Moving out of North Carolina does not automatically end your workers' compensation claim. If your claim falls under North Carolina law, relocating to another state generally does not change which state administers it. However, moving can complicate medical treatment, disability benefits, and communication with the…
Returning to work after an injury can be difficult when your employer says you're ready, but you still have medical restrictions. Refusing a job offer may affect your workers' compensation benefits, while returning too soon can put your recovery at risk. North Carolina law provides…
A workers' compensation claim does not always shift from accepted to disputed with an obvious denial letter. Sometimes the change is less clear: provisional payments end, a recommended treatment is not authorized, or another disagreement develops over benefits. Recognizing that a dispute has started is…
Workers' compensation mediation is confidential, which allows both sides to discuss possible resolutions without treating settlement negotiations the same way as evidence presented at a hearing. Offers made during mediation generally cannot be introduced later simply to show what one side was willing to accept…
Being attacked at work, whether by a customer, a stranger, or a coworker, leaves injuries that go beyond whatever shows up on an X-ray or a medical chart. The physical harm is often the more straightforward part. The fear of returning to the same building,…
Hearing that a disputed claim is "going to the Industrial Commission" can make it sound like the case is immediately headed for a courtroom. In reality, disputed North Carolina workers' compensation claims generally move through several stages, including mediation, before a formal hearing takes place.…
