Savannah Lawyer Fights for Workers’ Lost Wages or Salaries
Effective assistance maximizing your workers’ comp disability benefits
If you are hurt and can’t work, the bills can pile up fast, and before you know it, you’re facing serious financial hardship. Fortunately, workers’ compensation provides an important cash benefit when your injury or illness is work-related. For most workers, this benefit, known as temporary total disability, replaces two-thirds of their wages. You still have to tighten your belt, but these weekly payments can be enough to hold you over until you can return to work. Unfortunately, many workers have their workers’ compensation claims denied, cutting off their income entirely. If that happens to you, trust Anderson Law Firm to fight for your rights. Since 1993, we have protected the rights of workers in Southern Georgia to receive income benefits when they’ve been unable to work. We understand how much anxiety a denied claim can cause, and we advocate strongly for the benefits you deserve.
Your income benefits under Georgia’s workers’ compensation law
Under Georgia law, employees who suffer an on-the-job injury or illness are eligible for one of three types of income benefits:
- Temporary total disability — If a work-related condition prevents you from working for more than seven days, you begin receiving this type of income benefit. If your condition disables you for more than 21 consecutive days, workers’ comp will also pay for those first seven days. Your payment is set at two-thirds of your average weekly wage or salary, unless that amount exceeds the statutory limit for the benefit. If your injury is not considered “catastrophic,” you can receive TTD benefits for 400 weeks from the date of your injury. Victims of catastrophic injuries can receive unlimited TTD.
- Temporary partial disability — If you return to work but cannot perform the same tasks you previously did, and you have to take a position at lower pay, this benefit closes the gap by paying two-thirds of the difference between your current and former positions. You can receive this benefit for 350 weeks at most.
- Permanent partial disability — If your condition results in a permanent partial loss of function, you are entitled to a cash benefit based on your average weekly earnings and the disability rating your treating physician assigns.
If you have a loved one who suffered a fatal on-the-job accident, you may be entitled to death benefits based on two-thirds of your loved one’s average weekly earnings and funeral expenses at an amount set by law. These benefits are only available one at a time and cannot be combined.
Under certain circumstances, you might be able to recover the full value of your lost wages through a personal injury lawsuit.
Common disputes over income benefits in Georgia
Income replacement is one of the most important benefits you get from workers’ compensation, but it’s an expensive proposition for the insurance company. Insurers often attempt to limit disability payments by claiming:
- The injury or illness is not work-related.
- The worker is recovered from the injury or illness and ready to return to work.
- The physician’s disability rating is too high.
Your income benefits can be all that’s standing between your family and a life of extreme hardship. At Anderson Law Firm, we are determined not to let that happen. We have a solid track record of success getting the maximum benefit possible for disability cases, and we are ready to fight for you.
Contact our Savannah law office to maximize your lost wage or salary benefits
Anderson Law Firm helps injured workers recover the maximum income benefit possible under workers’ compensation. If you are having trouble collecting the benefits you deserve, we can provide effective assistance. To schedule a free consultation, call us at 912-328-6491 or contact us online. We are conveniently located at 800 Commercial Court, Savannah, Georgia 31406, less than a mile away from the Oglethorpe Mall.
