Your employer is required by Georgia Law to carry insurance that will cover your medical bills and pay a portion of your wages when you are injured at the workplace and unable to return to work. Workplace injuries can include lower back or spinal cord injuries, shoulder or back injuries, joint or knee injuries, hand injuries, carpal tunnel syndrome, chemical exposure, occupational diseases, or even preexisting conditions that have been made worse by job duties. You may be entitled to weekly benefits while you are permanently or temporarily disabled and unable to work. You may also be entitled to payment of medical expenses and may receive a lump sum payment for partial or total disability resulting from a work related injury. If you suffer an injury on the job, you should report the injury to your employer immediately.

Although workers' compensation covers most on-the-job injuries, there are some exclusions. Generally, injuries that occur because an employee is intoxicated or using illegal drugs are not covered by workers' compensation. Coverage may also be denied in situations involving:

• self-inflicted injuries (including those caused by a person who starts a fight)
• injuries suffered while a worker was committing a serious crime
• injuries suffered while an employee was not on the job, and
• injuries suffered when an employee's conduct violated company policy.

We do not charge any up-front fees to represent you in workers’ compensation case. Cook & James represents our clients on a contingency fee basis. This means that our fee is paid based upon a percentage of the money recovered for you. Our consultations are free. If we do not recover any money for you, you are not charged for any of the professional time spent on your case.