Board Intends to Enforce WC-1 Filing Requirement in 2019

y: James G. Smith, Esq.

Effective January 1, 2019, the Georgia State Board of Workers’ Compensation will begin actively enforcing the requirement to timely file a Form WC-1 in all claims, including those deemed “medical only.”  Although Board Rules already require that a WC-1 must be filed and provided to the employee within 21 days of the date of injury or the date of the Employer’s knowledge of disability, the Board intends to impose fines on Employer/Insurers for failing to abide by the rule after the turn of the year. The enforcement of this rule is part of a larger plan to collect more and better data on all claims on file with the Board. In light of this information, we recommend quickly reviewing any current claims on file to ensure that a WC-1 has been properly filed.