If you have been injured at work, you need to be fully aware of your rights and the most common mistakes made by injured workers in Carrollton, Georgia. Today, we’ll look at the important injured worker rights that you need to know about. We’ll also discuss the most common mistakes that people make after a work related injury that could potentially harm your claim.
Your Rights When Filing for Carrollton, GA, Workers’ Compensation Benefits
Injured workers in Carrollton, Georgia, have a specific set of key rights. It is important to be aware of these rights when filing for workers’ compensation benefits. They are as follows:
- You have a right to medical benefits, rehabilitation benefits, and income benefits after a work related injury that requires medical treatment and/or time off work. Your family has a right to these benefits if you are killed in a work related accident.
- You have a right to choose your physician from a list of six medical professionals that your employer must provide to you. You have a right to switch doctors for a second opinion as long as you choose from the same list. If you change doctors more than once, you must alert your employer and the workers’ compensation insurance company. You have a right to emergency medical care also, and you can seek emergency care from the nearest facility.
- You have a right to medical benefits to cover doctor’s appointments, prescriptions, physical therapy, surgeries, medical devices, and even your mileage to appointments.
- You have a right to wage benefits at 2/3 your former weekly wage if you miss more than seven days, and benefits for the first seven days if you miss more than 21 days.
- You have a right to wage benefits for any traumatic injuries, such as brain injuries, paralysis, disfigurement, amputation, blindness, and more.
- You have a right to receive wage benefits for up to 400 weeks for non-catastrophic injuries and partial wage benefits for light duty work.
- You have a right to late penalty payments from the insurance company for late payments.
- You have a right to know that your family will be provided for if you are killed on the job.
Mistakes to Avoid when Filing for Workers’ Compensation benefits in Carrollton
It is just as important to be aware of the most commonly made workers’ compensation mistakes and to avoid making those mistakes. If you make any of the following mistakes, you could end up having your claim denied or minimized:
- Avoid Missing Doctor’s Appointments: If you make the mistake of missing doctor’s appointments, it indicates that you are not cooperating and perhaps that your injury is not as severe as you have claimed thus far.
- Avoid Leaving Out Details with your Attorney: It is essential to communicate effectively with your attorney and to ensure that he or she has all of the necessary information.
- Avoid Lying or Exaggerating: If you lie about anything involving your work injury and the accident that caused it, then you may end up without any credibility for the parts of your story that are true. If you think that exaggerating your injuries will help, be aware that it will only damage your credibility. You could even be charged with fraud.
- Do Not Refuse Any Light Duty Position that is Offered: When an injured worker has work restrictions from their doctor, their employer can offer a light duty position that accommodates those restrictions. If your employer offers this, you must accept it. If you do not accept it, then you can be denied for workers’ compensation benefits.
- Do Not Fail to Disclose Pre-Existing Conditions: Many workers are tempted to keep the presence of pre-existing conditions to themselves, in hopes of avoiding the potential outcome of being denied for benefits. The reality is that you cannot be denied for benefits because of a pre-existing condition, but you can damage your credibility and get into trouble for hiding it.
- Avoid Getting Upset and Causing More Complications: You may be frustrated by the process of filing a workers’ compensation claim, but getting upset and failing to cooperate can only make the situation worse. Always cooperate and work with the system. If you encounter resistance, contact an attorney rather than lashing out or becoming uncooperative.
- Do Not Fail to Follow Up Regularly with Your Doctor: Many people make the mistake of not following up with their doctors for a long period of time because they think that there is nothing more that the doctor can do for them at that time. However, if you fail to follow up at regular intervals, you could give the impression of someone who is not seriously injured.
- Do Not Hire an Attorney Based on Promises: Many lawyers will offer you the moon and promise unrealistic results for your workers’ compensation claim. You should compare attorneys, seek free consultations, read reviews, and make sure that you’re working with a lawyer who is realistic and effective in getting real results.
- Don’t Keep Switching Attorneys: Another common mistake, especially in light of the previous point, is that many workers switch attorneys in an effort to get better results. Yet, doing this makes it seem like you are a difficult client or that you are not willing to accept reason.
Contact the Law Offices of John B. Jackson & Associates to Learn More
The best thing that you can do in a workers’ compensation claim is to be will informed. Contact the determined Carrollton, GA, work injury claim lawyers at the Law Offices of John B. Jackson & Associates to get all of your questions answered and get started on the right path towards recovering compensation, medical benefits, and wage benefits. We recommend that you seek multiple free consultations to choose an attorney who is going to work best with you, and we promise to answer your questions and give you the benefit of our experienced advice.
