As per Georgia workers compensation laws, if you are working in the state of Georgia and get injured while at job, you will have the legal right to receive compensation for the time period during which you have to go through medical treatment and during which you have to suffer from wage loss because you are unable to return to work, fully or partially. The laws ensure that you continue to receive some kind of income even when you are not attending your job because of the occupational injuries or illness. However, employees can make the best use of their legal rights only when they are very well familiar with these laws. Following is a brief rundown on some of the major points of the occupational injury laws in Georgia. And if you or someone you know is in need of a workers compensation lawyer, make sure to find an expert in federal and local workers compensation laws to help you with workers compensation claim.
The Doctor Must Be Selected From The List Provided By The Employer
When it comes to understanding Georgia workers compensation laws, the first thing you have to keep in mind is that though the injured employee has the right to select a doctor of his or her choice, but this selection must be made from the list of physicians provided by the employer. More information about personal injury and workers’ compensation can be found on https://www.malloy-law.com/personal-injury/wrongful-death/. It is legally mandatory for the employers to have arrangements for certain medical services and the details regarding the same must be provided to all the employees, explaining how they can use those services. For example, the employers can do this by distributing a wallet-size card and then make it compulsory for all employees to carry it all the time. This way, when an employee gets injured while at job, he or she should not have much difficulty in selecting a doctor.
Injury Reporting Requirements
The Georgia workers compensation laws require injured employees to report the accident or the occupational diseases to their employers immediately after it happens. It is very important for you to keep in mind that you may even lose your right to get occupational injuries compensation if you fail to report the incident within thirty days after the date the incident occurred. On the other hand, it is the responsibility and duty of the employer to make the injury report forms easily accessible to all employees free of cost.
Coverage
When all legal requirements are followed thoroughly, the employers are held liable to make the payments for all reasonable and necessary medical treatment bills caused by the injuries. Georgia workers compensation laws emphasize that the medical care must be provided to the injured employees in a timely manner. If the employers are found to be negligent in providing the medical care as specified under the laws, the injured employee will have the right to receive a higher amount of monetary compensation.
Though Georgia laws do not impose any restrictions on the amount of money a lawyer a charge as his or fee for handling occupational injury cases, the laws provide the legal right to the employees to get compensated even for the lawyer’s fee. As per the Georgia workers compensation laws, an injured employee can get reimbursement for up to four hundred weeks of attorney services.