If you’ve got a job in Stockbridge, you receive workers’ compensation insurance since the day you started work. Employers must carry this insurance by law for all their employees, from top executives to people who only make minimum wage. Because of this, you automatically get covered if you get injured on the job.
John Foy & Associates has been working for two decades to protect the rights of injured workers. We have years of experience navigating the workers’ compensation system and dealing with insurance companies. Let us give you a free consultation to talk about your case. Call us to get started today.
Don’t let insurance companies take advantage of you. Our workers’ compensation lawyers in Stockbridge can help you get the money you need. Learn more here.
Understanding the Workers’ Compensation System in Stockbridge
The government created workers’ compensation, also known as “workers’ compensation,” to help workers who suffer injuries while on the job. Workers’ compensation has two purposes:
- To provide medical care and financial support to injured workers
- To avoid long and expensive lawsuits over workplace accidents and injuries
To meet these purposes, every employer must verify they carry workers’ compensation insurance. When a worker gets hurt on the job, the insurance covers the cost of the worker’s injuries.
Remember, workers’ compensation isn’t a free handout from the government. The employees themselves essentially pay for the insurance through deductions from their paychecks. So you have earned your benefits. Workers comp can also cover any injury that happens at work, no matter what caused it.
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Is It Important to Hire a Workers’ Compensation Attorney in Stockbridge?
Even though the process seems straightforward, it’s still in your best interest to hire a lawyer to help you get through your workers’ compensation claim in Stockbridge. Our lawyers can assist you by:
- Gathering evidence and witness testimony to support your claim.
- Organizing your medical records and calculating all of your damages.
- Handling the insurance company to ensure they pay you a fair settlement.
- Assist you in understanding your legal options if your claim gets denied.
- Taking care of all communications with other parties.
- Ensuring your best interests get represented at all times with your employer and the insurance company.
Our Stockbridge workers’ compensation lawyers never accept any payment upfront. We only get paid when you receive your settlement. If you don’t get any compensation for your injury, you owe us absolutely nothing.
What Damages Does Workers’ Compensation Cover?
Workers’ compensation is designed to pay for all the costs of a workplace injury, including medical bills and the time you were away from work. Common benefits include:
- The cost of health care, such as doctors, hospitals, tests, x-rays, and surgery
- The cost of prescription medications
- Physical or occupational therapy
- Special training, if you need it in order to return to work
- The cost of traveling by car to your medical appointments
- A paycheck until you can return to work. (You’ll typically receive a check that’s smaller than your usual pay, but the money you get isn’t taxed.)
If you suffer a permanent injury or disability, you may be entitled to additional money. In addition, if a worker dies from a workplace injury, family members can receive benefits. A severe workplace accident is tragic, but workers’ compensation benefits can go a long way toward minimizing the financial cost.
Does Workers’ Compensation Really Cover All Injuries?
Generally yes, so long as the injury occurred at your workplace. For example:
- It doesn’t matter who or what caused the injury.
- It doesn’t matter how the injury occurred.
- The injury does not have to be related to the duties you perform at work. A slip on a wet floor is covered just the same as a heavy equipment injury.
- Your claim can be approved without anyone showing who was to blame.
At our law office, we see more claims from the construction industry than anywhere else. These cases include workers who fell or got hit with a falling object, workers who became caught in equipment, and workers who suffered electrical shocks. But workers’ comp claims can come from any industry, including businesses where everyone works in an office.
When Will Workers’ Compensation Not Cover Me?
Workers’ compensation only covers workplace injuries. Therefore, you probably don’t have a workers’ comp claim if your injury occurred outside of work. There are some important exceptions, though. You may still get covered if your injury occurred while:
- You were on a business trip
- You were driving a company truck, car, or van
- You were running an errand for your employer
- You were attending a work-related meeting at another location
- You were working remotely
You will probably not be covered if you were hurt while commuting to work unless you got injured on your employer’s parking lot or sidewalk.
Does Workers’ Compensation Cover Emotional Damages?
Workers’ compensation covers all the costs and effects of physical injuries that happen on the job. It won’t cover mental or psychological conditions if there is no bodily injury. For example, if you fell from a ladder and suffered broken bones and depression and anxiety, treatment for all of those conditions would potentially get covered.
However, if you witnessed your friend falling and had post-traumatic stress, as a result, your condition wouldn’t get covered because you didn’t sustain a physical injury.
Will I Have to Go to Court for a Stockbridge Workers’ Compensation Claim?
No. For on-the-job injuries, workers compensation has completely replaced lawsuits in Stockbridge. The reasons for this policy include:
- Workers should get compensated quickly, but lawsuits can take months or even years.
- Workers should have guaranteed benefits, but there are never any guarantees in court.
- Workers can get benefits from an insurance company; they don’t have to ask their employer.
This last point is important because many of our clients are afraid that their employer will retaliate against them if they file a workers compensation claim. But, in fact, most employers are very supportive, and they want their employees to get good medical treatment so they can heal and return to work.
Never Accept the Initial Settlement Offer You Receive
It isn’t always easy to get the insurance company to pay your claim. To maximize its own profits, an insurance company may try to minimize the amount it pays you, even if you got seriously hurt. As a result, we often see insurers dispute the facts surrounding an injury, question the injury’s severity, or even refer injured workers to doctors who may not be acting in the patient’s best interest.
These tactics leave injured employees struggling without the financial support they are legally entitled to. If you or a loved one got injured at work, talk to a Stockbridge workers’ compensation lawyer right away.
The Statute of Limitations for Workers’ Compensation Claims in Georgia
The Official Code of Georgia Annotated (OCGA) §34-9-82 states that you only have one year to file a claim. Even though the state of Georgia gives you one year, that shouldn’t mean that you take the entire year to begin the process. The longer you wait, the more you give the insurance company time to deny your claim. Always take prompt action after your workplace injury.
Talk to a Stockbridge Workers’ Compensation Attorney for Free
After an injury on the job, you have a right to workers’ compensation benefits. At John Foy & Associates, we believe that no worker should sacrifice the benefits that they’re entitled to by law. So let us give you a free consultation and help you get the benefits you deserve. Call us or fill out the form to your right to schedule your appointment.
404-400-4000 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form
