Among the changes to Georgia’s workers’ comp. laws coming out of this past year’s legislative session was a provision that limits the employer/insurer’s responsibilities to pay for work injury medical care for more than 400 weeks 1.
Now, 400 weeks is equal to about 7 ½ years and may seem like a long time. However, I suspect that this 400 week cap on medical will negatively impact claimants when it comes to reaching a reasonable settlement of their claims.
One of my biggest takeaways from over 20 years of negotiating settlements is the importance of timing. Settle too soon and you may end up absorbing medical and lost wage costs that should be the responsibility of the employer. Wait too late and your case may get stale – if the insurance company can calculate with reasonable certainty its “worse case” then they will offer you less than fair value to resolve all claims. [Read more…] about Change to Georgia Workers Comp Law May Impact Settlement Value of Your Case
- This limitation on medical care only applies to cases involving injuries incurred on July 1, 2013 and thereafter and does not apply in cases deemed catastrophic. The affected Code section is 34-9-200(a) ↩