Perhaps you work part-time to defray some of your living expenses and make your retirement funds last longer. You might work a second part-time job in addition to a higher-paying full-time job. Maybe you have a medical condition that limits how long you can work, or maybe you just need to be home to take care of your kids.
People maintain part-time employment for all kinds of reasons, and they often receive fewer employment benefits because they don’t commit to a full-time schedule. A part-time worker may not receive paid time off or health insurance through the company.
Of course, working part-time does nothing to reduce the risks that come from your job duties. Part-time workers can get hurt as easily as their full-time co-workers. Can they claim workers’ compensation benefits when that happens?
Workers’ compensation in Georgia protects almost all employees
Any company with three or more employees operating in Georgia will typically need to carry workers’ compensation insurance for their staff. Insurance obligations for employers extend across all industries and workers who perform full-time, part-time and even seasonal work for a company.
If you get hurt while at your part-time job, you can make a claim for workers’ compensation benefits even if you only work a few hours a week for that company.
Does your part-time status affect your claim?
You receive the exact same medical coverage through workers’ compensation regardless of what unemployment arrangements you have. You can expect 100% coverage of all necessary medical procedures performed as treatment for a job-acquired medical condition.
The only way that your part-time status might influence your claim is by limiting how much you can seek for part-time disability benefits if you need to take convalescent leave after your injury. The program only pays up to two-thirds of your average weekly wage, which may be lower if you only work one or two shifts a week. It may be possible to get more benefits if an injury from a part-time job also affects your ability to perform another, full-time job.
Exploring medical documentation about your condition and the details of the incident that led to it can give you a better idea about your right to pursue workers’ compensation benefits in your situation.
