Workers Compensation Attorney Greensboro

man in storage house full of boxes working bent over with hand on back in pain with face scrunched up

Workers Compensation Attorney Greensboro

man in storage house full of boxes working bent over with hand on back in pain with face scrunched up

North Carolina workers’ compensation law provides medical and disability compensation and assistance for individuals with work-related injuries or occupational diseases, such as asbestosis and hearing loss.

Workers’ compensation offers payment for medical expenses and a portion of lost wages.

If the worker can prove that the injury or disease was a direct result of the workplace, the worker has a right to compensation for significant wage loss and required medical treatment.

Workers who are injured while performing a task or an assignment at their places of employment may be entitled to compensation. This kind of compensation can also cover an illness or occupational disease contracted as a result of performing duties at the workplace.

A worker who is injured while working must inform the employer as soon as possible. After notifying the employer, the worker should immediately submit a claim to the North Carolina Industrial Commission.

If you have been injured on the job or have developed symptoms of an occupational illness, you have the right to seek compensation benefits. Contact Ward Black Law today for a no-cost case evaluation with one of our Greensboro workers’ compensation lawyers. You will learn more about the compensation benefits to which you may be entitled.

Call us today or contact us online.

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When Do You Need a Lawyer for Workers’ Comp?

After you’ve suffered a work injury or illness, you may wonder whether you need an attorney to help you get workers’ compensation benefits. A Greensboro workers’ compensation lawyer from Ward Black Law can help you pursue your claim for benefits by:

  • Securing evidence about your accident and injuries to prove them as work-related and establish your entitlement to workers’ comp.
  • Filing the appropriate claim paperwork in a timely manner and ensuring that supporting information and documentation are submitted with your claim form so that you receive benefits as swiftly as possible.
  • Helping you fight denials of your claim or denials of benefits, or petitions by your employer to terminate ongoing benefits.
  • When appropriate, aggressively negotiating on your behalf for a settlement of your workers’ compensation benefits claim.
  • Advocating on your behalf to reverse a denied claim.

What Do Workers’ Comp Benefits Cover?

The North Carolina Workers’ Compensation Act covers all employees in the state, as long as the employer employs three or more workers. Full-time, part-time, and temporary employees are covered under workers’ compensation. When filing a claim, North Carolina workers are not obligated to present proof of fault by the employer but must show that the accident occurred in the course of employment.

Under North Carolina law, injured workers can receive wage loss benefits and compensation for medical bills. The employer and its insurance company are legally obligated to provide compensation for missed work and necessary treatment for long-term injuries.

In addition to covering the costs of all reasonable and necessary medical care for your work-related injury or illness, you may be entitled to these and other benefits:

  • Temporary disability benefits – If you cannot return to work for seven or more days because of your injury, you can receive wage loss payments equal to two-thirds of your average weekly wage. The benefits payment is subject to a cap updated each year by the North Carolina Industrial Commission. These benefits end when you return to work or you reach maximum medical improvement (meaning your condition is unlikely to improve with any further treatment). You may receive partial benefits if you return to limited, modified duty.
  • Permanent disability benefits – Once you reach maximum medical improvement, you will be evaluated for a permanent impairment rating. If you are rated as totally and permanently disabled, you may continue to receive disability payments for 500 weeks or potentially longer. However, if you are deemed partially disabled, you may receive an award of benefits according to the state’s schedule of disabilities, which sets the value of your claim depending on the type or severity of your disability.
  • Partial disability benefits – If you can return to work but you are earning less than your pre-accident wage because of your injury, in some instances workers’ compensation benefits can make up that difference.

If a worker is killed on the job, his or her family may be entitled to death benefits, including temporary payments equal to two-thirds of the worker’s average weekly wage (subject to a maximum) and up to $10,000 in funeral and burial expenses. Those benefits can continue for 500 weeks (almost 10 years) after the death and in some instances longer.