You may have heard about a recent workers’ comp case in North Carolina: Wilkes v. The City of Greenville that shifted the world of workers compensation. This case had a huge impact on state workers’ comp policies due to the fact that it established that employers were responsible for injuries or conditions that occurred as a result of a workplace injury, even if the additional conditions or injuries developed after the initial accident.
Because of this ruling, it became the responsibility of the employer to prove that the additional conditions were not a result of the initial injury. However, in response to this decision, employers are calling for the law to change. They want to shift the burden to the employee, and have them prove that their additional injury is related in order to receive compensation.
Employers were concerned that the initial ruling in favor of Wilkes would lead to an increase in the cost of workers’ compensation insurance. However, many attorneys believe that this is not true, and that this ruling harms employees more than anything else.
It seems that going forward it’s going to be even more vital that an injured worker has an experienced attorney on their side to help them get the most out of their workers’ comp claim. Working with an attorney early on in your workers’ comp will give you the advantage of their insight and experience, so you can know what to expect every step of the way.
