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Overview of Georgia’s workers’ compensation system

| Nov 22, 2017 | Workers' Compensation

Like all other states, Georgia has a workers’ compensation system in place that is designed to make sure employees who get injured on the job get paid quickly for their medical expenses and also get the income they lose from being out of work reimbursed, at least partially. The system also covers all funeral expenses and lost wages when a worker dies in connection with a fatal workplace accident.

Georgia’s workers’ compensation system is “no-fault.” In other words, a work accident victim need not prove that the employer was responsible for the accident. In fact, the employee can, in many cases, be the one whose carelessness caused the accident and still collect benefits.

Generally, if someone gets hurt while on the job, the employer has to pay the benefits required under the law. However, in exchange, an employee gives up a couple of important rights. For one, the employee is, with a few rare exceptions, not going to be able to sue the employer for the injuries workers’ compensation is meant to cover.

Moreover, workers’ comp only covers actual financial losses, like medical expenses and lost wages. It does not pay for so-called non-economic damages, such as pain and suffering. Effectively, in exchange for getting some benefits almost automatically, a worker loses the right to get paid everything he or she might get in court.

Workers’ compensation is meant to be a straightforward and fast way for a worker to get the money he or she needs after an accident at work or other work-related illness or injury. However, the system actually can be quite complicated, as there are a lot of rules and regulations in play, and insurance companies and employers are involved. For this reason, it is often the best course of action to file workers’ compensation claims with the help of an experienced Georgia workers’ compensation attorney.