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Dealing With the Insurance Adjuster After a Workers’ Compensation Injury

After an injury at work, you will usually be contacted by an insurance adjuster.  The adjuster works for the workers’ compensation insurance company.  Instead of using the term “adjuster”, this person may refer to himself or herself as a case manager or some other job title.

You may receive a letter from the insurance adjuster.  It may be a phone call or an email.  Insurance adjusters will often ask you to provide information about your injury.  They want you to sign documents authorizing them to get your medical records and other information.

You probably have questions.  Should you trust this person? Do you have to provide this information? Here are some answers to some of those questions.

Middle aged man talking on cell phoneShould I trust the insurance adjuster?

The insurance adjuster works for the insurance company.  The insurance company is a business that wants to make money.  Your case costs them money.  So, they generally want to try to pay you as little as possible.

This does not mean that the insurance adjuster is a bad person.  In fact, the insurance adjuster may be a very nice person.  But their job is usually to pay you as little as possible on your case.  You should be very cautious about believing that they are your friend or that they are on your side.  They are not on your side.

Do I have to give a recorded statement to the insurance adjuster?

You do not have to provide a recorded statement to the adjuster.  In fact, you do not have to speak to the adjuster at all.

It is important to know that the adjuster is going to do an investigation of your injury.  The adjuster usually makes the decision about whether to pay you workers’ compensation benefits or deny your claim.  The adjuster may want to take a statement as part of that investigation.  If you do not provide information to the adjuster, it is certainly possible that the adjuster might just deny your claim.

It is also important to know that information you provide to the adjuster may be used against you to deny your claim.  If you do decide to give a recorded statement, be sure you tell the truth and be sure to carefully consider your answers.  Many people get tripped up by rushing through a recorded statement and leaving out something important.

Do I have to sign the forms the insurance adjuster sent me?

The insurance adjuster often will send you forms to sign.  You should read over and carefully consider any forms before signing them.

The most common form that an adjuster will send you is a medical authorization.  A medical authorization allows someone to get your medical records.  Under Georgia’s workers’ compensation laws, you do have to provide the insurance company with a certain type of medical authorization when requested.

The Georgia State Board of Workers’ Compensation actually publishes the medical authorization form that you must sign.  That form is a Form WC-207.  This form authorizes the insurance company to get medical records for conditions or complaints that are “reasonably related” to your work injury.

You do not need to sign a blank Form WC-207.  Only sign forms that designate the specific medical providers who have provided treatment for your injury.  If you have previously received treatment for condition or complaints that are reasonably related to your injury, you should also sign forms that designate those specific medical providers.

For example, suppose you suffered a back injury in 2016.  If you had treated with Dr. Smith in 2011 for back pain, you would need to sign a Form WC-207 for Dr. Smith.

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.

It took me probably too long to finally get a lawyer when my work comp claim started and I had no idea what I should do. I read reviews and upon recommendation of several people started the process of getting a lawyer. I am fortunate and lucky to have come across Perkins Studdard. Jason and his team has taken care of me since the moment I first called them and made sure any and all questions I had were answered as well as working hard to get me my settlement so I can continue receiving treatment. If you're looking for a good law firm to represent you in your worker's compensation case I would highly highly recommend this one.Autumn Fields
I highly recommend Perkins Law Firm. Throughout the whole process Perkins team kept me updated and explained everything very well. I am very pleased with their work. You will not be disappointed!!trina flornce
Mr. Perkins and team...Tina* they have all been so awesome. Always available to talk to me with any concerns. Kept me informed on my case all the way. Greatly appreciated!Missy Cherry
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! -BrittneyBrittney-lee orourke
This law firm is very good at what it does the staff and the lawyer's that were involved with my case all were very perfesional and curious I couldn't ask for a better law firm I want to thank everyone for a great job thanks Les RyanLeslie Ryan
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.China Jones
The entire law office was attentive and responsive to all of my concerns dealing with my workers compensation case.Luv Locs
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.moombi
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.Dana Bess
Great staff and very knowlegable. They treat you like family and work hard to get you what you need. Highly recommended.Josh Carter

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