Does Workers’ Compensation Pay for Missed Work Days?

If you were injured at work or because of work, workers’ compensation could pay for missed workdays. According to the South Carolina Workers’ Compensation Commission (WCC), an injured worker may be able to collect two-thirds of their normal weekly wages, called the Compensation Rate, while temporarily disabled from a workers’ compensation injury. In addition, you may have any authorized injury-related medical treatment covered.

Workers’ compensation disability benefits are essential for employees who were injured on the job. Injuries often cause employees to have to miss work. When they are relying on this income to pay their bills or support their families, an injury can be life-altering. Workers’ compensation ensures an employee does not have to suffer financially due to an injury or illness caused on the job.

If you think you could be entitled to workers’ compensation benefits, you should notify your employer as soon as possible to ensure you follow the proper steps. Not doing so could result in missed compensation.

The South Carolina Workers’ Compensation System

Workers’ compensation is a type of insurance that employers use to compensate workers who suffer an injury during the course of employment. South Carolina operates a no-fault workers’ compensation system, meaning an employee may be able to collect workers’ compensation regardless of who caused their injuries, as long as the employee was not involved in horseplay, fighting, or intentionally injures themself.

There are four different types of workers’ compensation payments in the state of South Carolina. These include:

• Permanent total
• Temporary total
• Permanent partial
• Temporary partial

The type and amount of payment you may receive could vary depending on the severity of the injury you suffer. It also depends on how much time you are written out of work.

If your injury requires you to take some time off work but still work partial hours, you could be entitled to partial disability. If you cannot work at all for a period of time due to your injury, you could receive a temporary total disability.

In addition, workers’ compensation may take into consideration whether or not you are likely to return to work. If it is determined you will never be able to return to work, you could be entitled to permanent total disability. This could be settled in separate payments or a lump sum payment settlement.

Otherwise, you may be able to collect workers’ compensation until you recover from your injuries and a doctor releases you to return to work. At that time generally, you will be assigned a disability rating for the body parts injured or affected by the injury.

What May Be Included in Workers’ Compensation Payments

If you were injured due to your occupation, you could be entitled to workers’ compensation benefits. This may cover the costs of:

Medical Treatment

Your medical treatment could be covered by workers’ compensation. However, this can be tricky. According to the South Carolina Bar, depending on your employer, you might have to see specific doctors and medical providers. All treatment must be authorized by your employer and generally, the employer gets to choose the doctors. To be sure, you should discuss treatment options with your employer before seeking treatment unless you are in need of emergency medical treatment.

Lost Wages

When an employee is totally disabled in South Carolina, the employee may be paid a weekly compensation equal to 66 and two-thirds percent of their weekly income. You should not have to lose out on your entire income when you are injured due to your career. Workers’ compensation could cover the cost of a large percentage of your lost wages.

Permanent Partial Disability

Permanent partial disability is the disability to your body after you have completed medical treatment and have been placed at Maximum Medical Improvement. If you still have impairment after treatment and the doctors have no additional recommended therapies for pain management, then the authorized treating physician will assign you an impairment rating based upon your functional abilities and permanent restrictions, such as limited lifting, pushing, or pulling. Insurers often try to low ball Claimants at this stage or say that there is no disability. That is where Hammack Law Firm can put our experience to work for you.

Permanent Total Disability

Permanent total disability is when you are permanently unable to return to work at all due to your injury. You could be entitled to permanent disability payments through the workers’ compensation system if a doctor determines that you are permanently disabled. Generally, the amount of benefits is capped at 500 weeks.

How Hammack Law Firm Can Help

Workers’ compensation pays qualifying workers for missed workdays and medical expenses in South Carolina. If you were injured at work and feel as though you have not been treated fairly when it comes to your workers’ compensation claim, Hammack Law Firm may be able to help you. We assist our clients with:

• Filing workers’ compensation claims
• Contesting denied claims
• Contesting a termination of benefits
• Negotiating for a settlement from the workers’ compensation insurance company

At Hammack Law Firm, we pride ourselves on providing warm, supportive, and caring service to our clients. We provide a small firm feel with a big firm experience and believe that our Google reviews and the testimonials on our website speak for themselves.

You do not need to face any hurdles in your workers’ compensation case alone. For a free consultation with a member of our team, call Hammack Law Firm today at (864) 326-3333(864) 326-3333. We may be able to represent you on a contingency-fee-basis with no up-front payments required.