Sep 20, 2018

Medical Aspects of Workers’ Compensation in Georgia

If you were recently injured in a workplace accident, or if you’re
suffering from an
occupational disease and you’re thinking about filing a
workers’ compensation claim, you’ll probably have questions about the medical aspects
of workers’ comp.

“Are all medical procedures covered? Are prescriptions included?
Will I have to pay for the doctor out-of-pocket?” These are all
reasonable questions, which we’ll be happy to answer below. If you
have further questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us directly.

What You Need to Know About Medical Coverage

For starters, workers’ compensation is a no-fault accident insurance
that is paid by South Carolina employers to provide injured or ill workers
with medical, income and rehabilitation benefits after they’ve been
injured on the job.

By “no fault,” we mean that injured workers are entitled to
benefits regardless of who was at fault. In other words, the worker could
be to blame for the injury, but that won’t stop the worker from
obtaining benefits.

Under South Carolina law, all businesses with three or more workers, including
companies with part-time employees, are required to maintain workers’
compensation insurance. So, as long as your employer has at least three
employees, you should be covered. That being said, here’s what you
need to know about medical coverage:

• You can’t use just any doctor. Your employee will have at least six
  approved doctors that you have to choose from – you can choose from
  any of the six.
• You will not have to pay for your medical care. Instead, your employer’s
  insurance provider will cover the costs of your authorized medical treatment,
  providing it was for a workplace injury.
• All authorized medical treatment will be covered by the workers’
  compensation insurance. This includes hospital bills, surgery, orthopedic
  devices, physical therapy, and prescriptions.
• All workplace injuries that occurred on or after July 1, 2013 shall be
  entitled to medical treatment for 400 weeks from the date of the accident.
• If an injury was catastrophic, the injured worker may be entitled to lifetime
  medical benefits.

Looking for an Atlanta workers’ compensation lawyer?
Contact The Law Offices of Nathaniel F. Hansford, LLC for a
free case evaluation!