Following a work-related injury, you may be able to seek workers’ compensation benefits in Valdosta. These benefits fall under state workers’ comp laws and may include medical care, rehabilitation, mileage, lost income, disability, and death benefits. At Fasig | Brooks, our workers’ comp attorneys may be able to help you determine what benefits are available to you after a work injury.
What Workers’ Compensation Benefits Are Available?
Workers’ compensation is a system that enables injured employees to recover compensation after sustaining a work-related injury or illness. These benefits typically cover medical expenses and lost income, along with other costs related to the injury.
Under state law, the following are the main types of workers’ compensation benefits available in Valdosta:
Medical Expenses
The main cost that workers’ comp benefits will cover is medical care, including all treatment that a medical professional deems related to a work injury.
These expenses may include:
- Emergency care
- Occupational and physical therapy
- Hospital visits
- In-home nursing
- Prescription medications
- Diagnostics
Mileage
Workers are eligible to recover compensation for the cost of transportation to and from doctors’ appointments or pharmacies to pick up prescription medications, including the total distance traveled plus parking fees.
Disability
Injured workers could also receive disability benefits based on the level of disability and how it impacts their ability to live and work. Specifically, these benefits include temporary total disability (TTD), temporary partial disability (TPD), permanent total disability (PTD), and permanent partial disability (PPD). The waiting period and total number of weeks a person could receive disability benefits will depend on the specific type of disability.
Death
If workers pass away because of their work-related injury or illness, their loved ones could recover certain types of death benefits. For example, the decedent’s spouse or children could recover weekly income benefits, along with burial and funeral expenses.
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What to Do After a Work Accident
Following a work-related accident that causes injury, there are some critical steps to take.
First, if the worker’s injuries are serious and require immediate care, they should see a doctor as soon as possible. This doctor must be on the company’s workers’ comp insurance plan, which could include two doctors, with the ability to request to see an independent doctor with a request to the State Board of Workers’ Compensation.
Injured workers should also report their injury to their employer immediately, if possible. Workers have 30 days to do so before they no longer qualify for workers’ comp benefits in Valdosta.
To begin the workers’ comp claim, workers would then complete Form WC-14 and file it with the Georgia State Board of Workers’ Compensation.
An attorney could help with this process if an individual is unsure of the kinds of benefits they can recover or how to proceed with a claim.
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Connect With a Reputable Workers’ Compensation Attorney to Secure Benefits
Depending on the nature of the work injury, your workers’ compensation case could be complex and difficult to navigate. In these instances, it helps to work with a helpful and knowledgeable lawyer when seeking workers’ compensation benefits in Valdosta.
If you need assistance with getting total compensation through a workers’ comp claim, contact us today and connect with one of the attorneys at Fasig | Brooks to schedule a legal consultation.
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