Getting injured while on the job is the last thing on any employee’s mind since most perceive their workplaces to be safe spaces. Reporting a work-related injury in Conyers, GA is crucial in the process of receiving compensation for the injury. Regardless of whether you are injured due to your own negligence, you may qualify to receive workers’ compensation benefits to cover your medical costs and lost wages.
Georgia’s workers’ compensation laws require almost every employer to carry workers’ comp insurance. This applies to employers with either full-time or part-time employees. Exceptions to this rule include U.S. government agencies, railroad carriers, domestic workers, and farmworkers. The workers’ comp system ensures that employees who suffer a workplace injury or occupational disease get the medical and indemnity benefits they deserve.
One of the requirements for being eligible for workers’ comp benefits after suffering a workplace injury is reporting your injury and filing a claim in time. Going through the claim process can be overwhelming as you are required to seek medical care, deal with paperwork, and focus on recovery. A workers’ compensation attorney can help guide you when reporting your injury to ensure that you get everything right. If you have been injured while on the job and are wondering how to report your injury, get in touch with the Workers’ Compensation Lawyers Coalition in Conyers at 470-518-5026 to learn more about the process of reporting a workplace injury.
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How Long Do I Have in Reporting a Work-Related Injury in Conyers, Georgia?
If you have sustained a workplace injury, it is your responsibility to report to your employer. It is advisable that you report your injury as soon as it becomes apparent that you have been injured, regardless of the magnitude of the injury. Waiting longer than 30 days before you report your injury could result in the loss or forfeiture of your benefits.
Who do I Have to Report a Workplace Injury To?
To start your workers’ claim process, you would have to report your injury to your employer. You may also report your injury or occupational disease to your supervisor, foreman, any senior officer in the Human Resource (HR) department. Reporting to the relevant person ensures that investigation on your investigation is done and that the employer’s insurance carrier is notified. This ensures that your claim is processed quickly so that you receive your medical and indemnity benefits as soon as possible.
Employer Responsibilities After a Workplace Injury
Some of the responsibilities that employers in Georgia have in the event of a workplace injury include:
Investigate the employee’s injury
The employer is required to look into the facts of your injury or occupational disease before filing a claim with their insurer. Through proper investigation, your employer ascertains that your injury is indeed work-related and that you deserve your workers’ compensation benefits.
File the First Report of Injury
Your employer should also file the First Report of Injury with their insurance carrier within 7 days of notice about the employee’s injury. Prompt filing ensures that the processing of your claim takes the least possible time so that you can receive your medical benefits.
- Post information to point the employee to a doctor for medical care. Employers are required to post a Traditional Panel of Physicians that consists of at least six doctors from whom you can choose. The employer may also post the name of the Workers’ Comp Managed Care Organization (WC/MCO) approved by the Georgia Board for which they have contracted to provide medical services.
- Offer the injured employee light-duty work. Your employer is also required to offer you a return-to-work option, which is mostly light-duty work to ensure that you keep earning even if you are injured.
Employee Responsibility After a Workplace Injury
If you have been injured at your workplace, you are required to do the following:
- Report your injury in a timely fashion. Regardless of the magnitude of your injury, it is important that you report to your employer promptly to allow them time to investigate the injury and file the claim with their insurer. Under Georgia’s workers’ comp laws, you risk losing your benefits if you report your injury after 30 days have elapsed.
- Seek medical care from a doctor approved by your employer. You should choose one of the doctors on your employer’s Panel of Physicians and seek medical care immediately.
- File a workers’ compensation claim in time. In Georgia, injured employees have 1 year to file their claim if they were injured while on the job.
- Accept the light-duty job offered by your employer. In most cases, employers will give injured employers light-duty jobs as their preferred return-to-work option to ensure that they earn some wages even if they are injured.
- Submit to a drug test during the investigation. One of the factors that can invalidate your workers’ compensation claim is proof of intoxication at the time of the accident. Employers may therefore require you to take a drug test to ascertain that you weren’t under the influence of alcohol or drugs at the time of your injury. If they make this request, you are supposed to comply and submit it to the drug test.
- Update your employer on the doctor’s recommendations. Keeping your employer informed ensures that they plan appropriately for the days that you’ll be off work.
- Seek legal counsel from a Conyers workers’ compensation lawyer. While this may not be mandatory, it is important that you seek the legal guidance of workers’’ comp lawyer when reporting your injury and filing your claim to ensure that you do everything as required by the law.
Call Us Today When Reporting a Work Injury in Conyers
Our workers’ comp lawyers in Conyers are experienced at handling workers’ compensation claims and can guide you through the process of reporting your injury and help you maximize your indemnity and medical benefits.
Through the workers’ compensation system, workers who get injured while on the job can receive medical and indemnity benefits to cover medical costs as well as lost wages. If you have been injured in your Conyers workplace, it is important that you report your injury as soon as possible, and not later than 30 days from the date of the injury. Contact the law offices of the Workers’ Compensation Lawyers Coalition in Conyers, Georgia via 470-518-5026 to schedule a free legal consultation with one of our lawyers.
