North Carolina and South Carolina Workers’ Compensation Attorney
Workers’ Compensation Laws and Statutes vary by state. However, the general overview of the program stipulates that employers must carry workers’ compensation insurance in order to compensate workers who have been injured in the course of their employment. While injuries may be minor, requiring only one visit to the doctor and some rest to recover to full health, other injuries may be more serious. Losing a body part is a serious injury, and workers’ compensation provides benefits. Even if you do not lose a body part, any comparable injury, like nerve damage, may be covered.
Workers’ Compensation Attorney Brian Steed Tatum has many years of helping injured workers recover benefits for their injuries that occurred as a result of their employment. Brian Steed Tatum is experienced in both North Carolina and South Carolina Workers’ Compensation laws and he can provide guidance and advocate on your behalf to ensure that your employer’s workers’ compensation insurance company provides you the maximum benefits that you are allowed by law.
Workers’ Compensation–Loss of Use of Body Parts
All workers’ compensation statutes in every state provide a specific compensation amount for an employee who loses the use of a body part during employment. Even if a worker only loses partial use of a body part, the workers’ compensation statutes provide how much that worker should receive for that injury.
The Workers’ Compensation Acts in North Carolina and South Carolina provide a fee schedule that lists the compensation that should be paid to an injured worker for the permanent impairment or loss to one of more parts of the body. This amount does not include other workers’ compensation benefits like medical expenses, rehabilitation fees, and other disability benefits.
While the Workers’ Compensation Act sets the maximum value for the total loss of a body part, the partial loss of a body part may still be compensable. Many states use a mathematical computation to determine the amount that an injured worker is to be paid for the partial loss of use of a body part. If the injury is not severe enough to be a total loss of the body part, then the percentage of loss of use must be determined. The percentage of loss of use is generally based on a permanent impairment rating that is given by the doctor treating the injury.
A medical impairment rating is the measure of permanent loss of mobility and strength caused by an injury. This is different from the Workers’ Compensation disability rating, which tells how your injury affects your ability to work. The disability rating accounts for the lost ability to do your job because of an injury. Both measurements are important in determining your workers’ compensation benefits.
When to Contact a Workers’ Compensation Attorney
Workers’ compensation requirements can be complicated, and you might not always know what your rights are. In most cases, workers’ compensation benefits take away your right to sue your employer if you have been injured due to your employer’s negligence. Since there may not be another remedy available to you, it is important that you know and understand your rights so that you are completely compensated for the injury that you suffered at work.
At the Tatum Law Firm, we understand the difficult and stressful the workers’ compensation process. We have had years of experience in dealing with workers’ compensation insurance companies and self-insured employers. We can therefore represent your interests to ensure that you will receive adequate care and compensation for your injuries.
Attorney Brian Steed Tatum is an experienced workers’ compensation attorney who will advocate for your rights until you receive the compensation you deserve for your injuries.
If you or a loved one has been injured on the job and would like a free case evaluation, please contact us online or at our office (704) 307-4350.