Atlanta work injury lawyers can help fight for what you deserve
When a tragic workplace accident occurs, the compensation process should be straightforward. If you’re injured on the job, you should know that you have certain rights, benefits and responsibilities. Your employer also has obligations and responsibilities regarding all employees under Georgia law. Unfortunately, employers and insurance companies often put profits before the best interests of their employees, leaving injured individuals and their families stranded in financial limbo.
As diligent and dedicated Atlanta work injury lawyers with 50+ years of combined experience, we have helped thousands of injured workers across many different industries overcome a variety of common workers’ compensation obstacles such as denied claims, pre-existing conditions, returning to work and more.
Starting with this website, we aim to provide helpful legal advice about injury cases specific to your field or profession, and we won’t stop until we’ve secured the best possible outcome in your case.
Contact us today to schedule your free consultation.
Georgia Workers’ Compensation Law & Employee Responsibilities
Workers’ compensation is a type of insurance paid for by employers and companies that provides compensation for wage loss and medical bills to employees injured on the job or during the course of employment.
Workers’ comp also provides monetary compensation to the spouse and dependents of a person who is fatally injured as a result of a work-related accident.
In the state of Georgia, workers’ comp insurance is mandatory for most businesses with three or more employees, including part-time workers.
Georgia workers’ compensation law (O.C.G.A. (34-9-81.1)) provides every person working in the state coverage for a work-related injury, even if an injury occurs on the first day on the job. In order to qualify for these benefits, the injured worker must adhere to the following responsibilities:
- Follow written rules of safety and other reasonable policies and procedures of the employer.
- Report any accident immediately, or no later than 30 days after the accident, to your employer, your employer’s representative, your foreman or immediate supervisor.
- Accept reasonable medical treatment and rehabilitation services when ordered by the State Board of Workers’ Compensation.
- Show that the incident wasn’t caused due to the employee’s willful misconduct.
- Notify the insurance carrier/employer of your address when you move to a new location; also notify the insurance carrier/employer when you are able to return to full-time or part-time work, and report the amount of your weekly earnings because you may be entitled to some income benefits even though you have returned to work.
- Notify the insurance carrier/employer upon change of address or remarriage (in the case of a dependent spouse of a deceased worker).
- Attempt a job approved by the authorized treating physician, even if the pay is lower than the job you had when you were injured.
- File a claim within one year after the date of last authorized medical treatment or within two years of your last payment of weekly benefits if you believe you are entitled to income benefits and your insurance carrier/employer denies these benefits.
- File a claim with the State Board of Workers’ Compensation within one year after the death of a loved one due to a work-related accident.
- Submit any request for reimbursement to you for mileage or other expenses related to medical care to the insurance carrier/employer within one year of the date the expense was incurred.
- Submit to a drug test following an on-the-job injury if asked to, or provide justifiable evidence for a refusal.
- Tell the truth or risk being guilty of a misdemeanor for making false or misleading statements when claiming benefits.
Helping Injured Workers Across Georgia
From two convenient law offices in Atlanta and Athens, Gerber & Holder attorneys continue to build on their proven success at securing compensation in cases involving many types of injuries, including head/brain injuries, neck/back injuries, hip injuries and more. We commonly represent injured workers in dangerous industries such as:
- Manufacturing (factory workers, assembly line personnel, heavy machine operators and others)
- Construction (carpenters, welders, ironworkers, roofers and others)
- Healthcare (doctors, nurses, nursing assistants, orderlies, hospital workers and others)
- Law enforcement (police officers, detectives, investigators and others)
We also represent Georgians in occupations with lesser known dangers such as cleaners and restaurant staff.
Client Reviews
In most states, PTSD benefits fall under “mental/mental,” “mental-only” or “psychological” injuries. While a majority of states allow some form of compensation for mental injuries arising out of a physical injury at work (mental/physical injuries), far fewer states allow workers’ compensation for mental harm, suffering, damage, impairment, or dysfunction resulting from some action or failure to act by some individual. Find out more
Workers’ Compensation Resources
Learn more about how the workers’ compensation process works in Georgia
- What To Expect During a Doctor Evaluation for a Workplace Back Injury
- What is a Rebuttable Presumption and Affirmative Defense?
- What Are the Top Causes of Work-Related Accidents in Georgia?
- How Can I Get the Best Possible Settlement in My Workers’ Compensation Claim?
- Workers’ Compensation Death Claims in Georgia
- What is Maximum Medical Improvement (MMI) in Georgia Workers’ Compensation Claims?
- Georgia Workers’ Compensation If You Were Injured in Another State
- Signs of a Bad Workers’ Compensation Lawyer
- Workers’ Compensation for Occupational Illnesses and Diseases in Georgia
- How to Report a Company for Unsafe Working Conditions in Georgia
- How Social Media Can Affect Your Georgia Workers’ Compensation Case
- How Long Does a Georgia Workers’ Compensation Claim Take?
- Functional Capacity Evaluation & Workers’ Compensation
- What You Should Know About Georgia Workers’ Compensation Settlements
- Failed Drug Test While on Georgia Workers’ Compensation
- Types of Medical Treatment Available in Georgia Workers’ Compensation Cases
- Georgia Workers’ Compensation for Workplace Violence
- What Can a Georgia Workers’ Compensation Lawyer Do for You?
- How to Appeal a Denied Workers’ Compensation Claim
- Georgia Catastrophic Injuries in the Workplace
- The Rights and Responsibilities of Employees and Workers
- What is Subrogation?
- When Can You Refuse Work in a Workers’ Compensation Case?
- When to Hire a Georgia Workers’ Compensation Lawyer
- Social Security Disability and Workers’ Compensation in Georgia
- How Do Pre-existing Conditions Impact Workers’ Comp in Georgia?
- Georgia’s Bill of Rights for the Injured Worker
- How to Find the Best Georgia Workers’ Compensation Attorney
- Resolving a Georgia Workers’ Compensation Claim Out of Court
- How to Choose the Best Doctor For Your Work-Related Injury or Illness
- Can You Reopen a Closed Workers’ Compensation Case in Georgia?
- Georgia Workers’ Compensation Case Timeline
- What to Say (And What NOT to Say) to Your Georgia Workers’ Compensation Doctor
- A Brief History of Workers’ Compensation in Georgia
- Do I Have to Settle My Workers’ Compensation Claim?
- When Can You Sue a Third-Party for a Work-Related Injury?
- Why Hiring the Best Workers’ Compensation Lawyer is Important
- Should You Return to Work While Your Workers’ Compensation Case is Pending?
- What To Do If Your Employer Doesn’t Have Workers’ Compensation Coverage
- Workers’ Compensation Mileage/Parking Reimbursement in Georgia
- Common Tactics Employers and Insurers Employ to Reduce Workers’ Compensation
- Important Questions to Ask Your Georgia Workers’ Compensation Lawyer
- Overview of Workers’ Compensation Attorney Fees
- Injured On The Job? What To Do Next
- When Your Claim is Denied
- Workers’ Comp Benefits Guide for Injured Workers
- FAQs: Common Questions About Workers’ Comp
- Fatal Work Accidents & Death Benefits
- Common Types of Back & Neck Injuries After an Accident
- What to Do After a Work-Related Back Injury
- Common Signs and Symptoms of a Workplace Back or Neck Injury
- What To Do After a Whiplash Accident While On-the-Job
- Common Mistakes: What NOT To Do When Injured at Work
- Employer’s Responsibilities for Injured Workers
- Do You Qualify for Workers’ Comp?
- Georgia Hearing Process
- Wage Loss Benefits
- Medical Benefits
- Permanent Partial Disability Benefits
- Vocational Rehabilitation Benefits
- Workers’ Comp Statute of Limitations (Time Limits)
- Workers’ Comp Glossary
- Workers’ Comp vs. Personal Injury
- Employer Retaliation Against Injured Workers
- How to Prepare to Meet Your Workers’ Compensation Attorney
- How To Prepare for a Workers’ Compensation Deposition
Government Resources on Workplace Safety
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
Provides comprehensive information on workplace injuries from a division of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
Provides comprehensive workplace safety information from a branch of the U.S. Department of Labor.
U.S. Department of Labor – Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs (OWCP)
Web site for the federal agency that administers workers’ compensation-like benefit programs for federal government workers, energy workers, maritime workers and coal miners.
Haz-Map: Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Agents
Information on hazardous substances and occupational disease from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Workplace Health and Safety
Information on workers’ compensation and links to information on occupational health and workers’ rights, provided by the AFL-CIO.
Injuries, Illnesses and Fatalities (IIF) program
Statistics and articles on injuries, illnesses and fatalities in the workplace from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
Job Accommodation Network (JAN)
A free consulting service for workers with disabilities and their employers from the U.S. Department of Labor that provides information about job accommodations, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the employability of people with disabilities.
Workers’ Compensation: An Overview
Overview of workers’ compensation law from Cornell Law School.
Take Action By Talking to an Atlanta Workers’ Comp Attorney
Are you ready to learn more about your injury claim? Fill out a contact form or give us a call and we’ll be in touch with you shortly to get more details about your case. The Georgia statute of limitations requires injured workers to file a workers’ compensation claim within 1 year from date of injury (not 2 years like most other personal injury claims). After this period, your chance to receive financial reimbursement may expire.
