Category: Workers’ Compensation Insurance

No. I’ve seen several Georgia workers’ compensation insurance adjusters cut off a workers’ comp claimant’s disability benefits after a treating doctor has released him to light duty lately. This is a mistake (or it could be on purpose). Either way, it’s not allowed, unless several steps outlined in O.C.G.A. 34-9-240 are followed. Basically, your authorized  … Read more

Sometimes, for no identifiable reason, an injured worker who is receiving workers’ compensation benefits will not get his or her temporary total disability check on the day it normally arrives. The workers’ comp insurance company might have a glitch, or the workers’ comp adjuster may have decided to find new ways of expressing her worship  … Read more

Per an article in the Victoria Advocate, a new book, “The Invisible Hook: The Hidden Economics of Pirates,” portrays pirates as a progressive lot, politically and economically. They embraced democracy, were quite tolerant of racial and sexual differences, and even created an early form of worker’s compensation and health care. If a shipload of rogues can  … Read more

After mediating or otherwise settling a workers’ compensation claim, my clients frequently want to know when they’re going to get paid. With the Georgia State Board of Workers’ Compensation’s fairly recent switch to paperless filings through its ICMS system (Integrated Claims Management System), workers’ compensation claims in Atlanta and elsewhere in Georgia are getting approved quite quickly.   … Read more

Just because your employer has you listed as an independent contractor on paper does not necessarily mean you are an independent contractor under the Georgia Workers’ Compensation Act. There are several factors courts will examine to make a determination regarding whether or not the place you work is your employer when you get hurt at work  … Read more

Unlike Florida and a few other states, in Georgia, your workers’ compensation indemnity benefits will not be cut off when you hit MMI (maximum medical improvement). Your authorized treating physician (ATP) may issue an impairment rating if you have a percentage of permanent partial disability (called a PPD rating) that will be paid based on  … Read more

Unfortunately, some employers, despite their being required to carry workers’ compensation insurance in Georgia when they have more than two employees, do not have workers’ comp insurance or have let their policies lapse. My Atlanta workers’ compensation law office has helped several clients this year who have faced this predicament.  If you have been hurt at work  … Read more

If you are hurt at work in Georgia, workers’ compensation will cover medical care related to your injury. Even if you reach maximum medical improvement, continuing therapy, pain management, and other medical care will be provided. Sometimes, an injured worker can have a change in condition for the worse and require additional medical care years after  … Read more

If your workers’ compensation claim has been accepted, and you’re getting disability payments while you treat with a workers’ comp doctor and can’t work, the maximum amount of time you can receive temporary total disability (TTD) benefits is 400 weeks (about 7.5 years), unless your claim is deemed to be “catastrophic,” meaning you are unlikely  … Read more

Often in my Atlanta workers’ compensation practice, I’m asked when an injured worker should report his injury to his employer. Simply put, you should report your workplace injury as soon as possible, but no later than 30 days. Of course, if your injury is a disease or a repetitive motion injury that developed gradually, you are not expected  … Read more