In Georgia, Workers’ Compensation benefits are awarded based on medical evaluations.

Once approved and not disputed by you, the evaluations will help determine:

Medical Benefits
Financial Compensation
Death Benefits

Medical Treatment

An employee who is hurt on the job is entitled to receive medical treatment for his or her work injury until the treating medical doctor determines you are at maximum medical improvement. This means that treatment is at a point where the employee’s condition will remain the same and is not likely to improve.

Medical treatment may also be needed after reaching maximum medical improvement in order to maintain your functioning at that level. If this is the case, the employer’s insurance company is also responsible for any further treatment that may prevent the employee’s condition from becoming worse. The employer is entitled to select the medical doctor who will provide care.

In addition to receiving medical treatment, the recovering employee is also entitled to reimbursement for all medical-related expenses pertaining to the injury. This includes travel to and from the doctor’s office, over-the-counter and prescription medicines.

To make sure that you are completely reimbursed for your medical expenses, it is critical that you keep all of your medical bills, receipts for prescriptions and medications, as well as notes from your doctor(s) on the recommended course of treatment.

If there is a dispute over access to specialists or treatment options, you can file a claim/ request a hearing with the Georgia’s State Board of Workers’s Compensation. You may also wish to consult a lawyer. (The Strom Law Firm, LLC provides a no-cost case evaluation to help you understand your options.)

Financial Compensation

You will be paid once a week at a reduced rate while you are recovering from your injury.

A medical doctor must authorize you to be out of work in order for you to receive any Workers’ Comp benefits. All injured workers will receive 2/3 of their normal weekly wages as determined based upon the four quarters preceding your injury. This amount is subject to a cap under Georgia law.

How Long Will Benefits Last?
The length of time set for your weekly financial benefits is determined upon your disability or impairment designation. Your disability designation is based on reports from your medical doctor, assigned to you by your employers Workmans’ Comp Insurer. Other doctors you selected from their network, such as specialists, also contribute to the final outcome of your designation. (You can dispute your designation.)

Also, there are specific compensation amounts for loss (eyesight, limb, finger, use of back) and disfigurement under Georgia law.

If you’ve been denied workers’ comp benefits contact Strom Law for immediate help.

Workman’s’ Comp Designations include:

Total Disability Benefits (Temporary or Permanent)
Total disability is defined as a complete inability to work, whether this inability is temporary or proves to be permanent. Such designations are approved for a maximum of 400 weeks at the standard Workers’ Comp rate of sixty-six and 2/3 percent of your average weekly income.

The disabled employee may also apply for Social Security Disability Benefits under certain conditions.

Lifetime Benefits: If the person determined to be totally and permanently disabled, as a result of a workers’ comp injury, is a paraplegic, a quadriplegic, or has suffered physical brain damage, benefits will be paid for life. The four hundred-week limitation may not apply.

Partial Disability Benefits (Temporary or Permanent)
Most often, a partial disability designation is reached following improvement from a total disability designation, however the injured worker is still unable to perform in the same job.

In the case of partial disability, the employer is responsible for paying a weekly compensation that will equal 66 and 2/3% of the difference between the employee’s average weekly wage before the his or her injury and the average weekly wage the employee will be able to earn after his or her injury. As the employee, you will be entitled to this additional compensation for a maximum of 340 weeks.

To initiate partial disability benefits, your doctor will release you to return to light duty or work part-time while you are recovering from a workplace injury.

If you disagree with this work release and feel it would increase pain or worsen your condition, you will have to file a claim with the State Board of Workers’ Compensation to request a hearing on the dispute. You may also want to retain legal counsel at this point. Contact The Strom Law Firm, LLC to speak with a Workmans’ Compensation attorney (912) 264-6465 for a no-cost consultation. We’ll even answer your questions over the phone.

Death Benefits

Workers’ compensation allows for financial benefits to dependents or parents of the deceased employee. Get more on Workers’ Compensation Death Benefits.

The Strom Law Firm, LLC understands the impact that a work related injury or death has upon you and your loved ones. The most important thing you need to focus on is a speedy recovery. You need an advocate who will seek justice on your behalf.

Contact one of the workers comp attorneys at the Strom Law Firm, LLC for a free consultation to discuss your legal rights. (912) 264-6465. You may also reach us by completing the confidential case evaluation form at the top right of this page.

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