In Georgia, an employee has 30 days to report a work-related injury to their employer. Once this report has been received, it’s vital that the employer acts promptly to stay within the guidelines of workers’ comp insurance. Allow us to highlight four steps to take after being notified of your employee’s injury:
1. Instruct Your Employee to Seek Medical Treatment
The importance of seeking medical treatment after an injury is two-fold. It will help your employee receive immediate care that will hopefully jumpstart his recovery journey. Also, seeking medical care will create a professional paper trail to be used in the compensation claim, enabling your employee to receive the appropriate amount of care for his injuries. Refusing to seek or receive medical treatment can be detrimental for an employee’s workers’ comp insurance claim.
2. Fill Out the WC-1 First Report of Injury (FROI) Form
An employer must fill out the WC-1 First Report of Injury form, so their workers’ comp insurance carrier can be notified of the injury details. This form outlines specific details such as:
- Employee identification
- Insurer information
- Injury or illness specifics
- Medical information
- & More
3. Record Statements from Witnesses
If bystanders or other employees witnessed the injury, it’s important to ask them questions and record their answers to help your workers’ comp insurance carrier have a complete understanding of what happened. Video evidence is also helpful to verify what caused the injury.
4. File the Forms & Supporting Documentation
Employers must file the forms and supporting documentation as soon as possible to avoid being penalized. Filing quickly also helps the employee to receive their workers’ compensation sooner rather than later. Do not ignore or dissuade your employee from pursuing workers’ compensation, as that can cause serious legal problems in the future.