Update to Workers’ Compensation—Bill of Rights in Georgia

The Peach State has released an update to the Workers’ Compensation—Bill of Rights notice outlining new benefit maximums for employees who are unable to work, or unable to return to the same position as a result of an injury. Also included are new benefit amounts for dependents of an employee who dies as the result of a workplace accident. The notice has a revision date of 7/2019.

New Benefit Maximums

Georgia’s State Board of Workers’ Compensation updated the notice with new benefit rates for catastrophic and non-catastrophic injuries. New maximums are as follows:

• For both catastrophic and non-catastrophic job-related injuries, an employee can now receive a maximum benefit of $675 per week for as long as the employee is unable to work.
• If the employee is able to work, but only with restrictions, the maximum benefit is reduced to $450 per week.
• If the employee returns to work, but as a result of the injury can only get a lower-paying job, the employee is eligible for a maximum benefit of $450 per week.

Death Benefits for Dependents

If an employee dies as a result of an injury sustained at work, the employee’s dependents are now entitled to receive a maximum benefit of $675 per week. However, the amount dependents will receive for burial expenses remains the same: a maximum of $7,500. A widowed spouse of a deceased employee with no children may receive up to $270,000 in benefits.

Compliance Made Easy!

If you have not already done so, we encourage you to order our 1-Year Compliance Plan, so that you will automatically receive the updated Georgia poster as soon as it is available. And because we provide free poster updates for mandatory changes—no matter how many occur during the 12-month period—you can always count on Poster Compliance Center to keep your business in compliance.