Role of a Vocational Expert

The South Carolina workers’ compensation system is often complex. In general, it entitles an injured employee to obtain benefits for harm arising from a job-related accident or illness. In most cases, the core of the claim involves determining the amount and duration of the benefit payments that the injured employee should receive. This requires undergoing medical examinations and offering expert witness testimony in the event that the parties are unable to agree on the benefit payments. Greenville and Spartanburg workers’ compensation attorney Patrick E. Knie has handled numerous claims for injured employees that involve the assistance of a vocational expert.

In a heavily industrialized state like South Carolina, work injuries are a common occurrence. It is important to understand the steps that you should take if you are involved in a job-related accident. First, you should notify your employer so that it can open a claim with its workers’ compensation carrier. Next, you should ask your employer to provide prompt medical attention. Not only will this ensure that your health is addressed, but also it will create a record of the treatment that you are receiving and help document the nature and extent of your injuries. You will then undergo a medical examination to determine whether your disability is partial or total and whether it is permanent or temporary. This is the stage at which the injured worker and the insurance carrier sometimes have disagreements about the extent of your disability.

The same injury does not always have the same impact on every victim. Vocational experts are people who have training and experience in explaining the impact and long-term effects of an injury or condition for a certain person. A workers’ compensation lawyer may retain a vocational expert for a claimant to help explain how the medical opinions and documentation translate into the realities of life for the claimant and their specific job. In most cases, the vocational expert will write a report to be submitted at the hearing. This report will discuss the type of work and responsibilities that the injured employee can perform following the job-related accident or illness, or it may explain that the employee is now unable to perform any of his or her job responsibilities. Meanwhile, the insurance company likely will enlist its own vocational expert to write a report, which will be more favorable to its position. The workers’ compensation commissioner overseeing the case will need to determine which report is more credible and allocate benefits accordingly.

If you have suffered an on-the-job injury, dedicated Spartanburg and Greenville workers’ compensation lawyer Patrick E. Knie is ready to help you pursue the benefit payments to which you may be entitled. Insurance companies may not always have injured workers’ best interests in mind and sometimes engage in gamesmanship or other tactics in an attempt to arrive at the lowest amount of benefit payments possible. Representing people throughout Laurens, Union, Cherokee, Greenville, and Spartanburg Counties, we can ensure that you are treated fairly at every step of the process. Call us at (864) 582-5118 or contact us online to schedule a free consultation with a work injury attorney.