Everyone deserves the right to a safe workplace. Many employers in Bremen are conscientious of their employees’ health and well-being, taking precautions to help keep anyone from getting injured on the job. But, far too many falls short of this goal. And, either way, workplace accidents and injures will happen sooner or later — sometimes with catastrophic results.
Employees with catastrophic injuries from their jobs are in a unique situation. They may find themselves asking: does the severity of a workplace injury affect what kinds of benefits are available through the Georgia workers’ compensation system? We’ll take a look at the answer to this question below, with the information intended to be general in nature and not specific legal advice.
First of all: medical expenses. Normal workplace injuries suffered on July 1, 2013, or later are generally capped at 400 weeks of covered treatment. That includes all authorized bills for doctor appointments, hospitalization, prescription medicines, and related treatments, as well as travel to and from the provider’s location. For catastrophic injuries, the coverage is the same, but without the 400 week limitation — victims may receive these medical benefits for the rest of their lives.
A similar 400-week limitation is applied to weekly workers’ compensation payments in most cases. For catastrophic workplace injury victims, however, the payments may continue for their lifetimes, although they may still be reduced or suspended if a victim is cleared to return to work, whether with restrictions or without. Employees with catastrophic injuries are also eligible for assistance in obtaining a new job, including training or education.
The availability of these benefits, unfortunately, does not necessarily mean that they will be forthcoming when a victim applies. Denials of legitimate workers’ compensation claims are all too common, which is why injured employees may consider working with a legal professional experienced in representing people in similar situations.
Source: State Board of Workers’ Compensation, “Law,” accessed on Dec. 29, 2017
