March 21, 2018

Does Workers’ Compensation Reimburse Travel Expenses? (And Other Common Workers’ Comp Questions Answered) .

For employees who become injured or even ill due to workplace events or conditions, Workers’ Compensation can be the bridge they need to get from the initial injury to total recovery without losing the ability to make ends meet. While most employees have heard of Workers’ Comp during employee orientation or special safety presentations, there’s a lot of that isn’t widely understood. Workers’ Compensation insurance, which accounts for nearly 1.6% of employer spending overall (according to this report from the Center for Construction Research and Training), is a complex program that many day-to-day employees don’t know much about. We thought we’d take today to answer a few frequently asked questions about Workers’ Compensation in South Carolina.
March 12, 2018

Who Covers My Medical Bills After a Car Wreck?

Car wrecks that cause injury can come in many forms — vehicle collisions, wrecks involving tractor trailers, motorcycle wrecks, and more. After you’ve exchanged car insurance information with the at-fault party, called your own insurance company to notify them to start the claims process, and sought medical care for your injuries, you may be wondering — who pays the medical bills after a car accident, and how can you be sure your medical care will be paid for? Let’s take a look.
February 20, 2018

Negotiating a Personal Injury Settlement, Step by Step

Whether you’ve been involved in a car wreck, have been bitten by a dog, were injured by a defective product, or you’ve been subjected to some other form of Personal Injury, odds are good insurance companies will end up involved when trying to recover the costs associated with treatment and recovery. Quite often, the initial settlement offer from an insurance company will be significantly less than the final costs associated with medical treatment and time off work. It’s worth it to prepare before discussing specific monetary amounts to ensure you’re in the best possible position to negotiate a personal injury settlement. Let’s walk through the settlement negotiation steps.
February 6, 2018

How to Value Your Car When Insurance Declares It Totaled

While many collisions between vehicles involve minimal or fairly easily repaired damage, sometimes the damage to the car will be so extensive that your insurance company will declare the car totaled. Your vehicle will be determined to be a “total loss” following a collision, single-car accident, or other damaging event either if it is unrepairable, or if the cost of repairs would exceed a certain percentage of the value of the car.  If that’s the case, your insurance company will prepare a claim settlement, payable to the owner of the vehicle, that is meant to reflect the value of the car at the time of the collision. If the value of the settlement is significantly lower than the actual value of your car, you do not have to accept the settlement. If you can prove a discrepancy between your car’s true value and the claim settlement offered by your insurance company, you […]
January 10, 2018

Uber’s Workers’ Compensation Pilot Program and What It Means For South Carolina

The shift to highly-automated workplaces and overall wage stagnation has been leading more and more individuals to choose freelance work as a primary or secondary job. Since Uber and related companies classify their drivers as “independent contractors” and not traditional employees, they offer a measure of freedom (drivers choose their own hours and have some control over how much income they bring in), but also some very big risks. The biggest risk to South Carolina Uber drivers?   Jobs that involve driving professionally also involve a heightened potential for vehicle collisions that could cause injuries, automobile damage, or worse and as independent contractors, Uber drivers may not be covered by state workers’ compensation laws. 
December 29, 2017

What Should You Do If Your Dog Bites Someone?

Even a dog that has never shown signs of aggression can end up in a situation where they bite a human being. If you are the owner of that dog, you may find yourself dealing with insurance claims, medical bills, and even potentially litigation as a result of your dog’s actions. What should you do if your dog bites someone? We have a few ideas for how to defuse the situation and what to do next.
December 14, 2017

Steps To Take When You’re Waiting on Your Social Security Disability Claim

Waiting on your Social Security Disability claim can seem endless. The average wait time nationally is two years. Those who applied for SS Disability after becoming disabled through illness or injury are left feeling like they’re underwater, with a lifeguard telling them to just wait two years for help to arrive. There are a few steps you can take that may speed up the process (or at least make things a little less difficult) while waiting on the outcome of your Social Security Disability claim. Let’s take a look:
November 29, 2017

What’s the Fastest-Growing Group of Military Veterans Today?

When considering what segment of military veterans is growing the fastest in the United States today, who comes to mind? If you thought of women, you would be correct. As of today, women make up almost 10% of the military, with the number expected to double by 2040. While women serving in the military isn’t anything new, it took until after World War II for their contributions to be formally recognized. Even after recognition, women have continued to have to fight to access the same standard of healthcare from the VA as their male counterparts, especially when it comes to VA Disability claims for service-connected conditions. Let’s take a closer look at injured military women and their fight to receive the standard of care from the VA that they are entitled to.