Every company in the state with three or more full-time or part-time employees is required to have workers’ compensation insurance coverage for all those employees. This coverage is supposed to help you stay financially afloat and obtain necessary medical care if you suffer an injury or illness while working that is severe enough to prevent you from performing your normal job duties for some time.
However, navigating the workers’ comp system and getting the benefits you deserve can be complicated, especially without the support of a seasoned personal injury attorney. Whether you have pursued a workers’ comp claim before or this is your first time pursuing benefits through your employer’s insurance, a dependable Savannah workers’ compensation lawyer like Joseph Steffen could help you get the best possible result from your unique claim.
Workers’ compensation does not automatically kick in every time an accident happens on a worksite. When you get injured or become ill due to work-related conditions, you must notify your employer no more than 30 days after first discovering your injury or illness.
Once this is done, you must seek medical attention from a physician authorized to provide treatment covered by workers’ comp and complete Form WC-14 (Notice of Claim/Request for Hearing/Request for Mediation). Employers are supposed to provide a copy of this form upon being notified of a work-related injury or illness, but a Savannah workers’ compensation attorney can help you find and complete the form online if needed.
The primary benefit that workers’ comp is supposed to provide when you are a qualifying claimant is full reimbursement for all “reasonably necessary” medical treatment needed to help you reach “maximum medical improvement.” These expenses can include:
If a work-related injury or illness leaves you disabled and unable to work for an extended time, you can also receive weekly disability benefits, usually about two-thirds of what you would have earned as take-home pay, to make up for a portion of your lost wages. A workers’ comp lawyer in Savannah could maximize your benefits and even pursue death benefits for surviving family members if a workplace injury or illness directly causes a worker’s death.
While workers’ comp benefits can be a vital source of financial support in the wake of a workplace accident, they are not always easy to obtain, even if you meet all the criteria to receive them. Unfortunately, workers’ comp law is not particularly friendly to claimants trying to get the benefits they deserve, and workers’ comp insurance providers rarely act in the best interests of anyone but themselves and their own profit margins.
An experienced Savannah workers’ compensation lawyer could fight tenaciously to enforce your rights throughout this legal process. At The Law Office of Joseph J. Steffen, Jr., you will always be able to talk to a human, not a chatbot. Contact us to discuss your options or schedule a free and confidential consultation.