Do you have workers’ compensation questions related to the COVID-19 coronavirus?

Is Your Georgia Workers’ Compensation Injury Catastrophic?

As an attorney specializing in workers’ compensation cases, I know that most seriously injured workers would agree that their accidents have had a catastrophic effect on their lives

They are in pain. Their paycheck has been reduced or stopped completely. They cannot get the insurance company to agree to pay for the MRI, the surgery or other medical treatment that they need to help them get better and back to work.

That is truly a catastrophe.  But does it meet the legal definition of a catastrophic injury under the Georgia workers’ compensation law? Even if it does, what difference does that make?

It can make a huge difference as far as the protection and benefits provided to someone who has been injured at work.

Why is a catastrophic designation important?

Our workers’ compensation laws in Georgia have been watered down by insurance companies.  Becuase of that, they often provide very little protection for injured workers. Here are just a few examples:

A catastrophic designation prevents many of Georgia's bad workers' compensation laws from applying to your case

 

How a Catastrophic Designation Can Help You?

With all these cards in the deck stacked against injured workers, it is good to know that there is at least one card in your favor. That card is catastrophic injury.

In Georgia, if your workers’ compensation injury is declared catastrophic, then many of the bad laws mentioned above no longer apply to you. For example:

  • You would be allowed to be paid your temporary total disability benefits (lost wages) as long as you were in fact unable to work, even if it was more than 400 weeks since your work injury.
  • Your workers’ compensation check could not be reduced just because your doctor said you were able to do some sort of light work unless there was actually a light duty job to do.
  • You would also be given a rehabilitation person to work with you and help you get better and try to find a new career or job that you were able to do with the limitations from your injury.
  • You could continue getting medical treatment more than 400 weeks after your injury

How do I qualify for a catastrophic designation?

So now that you know how important it can be to get your Georgia work injury designated as catastrophic, the next question is how do you get a catastrophic designation. I discuss that in this article.

If you have other questions, just complete the “Need Help” form on the right side of this page to schedule a free consultation with me.

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.

Related Posts

Contrast:

Font Size:

Jason Perkins

Workers' Compensation Attorney

Interested in more Workers Compensation information?

I’ll help you understand the workers' compensation process and how to get the benefits you deserve.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.