Settlements in Catastrophic Workers Compensation Cases
Dealing with workers compensation can be confusing and overwhelming. When you suffer a serious injury, you have to worry about recovering from this injury while supporting your family and paying your bills.
On top of all that, doctors, adjusters, and case managers are talking with you about all sorts of legal and medical terms with which you may not be familiar. To receive the benefits you should while you recover, you need to make sure you understand all of these terms or have someone on your side who does.
I write articles on our blog with that in mind. I hope that these articles provide some helpful information to help you better understand the world of workers compensation and help you better understand it.
In this article, I am going to discuss and explain two terms that you may have heard:
Catastrophic injury
Settlement
What is a workers compensation settlement
A workers compensation settlement is an agreement between you and your employer and workers compensation insurance company for you to accept a lump sum amount of money and give up your workers compensation case. Essentially, the insurance company is buying your workers compensation case from you.
This article is going to focus specifically on settlements in catastrophic workers compensation cases. But, I have an article that provides a lot of good general information about settlements. If you have not read that article and want to do so, you can read it here.
What is a catastrophic workers compensation case
A catastrophic workers compensation case is a special designation that applies to certain types of injuries. There are six different types of catastrophic workers compensation injuries.
Certain types of spinal cord injuries
Certain amputations of the arm or leg
Certain brain or closed head injuries
Certain types of burns
Blindness
Injuries which prevent you from performing your prior work and work available in substantial numbers in the national economy
Qualifying for a catastrophic designation provides certain advantages such as the removal of certain limits on your case and the availability of additional benefits. To get a catastrophic designation, you either need agreement by the workers compensation insurance company or an order from a judge declaring your case catastrophic.
What is different about settling a catastrophic workers compensation case
There are several things that can be different when you settle a catastrophic workers compensation case. One common difference is that you may have qualified or be expected to soon qualify for Medicare benefits.
People who suffer catastrophic injuries often qualify for Medicare benefits because they end up qualifying for Social Security disability. After a period of eligibility for Social Security disability benefits, you become Medicare eligible.
Another thing that is different about settlement of a catastrophic case is your future eligibility for workers compensation benefits. If your case is not catastrophic, your right to future wage loss benefits and medical benefits is significantly limited. When you qualify for a catastrophic designation, many of those limits on benefits do not apply. This is important to consider in settlement.
Do I have to settle my catastrophic workers compensation case
No. You do not have to settle your workers compensation case. Settlement is completely voluntary on your part.
What happens if I do not settle my workers compensation case
If you do not settle your case, then your case stays open. Now, this does not necessarily mean that you will continue to receive workers compensation benefits. It just means that your case is not over.
Many things could happen that could end your right to benefits. The doctor could say that you are one hundred percent better. You could go back to work. You could reach the time limit for benefits.
When you settle, you are giving up that potential for some future benefits in exchange for a guaranteed lump sum amount. You know what you are getting from a settlement as opposed to leaving your case open which is uncertain.
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.
