Aiken, SC area workers’ compensation lawyer J. Bradley Baker is committed to getting maximum compensation for clients.

Filing your initial workers’ compensation claim? Filing an appeal after your claim was denied? Negotiating a final settlement for permanent disability?

Aiken, SC area workers’ compensation lawyer J. Bradley Baker can help you to:

• Learn what benefits you are entitled to receive under the facts of your case and SC law,
• Gather the medical evidence you will need to prove your claim,
• File your initial workers’ compensation claim,
• Request a hearing with the Workers’ Compensation Commission,
• Negotiate with the insurance company to get full and fair compensation in your temporary benefits or a final settlement based on a total or partial permanent disability,
• Obtain independent medical evaluations when needed,
• Present your case to the Workers’ Compensation Commission,
• Maximize your impairment rating and disability rating,
• Negotiate your final settlement once you have reached maximum medical improvement (MMI), and
• File any necessary appeals.

An experienced workers’ compensation attorney in the Aiken, SC area will help you to file your initial claim, maximize your temporary benefits, appeal any unfair denials or limitations on your claim, maximize your impairment rating and disability award, and negotiate your final settlement.

How the workers’ compensation process works in Aiken, SC

Insurance companies often take advantage of unrepresented litigants who do not know what they are entitled to receive in benefits after an on-the-job injury. How do you demand what is owed to you when you are facing an industry insider who is determined not to pay your claim?

You should 1) learn about your rights as a worker in SC, 2) learn how to enforce your rights in court, and 3) get an experienced Aiken, SC workers’ compensation attorney on your side immediately.

How Do I File a Workers’ Compensation Claim in Aiken, SC?

Your employer should help you to get the right paperwork and file your claim with their insurance company. Don’t fall for the old trick of offering to pay for your ER bill “out of pocket” instead of reporting your injury to the insurance company. There are deadlines for you to 1) report your injury (and document that you reported your injury) and 2) file your claim. If you miss those deadlines, you may be forever barred from seeking benefits based on your injury. If your employer does not immediately provide you with the correct paperwork and assist in filing your claim, or if the insurance company denies your claim, you must file the claim and request a contested case hearing before the Workers’ Compensation Commission.

How Much Does Workers’ Compensation Pay in SC?

There is a range of possible benefits that you may receive after an on-the-job injury in SC depending on the nature of your injuries and whether you have a permanent disability, including:

• Medical expenses – doctor bills, hospital bills, surgery costs, medications, medical equipment, or long-term care,
• Wage replacement benefits of 66 ⅔ percent of your average weekly wage,
• Temporary benefits as you recover from your injuries,
• Permanent benefits based on partial or total permanent disability, or
• Death and funeral benefits for a deceased employee’s family. 

Can I Challenge the Denial of My Workers’ Compensation Claim in Aiken, SC?

When your workers’ comp claim is denied by the insurance company, you can challenge their decision by requesting a hearing before a South Carolina Workers’ Compensation Commissioner. If the single commissioner denies your claim, you can then file additional appeals with the Workers’ Compensation Commission and the SC Courts of Appeals. The appeals process includes:

• A contested case hearing before a single workers’ compensation commissioner,
• An appeal to the “Full Commission” (a three-commissioner panel),
• An appeal to the SC Court of Appeals, and
• An appeal to the SC Supreme Court.

You have the right to appeal most adverse decisions in your case including the initial determination of temporary benefits or later determinations of permanent benefits.

Types of Injuries Covered by Workers’ Compensation in SC?

Workers’ compensation in SC covers “accidental injuries” that “arise out of and in the course of employment.” You don’t have to prove negligence as you would after an auto accident – fault doesn’t matter. “Accidental injury” doesn’t necessarily mean “injury caused by a single event.”

The injury could be a repetitive trauma injury caused by repeated motion or it could be an occupational disease caused by repeated exposure to a harmful substance on the job.

Common injuries that are covered by workers’ compensation include:

• Carpal tunnel syndrome and other “repetitive trauma injuries,”
• Exposure to harmful chemicals that results in occupational diseases like respiratory illness, dermatitis, or cancer,
• Hearing loss,
• Loss of vision,
• Broken bones,
• Electrical shocks and burns,
• Spinal cord injuries,
• Traumatic brain injuries (TBI),
• Injuries caused by slip and fall, trip and fall, or falls from heights,
• Auto accidents,
• Forklift accidents, and
• Injuries caused by machinery in the workplace.

People in Aiken, SC turn to the workers’ compensation law firm of J. Bradley Baker because we have an established reputation for getting results on behalf of our clients, and we have years of experience fighting for the rights of injured workers in Aiken, SC, and the surrounding areas.

Aiken, SC workers’ compensation lawyer J. Bradley Baker:

• Has nearly 30 years of legal experience,
• Understands the common defenses insurance companies use to try to avoid paying your benefits,
• Knows the workers’ compensation commissioners, and the procedure for getting your claim approved, and
• Cares about his clients and the hardships that their families are facing after an on-the-job injury.

If you want personal attention from a workers’ compensation attorney who listens closely to your concerns, answers all of your questions, and keeps you up to date on what’s happening with your case throughout the entire process, call J. Bradley Baker today.

We will help you get the maximum compensation that you deserve! Call 803-356-2800 for your free consultation today.