A work injury or occupational illness can have a severe and lasting impact on your life and the lives of those who depend on you. Some work-related injuries and illnesses require extensive and costly medical treatment and can leave workers unable to perform their usual job for weeks, months, or permanently.
The workers’ compensation law in Georgia protects injured workers by providing them with financial benefits to cover medical costs and lost income after an accident on the job. Ideally, the process of obtaining those workers’ compensation benefits would be straightforward. Unfortunately, not every Georgia employee has an easy time getting the full benefits they’re owed. That’s where a Moultrie workers’ compensation lawyer can help.
The attorneys at the Law Offices of William F. Underwood, III, P.C., know the uncertainty and stress that can come with work injuries and occupational illnesses. Let us guide you through the workers’ compensation process, pursuing every legal option available to you. Contact us for a free initial consultation with an experienced Moultrie workers’ compensation lawyer. There is never a fee unless we recover money for you.
Understanding What Workers’ Compensation Covers
When you suffer a job-related injury or occupational illness in Georgia, workers’ compensation can provide benefits such as:
- Payment for medical and rehabilitation expenses
- Partial replacement of lost income if you missed time from work
- Permanent disability benefits, if you can’t return to your pre-injury work or if you’re totally disabled
- Vocational rehabilitation, which can help you learn a new job within the scope of your physical abilities
How a Moultrie Workers’ Compensation Lawyer Can Help You
If you’re having trouble getting the benefits you deserve, a Moultrie workers’ compensation lawyer from our firm can help you by:
- Investigating the underlying circumstances of your work injury or occupational illness to secure evidence that proves that your injury or illness arose in the course of your job
- Communicating with your medical providers to understand the extent of your injury or illness and how it impacts your ability to work
- Handling communications with your employer on your behalf to move your workers’ comp claim forward
- Preparing and filing your formal claim with the state board
- Representing you and advocating on your behalf at the formal hearing
- Appealing legal errors made in any adverse decision against you
What to Do After an Accident at Work
If you were injured in an accident at work, you should act quickly to help protect your eligibility for workers’ compensation benefits.
- Notify your employer of the accident as soon as possible and no later than 30 days after the accident.
- Document the accident scene by taking photographs or video with your phone, if possible.
- Get the names and contact information for anyone who witnessed the accident.
- Seek medical attention as soon as possible. If you require emergency medical treatment, you can see any provider. But if you need non-emergency treatment, your employer has the right to require you to choose a provider from an approved list in order for workers’ compensation to cover the treatment.
- Don’t delay any treatments recommended by your doctors. If you do, your employer could designate you fit to return to work and terminate your benefits.
- Follow any recommendations or restrictions your doctor gives you. If a social media post or investigation shows you performing physical tasks you claimed you couldn’t do, your employer might terminate your benefits or demand you return to work.
Common Causes of Workplace Injuries in Moultrie
Some of the most frequent causes of job-related injuries that our Moultrie workers’ compensation attorneys see include:
- Slip and fall or trip and fall accidents
- Falling objects
- Falls from heights
- Fires and explosions
- Electrocutions
- Toxic exposure
- Overexertion
- Car and other motor vehicle accidents
- Entanglement accidents, in which a worker gets caught in equipment or machinery
- Forklift accidents
- Trench collapses
- Scaffolding accidents
- Accidents caused by defective or dangerous products
Types of Work Injury Cases We Handle
At the Law Offices of William F. Underwood, III, P.C., our Moultrie workers’ compensation lawyers have a long track record of success in handling claims involving:
- Broken bones
- Dislocated joints
- Soft-tissue injuries, including ligament, tendon, and muscle sprains, strains, or tears
- Herniated spinal discs
- Spinal cord injuries and paralysis
- Burns
- Repetitive stress injuries
- Head injuries and traumatic brain injuries
- Overexertion injuries such as dehydration and heatstroke
- Crush injuries
- Internal organ damage and internal bleeding
- Amputations
- Cancers and other diseases caused by a carcinogen or toxic exposure
Time Limit for Filing a Workers’ Compensation Claim
Georgia’s workers’ compensation law requires you to notify your employer of your work injury or occupational illness as soon as possible. You must report it no later than 30 days after the work accident that injured you or the onset of an occupational illness’s symptoms. If you delay notifying your employer of your condition, you could jeopardize your eligibility for workers’ compensation benefits.
If your employer or its workers’ comp insurer denies you benefits for your work-related injury or illness, you have one year from the date of the accident or onset of illness to file a formal claim. This serves as a request for a hearing with the State Board of Workers’ Compensation.
It is crucial that you take immediate action if you have been hurt on the job or been diagnosed with a work-related illness. An experienced Moultrie workers’ comp attorney can help you understand your legal rights and fight for the full compensation you need from the start.
Talk to a Moultrie Workers’ Compensation Attorney Today
Contact the Law Offices of William F. Underwood, III, P.C., today for a free review of your workers’ compensation case. Whether you are just starting the process or have been denied benefits, we are here to help. Our Moultrie workers’ compensation attorneys can walk you through the process and help you fight for the full benefits you need to recover.
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