If you become injured on the job in Georgia, you may be able to seek damages for medical bills and lost wages from your employer’s workers’ compensation policy. All businesses that employ at least three workers, either full-time or part-time, legally must have this type of insurance.
After a workplace injury, follow these steps to seek workers’ compensation coverage in Georgia.
Inform your employer
Tell your supervisor about a workplace injury right away. Make a written report about the incident and provide a copy to your company’s human resources department if applicable. If you wait longer than 30 days, you may no longer be eligible to file a workers’ comp claim.
Seek medical care
Your employer may choose to offer a panel of at least six workers’ compensation doctors you can see for care if you have an injury. Industrial clinics may represent only two of these choices, at least one must be an orthopedic doctor and at least one doctor must be part of a recognized minority group. In other cases, the company may provide a phone number to its designated workers’ comp managed care organization and you can choose from any doctor in that network.
Submit a claim
File Form WC-14, Notice of Claim, with the State Board of Workers’ Compensation. You should also provide this form to your employer and to its workers’ comp insurance carrier. If you do not know who holds your employer’s policy, you can search for their coverage on the agency’s website.
Calculate the claim amount
If you are unable to work for more than a week because of your injury, you can receive up to two-thirds of your weekly earnings for each week you cannot work up to a cap of $575. For those who are significantly disabled, workers’ comp payments can continue for up to 400 weeks.
Act immediately when you suffer a workplace injury. This prevents your injury from worsening without care and preserves your eligibility for workers’ comp benefits.