For most people, Georgia workers’ compensation benefits do not last forever.
Your access to medical treatment and wage replacement benefits depends on factors like the severity of the injury, its impact on your ability to work, and other case-specific details.
Understanding the rules governing each type of benefit, including how long each one lasts and when payments may stop, is important to protect your rights and confirm that the insurance company pays you the workers’ compensation benefits that you are entitled to.
If you sustained a workplace injury and believe your payments ended too soon, an experienced workers’ compensation attorney can review your situation and help you respond appropriately.
What’s the Duration of Each Type of Workers’ Comp Benefit?
Most Georgia employers are required to carry workers’ compensation insurance. Qualified employees with a work-related injury or illness may receive workers’ compensation benefits that fit into one of the following categories:
- Temporary total disability (TTD) – Replaces wages when your doctor says you cannot work at all. Under Georgia law, payments may run for up to 400 weeks in non-catastrophic injury cases, and catastrophic injuries may result in lifetime income benefits.
- Temporary partial disability (TPD) – Applies when you can return to work on light duty, but earn less than your pre-injury wage. Georgia law caps TPD at 350 weeks and pays two-thirds of the gap between your old and new wages. Guidance from a workers’ compensation attorney can help you check the insurer’s math.
- Permanent partial disability (PPD) – Provides compensation for permanent loss of function or impairment after you reach maximum medical improvement (MMI). Under O.C.G.A. § 34-9-263, a schedule assigns weeks to each body part based on your impairment rating. When income ends, a workers’ compensation lawyer can review the rating if the award seems low.
Reasons Georgia Workers’ Compensation Benefits Might End Early
Many people feel blindsided if workers’ compensation ends before they are ready to return to full duty. Even with an approved claim, Georgia law allows insurance companies to stop or suspend payments under certain circumstances.
Common reasons include:
- Your authorized doctor releases you to full duty.
- You refuse suitable light-duty work.
- The insurer claims there was a change in condition and disputes your workers’ compensation claim.
- You miss medical appointments or required exams.
When workers’ compensation payments are terminated for one of these reasons, you still have rights. You can request a hearing or submit evidence with the State Board of Workers’ Compensation to challenge an improper cutoff and seek back pay.
Check with an attorney before pursuing this path.
How Your Workers’ Comp Benefits Can Be Extended
Even with time limits, some injured workers seek additional compensation under certain circumstances. Catastrophic designation can convert limited workers’ compensation benefits into lifetime income and medical coverage when the injury keeps you from performing substantial gainful work.
If workers’ compensation ends and your condition later gets worse, Georgia’s change-in-condition rule lets you ask for more income within two years of the last payment, or within four years if benefits are sought solely for PPD benefits. An experienced lawyer can gather medical records and file the Board forms for your workers’ compensation case.
You can also request a higher impairment rating if your conditions worsen after the first exam. A revised rating can increase the weeks of PPD you receive under the statutory schedule and keep income flowing during recovery.
What to Do if Workers’ Comp Benefits Run Out Sooner Than Expected
Quick action matters once workers’ compensation cases end. Keep every notice from the insurer, track missed payments, and talk with your doctor about how the loss of medical benefits will affect ongoing care.
This is also when it’s time to consult an experienced workers’ comp attorney at Underwood Law LLC. You shouldn’t have to take a financial hit from lost wages if your benefits ended too soon.
Our legal team can determine whether the cutoff complies with Georgia law and what to do next. We have years of experience helping injured employees and can stand between you and a workers’ compensation insurance company that pressures you to return to work too early.
Contact us today for a free consultation.
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