Stephen Hasner | Workers' Compensation | April 25, 2018
Injuries can happen at work when you least expect it and disrupt your life in many ways. A number of different types of injuries can cause you to miss work. Some injuries specifically affect the abilities you need to perform your job. For example, if you suffer a back injury and do heavy lifting as part of your regular job duties, you will likely need to miss work until you recover.
Additionally, some severe injuries simply require rest as part of your recovery, or you may be hospitalized for an extended period of time. For some injuries, you may not have to miss entire days or weeks of work, but still have to miss hours of work for doctor’s appointments and medical treatments.
No matter whether you miss hours or weeks of work, you can lose income as a result. Many people in the Savannah area need all of their wages to support their households and pay their bills. Even a small amount of missed income can throw off your budget and cause financial issues, while missing substantial amounts of work can wreak lasting financial havoc.
In Georgia, you have rights to certain benefits after a workplace injury, including wage replacement. Your employer’s workers’ compensation insurance should cover your medical bills and replacement of the income you lost due to your injuries. When you make a claim, you report your lost wages to the insurance company. Unfortunately, the insurance company often may not automatically compensate you based on your claims, even though you are unable to work, with bills piling up.
Like any other insurance company, workers’ compensation insurers are for-profit companies that try to limit liability when possible. One way to limit wage replacement benefits is by questioning whether you truly need time off.
For example, the insurer may claim that the nature and severity of your injury did not actually preclude you from performing your job and you should have been able to work. In these situations, you will need to provide evidence—such as medical records or doctor’s statements—to support your time off and the claimed missed income.
Even though workers’ compensation will only replace a percentage of your lost wages and there may be a cap on how much you receive, it still provides an important benefit for many injured workers and their families. If you’ve received a partial or complete denial of wage replacement benefits, you should consult an experienced attorney who understands how Georgia workers’ compensation laws work.
Contact a Savannah Workers’ Compensation Attorney at Hasner Law PC for More Information
The workers’ compensation process can be challenging and stressful, especially when you’ve been hurt on the job and need your income to pay bills. It helps to have the right legal representation by a skilled workers’ compensation lawyer who can protect your rights.
For more information, please contact the Savannah workers’ compensation law firm of Hasner Law P.C. at our nearest location to schedule a free consultation today.
We serve in Fulton County, Chatham County, and its surrounding areas:
Hasner Law PC – Atlanta Law Office
2839 Paces Ferry Rd SE #1050
Atlanta, GA 30339
(678) 888-4878
Hasner Law PC – Savannah Law Office
221 W York St
Savannah, GA 31401
(912) 234-2334
