If you’ve been injured on the job, you can attempt to get the benefits that you are entitled to on your own, but there are risks in filing workers’ compensation claims alone.
Here are some of the challenges that an injured employee could run into (based on actual cases):
- Your employer may miscategorize you as an independent contractor to avoid paying your benefits.
- Your employer may attempt to fire you or give you a negative performance report that you do not deserve.
- Your employer’s insurance carrier may say that the injury is your own fault.
- Your employer’s insurance carrier may say that your injury took place somewhere else or may attempt to trivialize your injury-induced health issues.
While having an attorney by your side may not prevent these situations from occurring, a workers’ compensation attorney will be well-versed in battling them. Workers’ compensation law is a tricky and ever-changing enterprise. And while there are many different types of attorneys, workers’ compensation attorneys are wholly devoted to understanding state workers’ compensation regulations. They are shrewd in detecting and responding to the sometimes underhanded tactics of big insurance companies and ensuring that you get the benefits that you deserve.
Under the Georgia Workers’ Compensation Act (GWCA), any entity that gives consistent employment to three or more people must provide workers’ compensation insurance—even if those workers are only part time. If employees are injured on the job, they may be entitled to two-thirds of their normal pay for up to 400 weeks (or for the duration of their life in the case of “catastrophic” injuries). Employers must also cover all medical costs associated with the workplace injury.
A Georgia workers’ compensation attorney can:
- Assist you in properly completing your WC-14 form. (Errors on the form can delay or throttle your claim.)
- Gather and present the appropriate evidence to strengthen your claim.
- Increase the chance that you will get the benefits that you are seeking.
- Help you fight a denial or “controvert” of your workers’ compensation claim.
Much is at stake when you file for workers’ compensation. In a perfect world, claims would be processed quickly and efficiently, and claimants would get the full benefits that they deserve. Too often, though, people fall victim to deceitful tactics of employers or insurance carriers. Contact Ramos & Law for help getting the compensation that you deserve in the wake of your workers’ compensation injury. Let the attorneys and staff at Ramos & Law shoulder the stress so that you can concentrate on recovering from your injuries.