If you have been injured at work and have a question about workers’ compensation eligibility, you will want to contact Greenville workers’ compensation lawyers. Generally, South Carolina employers with four or more workers are required to carry workers’ compensation insurance. So if you work for one of these employers and have been injured at work, you may be eligible for benefits.

What Does It Mean to Be Injured?

Generally, any injury caused by your work may entitle you to workers’ compensation benefits. Greenville workers’ compensation attorneys will tell you that injuries are not limited to physical injuries and can include mental and psychological injuries. The only requirement is that the injury arises out of and during the course of employment. Some common on-the-job physical injuries can include:

• back pain
• neck pain
• broken bones
• carpal tunnel syndrome
• knee and joint pain

Greenville workers’ compensation attorneys are aware that physical injuries tend to be easier to prove, as you can point to an X-ray or other medical evidence of the injury. However, if you are claiming workers’ compensation for stress, mental illnesses, disease, psychological injury, or an injury that is related to a preexisting condition, you may have to provide additional evidence. In these cases, it is advisable to work with Greenville workers’ compensation lawyers to ensure that your claim for benefits is complete.

Are You an Employee?

You must be an “employee” to be entitled to benefits. Fortunately, Greenville workers’ compensation lawyers know that South Carolina workers’ compensation laws provide a very broad definition of employee, which includes:

• regular employees
• workers under a contract of hire
• apprentices
• aliens
• minors
• those who are lawfully or unlawfully employed

If you are told that you are not eligible for workers’ compensation benefits due to your employment status, you may want to talk to an attorney to learn about your rights.

Contact Greenville Workers’ Compensation Lawyers

If you have been injured at work and have a question about your eligibility for workers’ compensation benefits, you should contact experienced Greenville workers’ compensation lawyers. The attorneys at the Dennison Law Firm are here to help you get the benefits you are entitled to. Contact us at 866-342-5770.

South Carolina workers’ compensation law can be very complex and confusing. As a result, you will want to work with experienced Greenville workers’ compensation attorneys. To help you understand this body of law, here are five things that every injured worker should know:

1. Reporting an Injury. You should immediately report all injuries at work to your employer. If you don’t report an injury within 90 days of an accident, you may lose your right to collect benefits.
2. Filing a Claim. Generally, your employer may report the accident for you. But if the employer denies the claim or otherwise does not report, you may have to personally file the claim. To file a claim, you should submit a Form 50 or Form 52 to the workers’ compensation commission. You may need the assistance of experienced Greenville’s workers’ compensation attorneys to assist you with the application.
3. Getting Compensation for Missed Work Time. If your injury causes you to miss work, you can get compensated for the missed work time. Just be aware that there is a seven-day waiting period before benefits can be paid.
4. Knowing How Much You Will Receive. The amount that you can receive for a workers’ compensation injury is a very personal matter. It depends upon the nature of your injury and how much you earned immediately preceding the accident. Generally, workers’ compensation can cover things like necessary medical treatment, lost wages, and compensation for permanent disability.
5. Knowing When Benefits End. Workers’ compensation benefits do not go on indefinitely. In fact, the benefits may end as soon as your doctor releases you to return to work. You should receive a notice that compensation will stop and for what reasons. If you disagree with the termination, your Greenville workers’ compensation attorneys may be able to fight the decision.

Contact a Greenville Workers’ Compensation Attorney

If you have been injured at work and have a question about South Carolina workers’ compensation, you should contact an experienced attorney. The Greenville workers’ compensation attorneys at the Dennison Law Firm are here to help you receive the compensation you are owed. Contact us at 866-342-5770 for a free initial consultation.

There are certain missteps that employees often take after being injured on the job. A Greenville workers’ compensation attorney can assist you in your workers’ compensation claim so you don’t make these, or any other, mistakes.

Reporting Your Injury to Your Doctor, but Not Your Employer

You should immediately report any injury to your employer. The employer is then required to tell their insurance company. South Carolina law gives you only 90 days to report a workplace injury; otherwise you may lose your workers’ compensation benefits. You have 2 years to file a claim to receive benefits.

Not Recognizing that Your Injury Is Workplace Related

While a broken arm or back injury that occurs on the job is clearly work-related, people sometimes don’t recognize other injuries as being a result of their employment. For example, repetitive stress injuries occur as a result of performing the same task over and over again. Carpal tunnel syndrome is one of the most common types of repetitive strain injuries. Generally, people think of carpal tunnel syndrome as resulting from computer use, but there are other causes as well. The injured worker must show a “reasonable degree of medical certainty” that there is a causal relation between the work and the injury to be covered under workers’ compensation.

Paying for Medical Costs with Health Insurance Rather than Workers’ Compensation

If your employer tells you to use your health insurance rather than filing a workers’ compensation claim, this can be considered insurance fraud. If you have been injured on the job, you have a legal right to workers’ compensation to pay for medical expenses and a percentage of lost wages, as well as for permanent disability or disfigurement.

Not Knowing that a Pre-existing Condition Is Covered

If a pre-existing condition is aggravated by the work you perform, it is covered under South Carolina workers’ compensation. A skilled Greenville workers’ compensation attorney can effectively demonstrate when your work contributed to your pre-existing condition, thus causing further injury and a need for treatment.

The Dennison Law Firm can answer your questions about workers’ compensation claims and advise of you pitfalls to avoid when making a claim. Call 866-342-5770 today for a free consultation.

You may file a workers’ compensation claim personally if your employer does not report your accident, denies your injury by accident, or if you believe you did not receive all of your benefits. A Greenville employment attorney can assist you in filing your claim. Additionally, there are certain things you should be aware of when filing a workers’ compensation claim.

Workers’ Compensation in South Carolina Is a “No-Fault” System

You will be covered under workers’ compensation unless you intentionally hurt yourself or were intoxicated—negligence is not a factor in your claim. The bottom line is that workers’ compensation covers on-the-job injuries whether it was:

• the employee’s fault,
• the employer’s fault, or
• nobody’s fault.

On the flip side, this means you cannot sue your employer for negligence if they caused your injury. However, if someone other than your employer caused the injury, you may be able to file a civil law suit in addition to your workers’ compensation claim.

You Cannot Be Fired for Filing a Workers’ Compensation Claim

If you become injured or unable to work due to an on-the-job injury and your employer fires you because you filed (or plan to file) a workers’ compensation claim, you should contact a Greenville employment attorney immediately.

Employers Must Have Workers’ Compensation Insurance

Employers with four or more employees are required to have workers’ compensation insurance to cover claims. Your employer does not pay for claims directly.

Getting the Ball Rolling

To file a claim personally, you must submit a Form 50 or Form 52 to the Workers’ Compensation Commission. (You can obtain the forms at www.wcc.sc.gov or by contacting the Commission’s Claims Department at 803-737-5723). While you can certainly do this on your own, there are many reasons it is a good idea to hire a skilled Greenville employment attorney.

An attorney will know the ins and outs of the workers’ compensation system and, if you are denied benefits, an experienced Greenville employment attorney may be able to obtain compensation for you. The Dennison Law Firm can answer your questions about workers’ compensation claims. Call 866-342-5770 today for a free case evaluation.

Reporting a Workplace Injury to Your Employer

 A Workers’ compensation attorney in Greenville may be able to assist you if you have been hurt at work. If you suffer an injury arising out of and in the course of employment, the South Carolina Workers’ Compensation Act protects you. Workers who are injured on the job are entitled to:

• have their medical expenses covered
• receive benefits while unable to work, and
• receive compensation for permanent injuries.

Reporting an Injury

You should immediately report any injury to your supervisor, as well as request that your employer take responsibility for the appropriate medical treatment. If you do not do this within 90 days of the accident occurring, you may lose your workers’ compensation benefits (you have 2 years to file a claim to receive benefits). Your employer has the right to select the doctor who will treat you. This means that if you visit your own doctor without your employer’s permission, the employer may not have to pay the expenses, unless it was an emergency situation. Compensation is paid through the employer’s insurance company.

Types of Covered Injuries

The various types of injuries covered by workers’ compensation laws in South Carolina include, among others:

• lacerations and broken bones,
• permanent injuries including loss of eyesight or the loss of a limb, and
• injuries caused by exertion like a hernia or a back injury.

You can attempt to handle your case yourself or you may hire a workers’ compensation attorney in Greenville. Workers’ compensation claims can be complex, and if you are hurt on the job it is often best to speak with an experienced attorney as soon as possible to understand your rights. The Dennison Law Firm can answer your questions. Call 866-342-5770 today for a free consultation.

When people think of workplace injuries, one kind of injury that is not often thought of is exposure to toxic chemicals. Workplace injuries are usually thought of as serious accidents and mishaps, not gradually occurring problems. However, problems from long-term exposure to toxic chemicals can be extremely serious and detrimental to your quality of life and your ability to work. If you think you have developed a health problem or injury due to exposure to toxic chemicals while on the job, a Greenville workers’ compensation attorney may be able to help you get workers’ compensation benefits under the South Carolina Workers’ Compensation Act.

Depending on the specific substances and chemicals used at your workplace, and the duration and proximity of your exposure to them, there are several potential health problems that could develop as a result. The consequences can range from respiratory problems such as asthma to brain damage and damage to the central nervous system. Even malignant tumors are a possibility. Often, the worker does not suspect that anything is wrong, and does not discover it until it is too late to prevent a problem from developing.

Two of the most common conditions claimed in workers’ compensation claims are asbestosis (inflammation of the lungs, usually from long-term exposure to asbestos) and mesothelioma (a form of cancer linked to asbestos exposure). While asbestos has been known to be a health hazard for decades now, many work environments and buildings still have not been completely stripped of asbestos that was used in the building process, and a great many people today are still exposed to it, leading to chronic health problems. Another condition linked to toxic exposure is byssinosis, also known as “brown lung disease,” which has been linked to the inhalation of cotton fibers in textile mills. Unfortunately, many people have no inkling that they are at risk to develop any of these conditions because of how long it takes—sometimes years—to develop serious symptoms.

Asbestos and cotton are just two examples. Any chemical (such as benzene, solvents, and preservatives) is potentially hazardous and care should be taken to minimize the long-term exposure to any toxic substance. A Greenville workers’ compensation attorney can advise you as to whether the specific facts of your situation indicate that your health condition can be linked to toxic exposure, and whether you have a claim for workers’ compensation benefits.

To discuss your case in detail with an experienced Greenville workers’ compensation attorney, contact the Dennison Law Firm at (866) 342-5770 for a free consultation about workers’ compensation claims.