Frequently Asked Questions About South Carolina Workers’ Compensation

The South Carolina Workers' Compensation Commission is the primary agency overseeing workers' compensation claims in the Palmetto State.

The laws that govern workers' compensation can be found in Title 42 of the South Carolina Code.

In addition to the laws, there are administrative rules that govern workers' compensation. These rules can be found in Chapter 67 of the South Carolina Code of Regulations.

You can use the South Carolina Workers' Compensation Commission's free online tool to verify that your employer carries workers' compensation insurance.

Fortunately, most employers with 4 or more employees (part or full-time) are required to provide workers' compensation insurance coverage to their employees.

For your injury to be covered, it must "arise out of and in the course of" your employment.

To put it another way, an injury is NOT covered if it would have occurred even if you weren't working (e.g., a heart attack caused by high cholesterol).

South Carolina workers' compensation covers both traumatic and occupational work injuries:

If you're seriously injured in a work-related accident, your first step should be to seek emergency medical care if necessary. Once you've done so, you need to provide written notice of your injury to your employer within 90 days of the accident. If you fail to do so, you may not receive benefits.

In South Carolina, your employer is legally obligated to file your claim with the South Carolina Workers' Compensation Commission once you report your injuries.

If your employer fails to file your claim, you can file your own claim by submitting Form 50 (if you're injured) or Form 52 (if a family member is killed) to the Workers' Compensation Commission.

If you're injured on the job in South Carolina, you can receive the following workers' compensation benefits:

• Reasonable and necessary medical expenses (doctor visits, surgeries, prescriptions, physical therapy, etc.)
• Income replacement benefits (if you're forced to miss time or take a lesser-paying job)
• Death benefits for certain dependents

The amount of income replacement benefits you can receive depends on whether your injury is considered a permanent total disability (PTD), permanent partial disability (PPD), temporary total disability (TTD), or temporary partial disability (TPD).

Your employer has the right to choose the healthcare providers you see for your work-related injury. In most cases, you will NOT be reimbursed if you receive treatment from an unauthorized provider.

With that being said, there are 2 things to keep in mind:

1. Emergency treatment will generally be covered regardless of whether or not the healthcare provider is authorized by your employer.
2. If you're unhappy with a provider chosen by your employer, you can use Form 50 to request a hearing before the South Carolina Workers' Compensation Commission to address the issue. 

If your workers' compensation claim is denied, you have the right to request a hearing before the South Carolina Workers' Compensation Commission. To do so, you must complete and submit Form 50. When filling out the form, be sure to check box 13b (which states "I am requesting a hearing").

In most cases, your hearing will take place within 3-5 months.

If you're unhappy with the decision made at the hearing, you can appeal the decision to the circuit court and then, if necessary, to the South Carolina Supreme Court.

Workers' compensation is considered an "exclusive remedy." This means you must file a workers' compensation claim in lieu of a personal injury lawsuit against your employer or colleague.

There are, however, a couple of exceptions. Most notably, you can sue your employer or a colleague if they intentionally cause your injury. Additionally, you may be able to file a third-party lawsuit if a third party (i.e., someone other than your employer or colleague) causes your work-related injury.

You're allowed to hire an attorney to help you with your workers' compensation claim. In fact, we encourage you to do so as soon as possible. An experienced attorney can help develop medical evidence, negotiate and structure a settlement, represent you in a hearing or appeal, and explore third-party lawsuits and other legal options.

In South Carolina, all employers with 4 or more employees (part or full-time) are required by law to provide workers' compensation insurance coverage to their employees. The only exceptions are as follows:

• Casual employees (employees who don't work regular hours and only work when needed)
• Employers with less than $3,000 in annual payroll in the previous year
• Agricultural employees
• Railroad or railway express company employees
• People selling agricultural products
• Licensed real estate agents working for a broker
• Federal employees of the state

You can obtain workers' compensation insurance coverage through any commercial insurance carrier licensed in the state of South Carolina. You also have the option to self-insure, but there are strict financial requirements that must be met in order to do so.

If you have trouble finding affordable coverage, contact the National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) and ask about receiving coverage through South Carolina's assigned risk program.

If you don't have workers' compensation insurance and your employee gets injured, the state can take your business assets to cover the cost of the employee's claim. The South Carolina Workers' Compensation Commission may also assess additional fines.

Your employee has 90 days to report their injury. Once the injury is reported (or once you learn about the injury), you are legally obligated to file Form 50 (if the employee is injured) or Form 52 (if the employee is killed) with the South Carolina Workers' Compensation Commission.

Yes. It's important to file an employee's claim regardless of whether or not you believe they suffered a legitimate work-related injury.

If you think your employee's workers' compensation claim is invalid, you can file a Form 51 requesting a hearing in response to Form 50. In most cases, this must be done within 30 days of filing Form 50.

Workers' compensation is considered an "exclusive remedy," which means your employee has to file a workers' compensation claim in lieu of a personal injury lawsuit provided that you didn't injure your employee intentionally.