Workers compensation was created to provide medical treatment and lost wages to people who suffer injuries at work. The workers compensation system often does a good job providing those benefits in the short term.
Unfortunately, workers compensation is not a system that you want to have to deal with for the long term. People who suffer serious injuries at work often end up experiencing some of the following problems with the workers compensation system:
Because of these problems and others, many people want to get out of the workers compensation system at some point. But, can you end a workers compensation case? If so, how do you do it?
Can you end your workers compensation case?
Yes. The primary way that a workers compensation case ends is through settlement. Settlement is an agreement you or your attorney reaches with the workers compensation insurance company. It involves the insurance company paying you a negotiated lump sum amount of money to end your case.
Settlement requires your agreement and the agreement of the workers compensation insurance company. Many people choose settlement as a way of getting out of the workers compensation system. It also provides the added benefit of paying you a lump sum amount of money at the same time.
In addition to requiring agreement with the workers compensation insurance company, Georgia workers compensation settlements require approval by the Georgia State Board of Workers’ Compensation. This means a judge at the State Board of Workers’ Compensation will have to review and sign off on the settlement paperwork. Without this approval, you cannot settle your case.
Should I settle my workers compensation case?
That is impossible for me to know without reviewing additional information. This decision depends a lot on what is going on in your case and what the insurance company is offering you to settle. These factors could make it a great or a terrible time to settle your case.
One thing is very important to understand – settlement is final. This means that it is almost impossible to go back and change it later once the settlement has been approved by the workers compensation judge.
That makes it very important that you understand all the risks and benefits of settlement. If you do not have a very good understanding, you are very likely to make a mistake when settling your case.
Are there other ways to end my workers compensation case?
Settlement is the only way to officially end your workers compensation case. But, there are other ways you could effectively end your case even though your case would technically remain open.
Letting the statutes of limitation pass on your case – Statutes of limitation are deadlines that apply to the receipt of different benefits. If you wait too long and let all the statutes of limitation pass on your case, you could be barred from receiving any further workers compensation benefits
Stop going to the doctor for treatment – if you are not going to your workers compensation doctor for treatment or testing, your case could effectively end. Also, if you start going to a nonapproved doctor to get treatment while your workers compensation case remains open, you could run into some significant problems with payment of those medical bills because of the rules associated with workers compensation medical payment
Losing your case at a hearing – if a judge concludes that you did not get hurt at work, that would effectively end your workers compensation case unless you successfully appeal that decision
While these are all ways that your case could end, I am not sure why you would want to end your case in any of these ways. Settlement almost always seems like the better way to end your case because you are receiving a lump sum payment for giving up your case and getting out of the system.
How can I learn more about workers compensation settlements?
However, every case is different. I recommend that everyone considering settling their workers compensation case speak with an attorney to get questions answered about the specific of their case. Having this conversation will drastically reduce the chance that you make a bad decision when trying to settle your case.
What if I have other questions about workers compensation?
Georgia’s workers compensation system can be very confusing. You have to worry about getting the treatment you need and paying your bills while also worrying about not missing any deadlines that could cause you to lose your right to receive workers compensation benefits.
If you have questions, I would recommend that you try to get answers. To find out more about how to schedule a time to talk to me about your workers compensation questions, just read this short article.
Jason Perkins is an attorney who specializes in representing injured workers. He regularly publishes videos and write blog articles about Georgia’s workers compensation system and issues that are important to injured workers and their families.
To be notified of Jason’s new workers compensation videos, subscribe to his Georgia Workers Compensation Video Series channel on YouTube by clicking the subscribe button below.
Amazing! Jason and his team were very helpful and had the best communication by far. Walked me though every step with great detail and had answers for any question I had. They handled my case better then I could imagine, it was a weird case and they stayed on top of it and kept me updated every step of the way! Highly recommend this Team! Thanks so much to Jason and his Awesome team!-Brittney
I absolutely love this group of attorneys, when I was at my lowest they did everything they could to help me get justice for my injury. I believe if I were to have never picked my phone up and called the amazing group that helped me I definitely would not have received my idea of rights. If you have an issue and are just not sure please understand that they will help you, stay in contact, answer any question you have, and for sure get you the justice you deserve I thank them from the bottom of my heart and I will definitely refer them to anyone who has been hurt because they most definitely care about their work and clients.
If you must get a lawyer involved, you’d do well to work with Jason Perkins and his team at Perkins Studdard Law.They were thorough in gathering information and in sharing all the steps in the workers comp process specific to my case. Jason and the team were responsive to my bevy of questions and concerns.I appreciated the informative videos and consultations provided by Jason over video meetings and multiple phone calls.I hope I’m never injured on the job again. However, if I am and if my employer responds as my previous employer did, I’ll contact Perkins Studdard Law immediately to handle the case.
Everyone at Perkins Studdard was kind and professional. They were always extremely responsive and answered all questions that I had and followed up to make sure I had an understanding of what was going on along with emailing videos to explain every step of my case so I would know what to expect and be prepared. Jason is a very genuine person and I trusted him with my case. He answered so many questions for me even before I retained him as my WC lawyer. I highly recommend him and his associates at Perkins Studdard.
