If you get hurt or sustain an injury at work, one of the first things you should be concerned with is whether you should hire a worker’s compensation lawyer or not. If you’re from Atlanta, you need to know if hiring a workers compensation lawyer Atlanta helps you in case you get injured at work. This is because the law allows all injured workers to represent themselves and their claim in court.
Accidents at work can happen any time. In some cases, injured workers do not need to hire a lawyer, but many do seek help from a professional for their claim. Workers’ compensation lawyers know how to put your case together and present it to the judge in the best way possible.
Below are some of the ways a workers compensation lawyer Atlanta can help you.
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Overturning a Denied Claim
When your claim is denied, you can appeal the decision by your employer with the help of a workers’ compensation lawyer. The lawyer knows the rules and can request a priority trial so you can present your case to the judge and ask to overturn the denial. Once the claim is accepted, the lawyer can fight for your benefits under the worker’s compensation law.
Why Do Claim Denials Happen?
There are a couple of reasons why claims get denied and they are:
- There is not enough medical evidence
- There is not enough factual evidence; and
- The claim was submitted after termination or layoff (post-termination claim)
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Turn a Delayed Claim into an Accepted One
Accidents and work-related injuries happen. As an injured worker, you have the right to file a compensation claim for it, and your employer also has the right to demand an investigation for the first 90-days. This is called the “delay period”, wherein the injured employee (you) is entitled to medical treatment worth up to $10,000.00 provided by the employer. If, however, you end up missing work due to your injury, then the adjuster must pay wage replacement (temporary disability benefit) to make up for your lost wages.
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Speed Up the Hearing During the Delay Period
Your attorney can request to speed up the hearing to get you the treatment you deserve during this period. This will give you enough medical evidence to prove the nature of your injuries at work.
A workers compensation lawyer Atlanta knows how to accomplish your goals early on and help your claim in the long run.
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Helps You Get Secondary Treating Physicians
If you need to see more than one specialist for your work-related injury, then the insurance company is required to authorize a secondary treating physician. If your injury is complicated and involves multiple body systems, then you need to see more than one specialist. Experienced lawyers know how to identify your needs and get things moving so you can get the treatment you need.
Below are examples of multiple specialties:
- A worker is injured from being hit in the head by a falling object. The worker’s neck is injured and has sustained a traumatic brain injury. The worker must be examined by an orthopedist for their neck and by a neurologist for the concussion.
- A worker falls from an elevated platform resulting to them breaking their leg and sustaining internal injuries. This worker is in need of an orthopedist and internal medicine.
- A worker only needed one specialist at first, but eventually they developed health complications that required the services of a different type of specialist. This often happens when internal damage happens as a side effect to medications or when additional complications are discovered during the claims process.
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Helps You with Denied Medical Treatment on Accepted Claim
Sometimes, insurance companies deny medical treatments despite recommendations from MPN doctors. This might not make sense at first because if the company doctor requires diagnostic testing, medication and/or physical therapy, then it should be provided. However, the law allows insurance companies to deny these through Utilization Review (UR).
Your workers comp lawyer should be able to determine the basis of the UR denial and work to fix it. Your lawyer also knows the timelines and can hold the adjuster responsible for a late denial or the inability to address important facts known to the insurance company in the UR denial.
Your attorney can also help you navigate the appeals process, known as the Independent Medical Review.
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Help You Negotiate a Better Settlement
Your workers compensation lawyer Atlanta knows how to work the legal process so that you can benefit more. The appeals process costs the employer and insurance company money. When you work with a lawyer, they will fight for your benefits and make sure that they are able to negotiate a better settlement for you. This way, you’ll be able to achieve more and leave the process being better off financially.
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A Workers Comp Lawyer is Affordable
Another way a worker’s comp lawyer helps injured workers is by not charging them anything upfront. Workers comp lawyers get paid with a contingency fee, which means you can hire them even without paying anything out of pocket. You only pay them a percentage of the money you get when you win the case. You pay the comp lawyer nothing at all unless you win and get a settlement.
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They Help Get Your Outstanding Medical Bills Paid
Employers are required to pay up to $10,000.00 in medical treatment until the claim is denied. When the employer fails to perform their duties, you’ll end up accumulating unpaid bills for emergency room and hospitalization. When this happens, you’ll end up with outstanding bills but no adjuster to pay for it. Fortunately, a worker’s compensation lawyer can file for a conference to see a judge with regards to paying outstanding medical bills that are going to affect your credit score if left unpaid.
9, Help You Understand Your Case
Lastly, having a workers compensation lawyer Atlanta can help you understand the situation and your case better. Your lawyer will give you information on other cases and how those apply to your case. Your lawyer will also help you understand the context of your injury claim, and give you advice on what to expect and what to do moving forward.
