Most people in South Carolina work hard to provide for themselves and their family. So, when they are injured on the job and cannot work, they may be concerned about how they will bring home the income needed to pay for their medical care, keep food on the table and a keep a roof over their head. Fortunately, South Carolina’s workers’ compensation system provides a means for a worker to be compensated if they suffer a workplace injury.
Workers injured on the job can notify their employer as soon as possible and ask for medical care. In any case, the injury must be reported to the worker’s employer within 90 days of the date the worker suffered the injury, or they may not receive benefits. However, once reported to one’s employer, a worker has two years from the date they suffered the injury to file a claim for workers’ compensation benefits.
After initial treatment, workers are entitled to any medical treatment needed to lessen their disability, including operations, hospital stays, medical supplies, prosthetics and prescription medication. However, to receive these benefits the worker must be seen by a physician chosen by their employer.
Workers can also obtain benefits for missed time at work due to their injury. If a worker cannot work for more than seven days, they may be compensated. These payments will be made directly to the worker, and the worker will continue receiving benefits until a physician permits them to go back to work.
Workers are entitled to be compensated at a rate of 66 2/3 percent of their average earnings per week, based on the previous four quarters from the time they were injured. However, there is a maximum amount of benefits the state sets annually, and a worker cannot receive more than that amount in benefits.
As this shows, workers in South Carolina have the right to seek compensation for injuries they suffer at work. While workers’ compensation benefits may not completely replace what one would have earned at work, they can go a long way to helping the worker stays financially solvent as they recover from their injury.