You should receive worker’s comp if you experience any of the following: • Unexpected accidents • Repetitive stress injuries • Illness resulting from exposure to poor work environment • Complications from excessive emotional stress If your employer doesn’t have worker’s compensation insurance in place, you may be entitled to sue the company for coverage in the event of an injury. Coverage for Injury When you file a worker’s compensation claim, the resulting payments are meant to cover medical treatment including transportation, emergency care and any necessary follow-up appointments. It should also cover rehabilitation or physical therapy to get you healthy and whole again. Payments for the time you need to take off to recover usually amount to around 67% of your regular salary. If your injury results in complications that restrict or inhibit your ability to return to work, you should receive ongoing disability payments. For those who can still work but can no longer do the same job, there’s compensation for vocational rehabilitation to allow a smooth transition to a new career. Occasionally workplace injuries or illnesses that result from chemical exposure may lead to death. Worker’s compensation pays benefits to a deceased worker’s dependents to help them cover burial costs and offers a measure of financial security. Possible Disputes Although worker’s comp is designed to cover all of these areas, complications may interfere with your ability to get the coverage you’re entitled to. Never let your employer talk you into not filing if you’re hurt on the job, and make sure that the doctor you’re sent to see doesn’t short-change you by refusing to give you an off-work order. Some doctors also minimize the severity of injuries. Getting professional legal help in these situations gives you the power to fight unfair practices. If you’re hurt on the job, contact us at Costner Law Group. We’ll help you wade through the jargon of worker’s compensation law and get the coverage you need to get back on your feet. The lawyers at our Savannah Georgia law firm are equipped with the expertise necessary to settle any disputes and ensure that you receive the level of compensation you deserve.

1. Immediately contact the local authorities and ensure that they file a police report. This proves to the insurance company that a crash truly occurred.If necessary, travel to the emergency room or schedule a medical appointment without delay. Don’t tell the insurer or police that you are unhurt. Some injuries may not produce symptoms until later in the month.

2. Try not to miss any appointments associated with the collision. An insurer might take advantage of this mistake to belittle your claim. When possible, avoid using service providers that the auto insurance company recommends. These mechanics or doctors may face pressure to downplay the harm caused by major accidents. If they fail to comply, the insurer could punish them by sending customers elsewhere.

3. It’s crucial to fully understand the benefits that your auto coverage provides. This makes it harder for insurance adjusters to deceive you. It also prevents you from undermining a claim by demanding payments that you don’t qualify to receive. Be sure to thoroughly examine the policy. An attorney can help you interpret any ambiguous language in this document.

4. Before you accept compensation, carefully estimate the total cost of an accident. Don’t forget to include spending on medications, car rentals and taxi or bus fares. If a crash totals your car, conduct research to determine how much it was worth before the collision. You can dispute a meager settlement by presenting this data to an adjuster.

5. You might gain more compensation by skillfully negotiating with the insurer. Prepare for adjusters to accuse you of driving poorly, exaggerating injuries or failing to maintain your car. Don’t say anything to indicate that you desperately need the money. Use specific facts and figures to support your arguments. If an adjuster inspects your vehicle, confirm that he or she notices all of the damage.

You may also benefit from hiring an insurance litigation attorney. Approximately one out of three injured drivers obtain legal representation, according to the Insurance Research Council. A lawyer can help you gain fair compensation more quickly. Costner Law specializes in representing motorists with auto insurance claims. Our Savannah law firm has the experience to ensure that adjusters take your needs seriously.

Worker’s compensation is meant to cover medical bills resulting from work-related injuries as well as partial salary for days you can’t work, rehabilitation time, retraining and, in some cases, long-term disability. This coverage is for more than onsite injuries and work-related illnesses. There are many occupational accidents and health concerns that may entitle you to a worker’s compensation claim.

Off-Site Injuries

While certain offsite situations such as your daily commute and lunch hour aren’t covered, worker’s compensation does extend to anything you do while performing the duties of your job. That means you’re covered if injured while meeting with a client at another location or even if something happens while driving to and from such a meeting.

Occupational Diseases

Working in an industry that exposes you to chemicals or puts you in a situation where you may develop an injury from stress or repetitive use gives you grounds for worker’s compensation claims. While most people think of filing claims for one-time accidents, conditions that appear over time as a result of your work environment are covered and should also be reported. Such conditions include illness, pain and impairments such as carpal tunnel syndrome.

Mental Health Claims

Certain mental health conditions may fall under the heading of occupational disease. Being injured on the job can be traumatic, and other situations such as undue long-term stress may bring about conditions such as depression or anxiety that impair your ability to do your job or live your life. If work is the root cause of your mental health concerns, you could have grounds for a worker’s compensation claim.

Long-Term Coverage

Some on-the-job injuries take a long time to heal and can make it difficult for you to fulfill work duties until you’ve fully recovered. Worker’s compensation should cover whatever loss of work time you have as a result of such an injury. If you suffer from a permanent disability or impairment that lowers your capacity to work or keeps you out of work entirely, you should be eligible to receive coverage in the long term. In the unlikely event that a work-related injury results in death, payments are extended to your family to cover expenses including burial.

If you believe you have a worker’s compensation claim, contact Costner Law Group. When you call our Savannah office, we’ll give you a free case evaluation to determine if your claim is viable and, if so, how to handle it. Whether it’s an onsite injury or something that occurred while you were performing your job at another location, Costner Law Group can handle your case and make sure you get the benefits you deserve.

If you apply for workers’ compensation benefits, your company or its insurer could deny the request. Employers have sought to reduce their expenses by devoting fewer funds to injured employees. Businesses in Georgia cut workers’ compensation costs by more than 4% in 2011, according to the Atlanta Business Chronicle. Unfortunately, such achievements often come at the expense of legitimate claims.

Reasons

Insurance firms and employers use many different pretexts to justify denials. They might tell you that an injury or ailment wasn’t reported quickly enough. The company may also contend that your job didn’t really cause a medical problem. For instance, an employer could assert that you actually suffered an injury at home or developed an illness by smoking cigarettes.

A business may have valid reasons to deny compensation. Some people try to take advantage of the system or mistakenly blame health problems on working conditions. Nonetheless, employers also dismiss many well-justified claims. If a company unfairly refuses to provide compensation, you can take steps to appeal the decision.

Appeals

Before initiating legal action, communicate with your supervisor about the denial. You may also benefit from speaking to an insurance company representative. It’s possible that someone made a mistake while completing or processing forms. Exercise patience and try to resolve the dispute without making accusations.

If your company remains unwilling to help, you’ll have to learn about Georgia’s appeal process. The State Board of Workers’ Compensation can supply the forms you need to request a hearing. It’s necessary to tell your employer, the insurance agency and the SBWC about an appeal. You will also need to collect evidence that supports your case. An experienced lawyer can help you prepare.

State officials may arrange a mediation session before the hearing takes place. If this happens, a professional mediator will try to help you and your employer find a solution. This gives both parties an opportunity to avoid legal action. When mediation fails, the state schedules a hearing and designates a judge to review the claim.

Hearings

A hearing resembles a trial in many ways. You can use evidence and witnesses to demonstrate the validity of your claim. Co-workers and doctors may be willing to testify on your behalf. It’s also possible that customers or other bystanders saw the incident that caused an injury. A judge will assess your eligibility for benefits.

If you feel that the ruling is unfair, you may appeal to the SBWC’s appellate division within 20 days. The directors will review your case and make a final decision. At each step along the way, it’s crucial to have a skilled attorney with workers’ compensation expertise. Our law firm specializes in personal and work-related injuries that occur in Georgia. For a free consultation, please contact us at Costner Law.