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Georgia Workers’ Compensation Forms – Form WC-2, WC-3, and WC-14

Georgia workers’ compensation law uses many different forms.  This article discusses three forms you may encounter when benefits are paid or denied in your case.

Notice of Payment or Suspension of Benefits (Form WC-2)

The Form WC-2 is a form that you are likely to receive in your case if your doctor disables you from work or says that you can go back to work.  This form has a dual purpose:

  1. Your employer or their insurance company use it when they start paying (commence) benefits
  2. They also use it when they stop paying (suspend) benefits.

In either situation, the individual preparing the Form WC-2 should complete Part A of the form.

If benefits are being started, the employer or insurance company should also complete Part B of the Form WC-2 and indicate several things:

  • The weekly benefit amount
  • The date that benefits started/will start
  • The type of benefit that is being paid
  • The date and amount of the first check
  • Whether or not the first check includes a late penalty

Many people worry when they receive a Form WC-2 suspending their workers' compensation benefitsIf benefits are being suspended, then the employer or insurance company will complete Part C of the Form WC-2.  As the form states, there are ten separate enumerated reasons that benefits might be suspended.  These reasons for suspension generally fall into a few basic categories

  • You have returned to work or are able to return to work
  • You have recovered from your injury
  • Your benefits (temporary total disability, temporary partial disability, or permanent partial disability) have run out

It is important to understand that the suspension is not a determination by a judge or anyone at the Georgia State Board of Workers’ Compensation.  It is simply a claim being made by your employer or their workers’ compensation insurance company.  You or your attorney can contest this suspension.

Notice to Controvert (Form WC-3)

“Controvert” is a fancy word for “deny”.  So, when you receive a Form WC-3 Notice to Controvert, the insurance company is denying either your whole claim or some specific part of your claim.  Under Section B of the form in the middle of the page, the person filing the notice to controvert should specify what is being denied.

Section (B)(1) is completed if the entire case is being denied by your employer or insurance company.  Section (B)(2) is completed if a specific form of medical treatment or testing is being denied for some reason.  Section (B)(3) is completed if only part of the claim is being denied.

Notice of Claim/Request for Hearing/Request for Mediation (Form WC-14)

The most common use of a Form WC-14 is to request a hearing in front of an Administrative Law Judge at the Georgia State Board of Workers’ Compensation.  Hearings decide controversies or disagreements between injured workers and their employers about workers’ compensation cases.

If you do not have an attorney and receive a Form WC-14, then your employer or their workers’ compensation insurance company is probably requesting a hearing A workers' compensation hearing involves a decision by an administrative law judgeabout some issue in your case.  They could be seeking to suspend your workers’ compensation weekly benefits or seeking to change your workers’ compensation doctor.  The reason that they are requesting a hearing should be stated in Section B of the Form WC-14 under “Hearing/Mediation Issues”.

Sometime after the request for hearing is filed, you will receive a Notice of Hearing from the Georgia State Board of Workers’ Compensation.  This notice informs you when your case is scheduled for trial.

You are not required to have an attorney to go to a hearing, but I would strongly recommend it.  There are special rules that apply in order to present evidence at a hearing.  Attorneys have training to know how to present your case and how to get evidence admitted in court.

Without proper representation, you may fail to get the evidence admitted that is needed to prove your case.  If this happens, you will likely lose your case.

What should I do if I receive one of these forms?

If you have been injured at work and receive one of these forms, you should talk to a workers’ compensation attorney.  These forms affect the workers’ compensation benefits you receive.

You need to make sure the insurance company pays you the benefits you should receive. An attorney can help you understand that.

Many people worry that speaking with an attorney will be expensive. I provide free consultations in workers’ compensation cases so that people do not have to worry about that cost. If you are interested in finding out more about how a free consultation works and what you will learn, just take a couple of minutes and look at this article that explains the process.

Other Georgia workers’ compensation forms

There are many other Georgia workers’ compensation forms. To find out more about those forms, just read this other article about the basic forms

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.

Brittney-lee orourkeBrittney-lee orourke
05:23 18 Feb 22
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
China JonesChina Jones
18:58 08 Feb 22
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.
Luv LocsLuv Locs
16:08 15 Jan 22
The entire law office was attentive and responsive to all of my concerns dealing with my workers compensation case.
moombimoombi
21:14 02 Jan 22
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.
Dana BessDana Bess
23:57 10 Dec 21
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.
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