Steps to take if you’re hurt on the job for Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin (LM) has 6 locations in Georgia. Lockheed Martin Aeronautics is located in Air Force Plant 6. They also have locations in Atlanta, Warner Robins, College Park, Augusta and Marietta. They have 5,000 employees at their Marietta location alone. Across the country, they employ 110,000 workers.
When it comes to worker safety, LM is something of a success story. The company has instituted a program that has successfully cut injuries by 50 percent. However, LM workers can and do still get injured on the job. For example, many suffer from carpal tunnel syndrome, tendonitis and back pain.
If you’re an LM employee who has been hurt on the job, you may be entitled to workers’ compensation. Talk to a Georgia work injury lawyer at Gerber & Elkins to learn more about your rights.
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Common workplace injuries by Lockheed Martin employees
Some injuries would not be as severe if workers reported them sooner before they began to cause severe and debilitating pain. While these injuries are minor for some employees, others require surgery before they may return to work.Manufacturing workers face the greatest risk because they often must move heavy equipment that can place strain on their backs, knees, neck and shoulders. They might also slip and fall on the concrete floor and suffer from broken bones, a herniated disc or a closed head injury.
What to do if you’re injured at work
Workers who are injured at an LM plant or office should not continue to work because doing so will only make the injury worse. Instead, determine if the injury is an emergency or not and seek medical attention.
Next, inform your manager or supervisor about your injury. If you haven’t visited a doctor yet, now is the time. Then, complete and file a WC-14 (a form that you should have received from your employer) with the State Board of Workers’ Compensation. Send a copy to both LM and their insurance provider as well.
If you wait longer than 30 days before reporting, you may lose your benefits.
LM should provide you with a list of 6 approved doctors whom you may seek medical care from. If you are not satisfied with your current doctor, you may choose a different one. LM may also use a Workers’ Compensation Managed Care organization.
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Lockheed Martin workers’ compensation benefits
All qualified workers injured in Georgia are entitled to receiving coverage for any medical care necessary to treat work-related injuries and occupational diseases. For example, if you need an X-ray or physical therapy, you’ll be reimbursed for these expenses. All hospital stays are fully covered.
After you have been out of work for more than 7 days, you will be entitled to weekly income benefits. These benefits begin within 3 weeks of when you first missed work. You will normally receive two-thirds of your weekly wage but your benefits cannot exceed a maximum threshold that is set every year by the state of Georgia. You also may not receive these benefits for longer than 400 weeks.
You may receive additional monetary benefits if your doctor determines that you have a permanent disability. Even if your permanent injury is minor, you are still entitled to receive compensation for this injury.
Your doctor will determine the extent to which you are injured. You will then receive weekly benefits based on the body part that was injured. Based on the body part injured and the extent of the injury, you will receive lifetime benefits. Your permanent injury will also qualify you for vocational retraining and rehabilitation.
Appealing a denied workers’ compensation claim
The workers’ compensation insurance carrier has the right to make several decisions about your claim, including choosing to accept or deny your claim and authorizing medical treatment. However, you may appeal any of their decisions.
If you decide that it’s time to appeal a decision, your first step should be to reach out to an experienced Georgia workers’ compensation lawyer near you. An insurance carrier may try to convince you that you will be taken care of, but the job of the adjuster is to minimize any losses to their employer. They also have lawyers on staff who will fight to deny your claim or reduce your settlement.
However, a workers’ compensation attorney you hire is working for you—and no one else. The more benefits you receive, the more your attorney will earn since their compensation is based on a percentage of your benefits. Therefore, your attorney will have an incentive to make sure that the insurance carrier doesn’t take advantage of you.
Workers’ compensation laws are based on written law, also known as statutes. However, these statutes can be interpreted and insurance carriers will always try to interpret them as conservatively as possible. For example, there are specific rules determining when you are considered “on the job.”
While the insurance carrier may assume that you were not currently working when you became injured, an attorney will be familiar with the statutes and be able to prove that you actually were considered to be working under Georgia law.
One of the hardest injuries to receive compensation is a repetitive stress injury. Workers can develop repetitive stress injuries through years of hard work. However, you may find it difficult to effectively tie your injuries to your job unless you receive assistance from an attorney.
The insurance carrier might insist that your injury is not covered under workers’ compensation statutes, accuse you of faking your injury or claim that there are inconsistencies in your medical records. Any trick an insurance carrier might attempt must be countered by an experienced attorney.
