week for 2020 injuries. The cap was lifted to $1,102 for injuries in 2021. The number of weeks you can get workers’ comp benefits will vary based on the scope, nature, and significance of your specific injury.
Types of Workers’ Compensation Benefits in Carrollton, GA
If you work in Carrollton, or anywhere in the state of Georgia, then you are entitled to seven different forms of workers’ compensation benefits in certain circumstances. They are:
Disfigurement
Many workplace injuries are internal, or inside the human body, where they can hopefully heal over time. Unfortunately, some of them result in external disfigurement that can influence how the body works, looks, or even both.
Medical Care
Any injury requires the care and supervision of a physician. It might also need surgery, prescriptions, rehabilitation, and specialists to help care for it.
Permanent Partial Disability
A partial disability is often defined as when a worker can still perform some employment duties with certain restrictions. Therefore, a permanent partial disability is when such an occurrence will stay present for the known future without change.
Temporary Partial Disability Benefits
A temporary partial disability means that an employee can work with restrictions for a short time before getting better and resuming full duties. Temporary partial disability benefits are paid during the healing period.
Temporary Total Disability Benefits
A total disability means that an employee can’t do any work under any restrictions or circumstances. A temporary total disability means that there should be a future date where they can resume full duties.
Permanent Total Disability
A permanent total disability simply means the employee is not able to return to work at any point for the rest of their life due to the scope and significance of their injury.
Employees that suffer injuries that will have lifelong consequences can apply for PTD benefits. These are often disability payments that continue the rest of their life.
Death Benefits
If an employee dies as a direct result of an on-the-job injury or occupational illness, survivors can claim death benefits. If the survivors were totally dependent on the employee, the death benefit amount will be the same as for total temporary disability. The family is also entitled to compensation for burial and funeral expenses.
How Are Workers’ Compensation Benefits in Carrollton, GA Calculated?
In nearly all cases, the minimum benefits paid out are $30 per week. The maximum benefits paid out as of 2021 are $1,066. The actual amount of benefits paid out is usually equal to 2/3 of the employee’s wages, based on what they earned over the 52 weeks prior to the date of their injury.
Temporary Total Disability Benefits (TTD)
These are paid during a healing period following an accident when an injured worker has been written out of their work by their treating doctor or they were given specific work restrictions that the employer is unable to accommodate.
TTD benefits have a waiting period of seven days before they can start, but the first seven days can be paid retroactively if the disability lasts for 21 full workdays. TTD benefits can last up to 500 weeks, with some extensions. The payments should be 2/3 of the average wages of the employee over the 52 weeks prior to the date of injury.
Temporary Partial Disability Benefits (TPD)
These benefits are similar to TTD, with the exception that they apply to workers who can return to work in a limited fashion. Benefits can last as long as 500 weeks at 2/3 or the pre-injury wage level as averaged over 52 weeks.
Permanent Partial Disability Benefits (PPD)
Employees injured long enough to hit a cap on their benefits will reach a state known as Maximum Medical Improvement or MMI. At this point, if they’re still injured, a physician can determine their level of impairment and entitlement to further compensation after initial benefits of other kinds run out. Employers are entitled to get a second physician’s opinion on such benefits.
Are Workers’ Compensation Benefits in Georgia Taxed?
Typically speaking, the federal government does not collect taxes on any form of Georgia workers’ compensation benefits. Neither does the state government for Georgia itself.
Call Our Carrollton Workers’ Compensation Lawyers Today
Whether you like your job or not, you want to earn your wages honestly and fairly so you can go home healthy at the end of the day. Unfortunately, workplace accidents and injuries do happen, sometimes resulting in disfigurement, partial or permanent disability, and even death. Recovering your health is going to be hard enough, but doing it without income is even harder.
That’s why we step up to the plate and help employees involved in workplace accidents get the benefits and workers’ compensation that they’re entitled to.
Contact us to see what the Workers’ Compensation Lawyers Coalition in Carrollton, GA can do for you and your family.
