When your work leads to injuries, turn to the experienced Clarkston workers’ compensation attorneys at the Workers’ Compensation Lawyers Coalition. Let our skilled and compassionate lawyers fight for your health, job, and financial security after compensable work injuries in Clarkston, GA.
A serious workplace accident can change your life forever. Some job-related illnesses and injuries are so severe that the sufferer is never able to return to work. In the worst scenarios, a workplace accident can be so serious that it leads to loss of life.
The workers’ compensation insurance program exists to provide employees with valuable coverage in the event of an illness or injury while on duty. When an employee suffers an injury while at their place of work, or anywhere else – but doing a work-related activity – and require medical care, workers’ comp should provide coverage for compensable injuries. Additionally, it provides protection if the injury renders the employee unable to work for some time.
But what do you do if you’ve suffered a catastrophic injury at work? Or what if you suffered an injury that is not clearly defined in the state’s workers’ compensation law?
Our attorneys at the Workers’ Compensation Lawyers Coalition near Clarkston, GA, have worked with many clients who have suffered injuries on the job and understand your unique challenges. We can assess if your injury is covered by workers’ comp and help you file a claim.
Call our law office today at 470-518-5026 to schedule your free initial case review.
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What Are Compensable Work Injuries in Clarkston, GA?
You will come across the term compensable injuries a lot in workers’ compensation claims, but what exactly does it mean?
For an acceptable workers’ compensation claim in Clarkston, Georgia, the employee’s injury must require medical services and be work-related.
Basically, compensable injuries are injuries caused by an accident in the course of your employment or doing something connected to your employment conditions and requirements. Many compensable injuries are easily recognized and defined at the worksite, but they could also occur when performing a task or activity associated with the performance of your work duties (such as traveling).
Some compensable injuries and illnesses might be surprising. It could be carpal tunnel syndrome because of too much time on a computer without breaks. For that, the employee hurt at work is entitled to recover compensation.
Common Compensable Work Injuries:
Defining compensable injuries under Georgia workers’ comp law is not exactly straightforward (there’s no one size fits all).
Below are the top examples of distinct workplace injury types that may be compensable:
- Physical Trauma, e.g., electrocutions and back injuries
- Occupational Disease or Illness, e.g., hearing loss, respiratory illness, etc.
- Mental Injuries, e.g., depression, PTSD from a traumatic workplace event
- Injuries Caused by Repetitive Stress or Cumulative Trauma
- New injuries resulting from aggravating a prior work-related injury or condition
What Types of Compensation Can Injured Workers Claim?
Workplace accidents can lead to devastating consequences, especially for employees who suffer injuries that prevent them from returning to work temporarily or permanently. Besides, in addition to physical harm, on-the-job injuries can result in loss of critical wages due to time off work and costly medical bills.
Fortunately, most employees who suffer on-the-job injuries in Georgia are eligible for compensation in the form of benefits paid through their employers’ workers’ comp insurance carrier.
There are three types of compensation/benefits available to injured employees under workers’ compensation in Georgia:
Medical Benefits
Workers’ comp insurance should pay for the injured employee’s medical bills, usually unlimited until the point that the injured worker is given maximum relief or cured.
Bills for the cost of medical treatment go directly to an authorized treating physician, and your only responsibility is to follow the physician’s orders.
Medical benefits also reimburse the injured employee the cost of all mileage driven to pursue medical treatment for a workplace injury.
Rehabilitation Benefits
Should an employee suffer a catastrophic injury – an injury with some form of permanence – they may be entitled to rehabilitation benefits that pay for:
- The cost of occupational rehabilitation needed to return maximum performance and mobility;
- The cost to modify the employee’s home to allow maximum self-sufficiency;
- The cost to modify the worker’s workspace if they can return to the same job; and
- The cost to modify the worker’s vehicle, e.g., cost to fit in a wheelchair lift.
Should an employee be unable to return to their previous job due to the inability of the employer to offer a job that accommodates the worker’s limitations, they may be eligible to receive vocational rehabilitation benefits:
- Job search assistance;
- The cost of education expenses; and
- The cost necessary to provide interview skills, job search, and job replacement services.
Disability / Indemnity Benefits
Injured employees may be authorized by a medical practitioner to be out of work because of their workplace injury, subjecting them to diminished lifestyles and a complete loss of income.
Medical benefits pay for medical expenses related to the employee’s workplace injury or illness, but lost wages cover different benefits and are paid in amounts mandated by The State Board of Worker’s Compensation.
Indemnity/disability benefits are monetary payments that an injured employee may be entitled to receive as compensation for loss of income. These benefits are subjected to statutory maximum amounts of payments, minimum and maximum weekly payments, and or maximum period of payments.
Indemnity benefits are based on the combination of the following conditions, the severity of the injury (either partial or total) and status of the injury (either temporary or partial).
- Temporary Total Disability
Defines injuries from which the worker is expected to completely recover after some time with only minor or no long-term effects. Workers who sustain TPD injuries can generally get back to their jobs under ‘light duty’ tasks until they heal.
Injured employees under this category receive checks that equal two-thirds of their average weekly wage. The maximum TTD weekly payment in Georgia is $675.
- Temporary Partial Disability
Employees who can return to work after a workplace injury but have work restrictions and return to work in a light position earning less than they were before the illness or injury – whether because they are working few hours or are making less per hour – may be entitled to temporary total disability/TPD Benefits.
Injured employees under the TPD category in Georgia are eligible for monetary reimbursement equal to two-thirds of their average weekly income. Maximum TPD weekly payment in Georgia is $450 and the maximum number of weeks an injured worker can receive these checks is 350.
- Permanent Partial Disability
Employees who get hurt at work and sustain a permanent injury will be eligible for these benefits. Recoverable permanent temporary benefits are equal to two-thirds of the employee’s weekly wage. The maximum PPD weekly payment in Georgia is $675. Your employer’s workers’ comp insurance carrier can pay these benefits weekly or in one lump sum.
Death Benefits
These benefits may be available to family members of an employee killed in a work-related accident. Death resulting from a workplace accident may occur at the time of the incident or later as a consequence of the accident.
Contact a worker’s compensation lawyer to find out about the benefits you can recover through a workers’ comp claim.
How Long Do You Have to File for Workers’ Compensation in Georgia?
Employees injured on the job in Clarkston, GA, have one year to file a claim for benefits through workers’ compensation. If an employee died on the job, their family or spouse must bring a claim for death benefits within one year of the worker’s death.
Find Out If Your Injuries Are Covered by Workers’ Comp!
If you have questions as to whether your work-related injury or illness is compensable under workers’ compensation in Georgia, don’t hesitate to call an experienced Clarkston workers’ compensation lawyer. The legal team at the Workers’ Compensation Lawyers Coalition is ready to assist you in answering all your questions as well as guide you through all steps needed to receive maximum benefits for your workers’ comp claim.
Call us today at 470-518-5026 for a free consultation!
