Workers’ Compensation
Lawyer Charleston, SC

Need a Workers’ Compensation Lawyer in Charleston, SC?

A Charleston, SC workers’ compensation attorney can help you to file your workers’ comp claim, present your medical evidence to the workers’ compensation commission, and file any appeals that are needed to get your claim approved. 

If you have been injured on the job in Charleston, you may have already discovered that your employer’s insurance company is not necessarily on your side – they are in business to make money, and they don’t make money by paying every claim. 

The insurance industry is about making profits, and they do that by denying, delaying, or limiting workers’ compensation claims whenever they can – at your expense. 

If your valid claim has been denied or limited by your employer’s insurance company at any stage of the proceeding, or if you want to maximize your chance of getting full compensation from your workers’ comp claim, call a workers’ compensation attorney now. 

At every stage of the claims process, the Charleston, SC workers’ compensation law firm of J. Bradley Baker will fight to help you to recover the full benefits to which you are entitled after an on-the-job injury. 

Charleston, SC Workers’ Compensation lawyer J. Bradley Baker is committed to getting maximum compensation for clients.

Whether you are filing your initial workers’ compensation claim, appealing a denial of your valid claim, or negotiating a final settlement to compensate for a permanent disability suffered on the job, Charleston, SC workers’ compensation lawyer J. Bradley Baker can help you to:

• File your workers’ compensation claim,
• Negotiate with the insurance company to get full and fair compensation for your injuries,
• Obtain an independent medical opinion when necessary, 
• Gather the medical evidence you will need to present to the workers’ compensation commission, 
• Present your medical evidence to the commission, 
• File appeals when necessary, 
• Help you to maximize your impairment rating and negotiate your final settlement if you have reached maximum medical improvement (MMI) and still have a total or partial permanent disability, and
• File any appeals that are necessary if your valid claim of permanent disability has been denied or unfairly limited. 

An experienced workers’ compensation attorney in Charleston, SC does much more than just file your workers’ compensation claim – our workers’ compensation law firm will help you to maximize your temporary benefits and your final settlement, litigate denials or unfair limitations on your benefits, and appeal any mistakes made by the worker’s compensation commissioner. 

How the workers’ compensation process works in Charleston, SC:

Understand your rights when you are injured on the job, and how to enforce them in court when the insurance company refuses to pay your claim.

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

First, you must immediately report your accident and injuries to your employer. 

You have 90 days to report the accident and up to two years to file your claim, but, if you do not immediately make the report and seek treatment, your employer or their insurance company may claim that 1) you were not injured at the workplace or 2) you are exaggerating your injuries. 

In many cases, your employer will help you to file your claim by providing you with the paperwork. If your employer does not assist with the process, you will need to file the claim yourself. 

If your claim is denied or unfairly limited, you can request a hearing before the workers’ compensation commissioner. 

If your claim is denied or unfairly limited by the commissioner, you can file an appeal.

What Does Workers’ Compensation Pay in SC? 

The type and amount of benefits that you receive will depend on the nature of your injuries and how they affect your ability to perform your job. 

This could include:

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

How Do I File a Workers’ Compensation Appeal in Charleston, SC?

When your workers’ comp claim is denied by the workers’ compensation commissioner, you can file an appeal to get their decision reversed and to get your benefits approved. 

You may be able to file a number of appeals to higher authorities if the commissioner denies your claim in error, including:

• When the insurance company denies your claim, you can request a contested hearing before a single workers’ compensation commissioner,
• You can then appeal to the Workers’ Compensation Commission (a three-commissioner panel), 
• The SC Court of Appeals, and 
• The SC Supreme Court. 

This same appeals process may be available as needed at other stages of your case, including when the insurance company denies your permanent benefits for total or partial permanent disability or when a mistake is made in your impairment rating or disability rating that reduces the amount of your final settlement. 

When Does Workers’ Compensation Pay in SC?

Workers’ compensation covers “accidental injuries” that “arise out of and in the course of employment.” 

If it is an “accidental injury,” and it happened “on the job,” you should be covered, regardless of who was at fault for the accident. 

This includes compensation for common workplace injuries like:

• Back and Neck Injuries
• Shoulder and Arm Injuries
• Knee, Leg Injuries and Hip Injuries, 
• 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. 
• Carpal Tunnel Syndrome,
• Exposure to harmful Chemicals that result in occupational diseases like respiratory illness.

People continue to retain The law firm of J. Bradley Baker because the workers’ compensation attorney draws from years of experience fighting for the rights of injured workers in Charleston, SC, and the surrounding areas.

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

• Has nearly 30  years of legal experience,
• Understands SC workers’ compensation law and the common defenses insurance companies use to try to avoid paying your benefits, 
• Regularly appears in front of the workers’ compensation commissioners, and knows 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. He will help you get the maximum compensation that you deserve!