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Workers’ Compensation for the Carolinas

Practice Areas

Workers’ compensation is all this firm does. Bradley H. Smith is a Board-Certified Specialist in North Carolina and licensed in both Carolinas, so injured workers on either side of the state line get the same thing: the math checked, the forms right, and no fee unless we recover.

North Carolina

Hurt on the job in Charlotte or anywhere in NC? Start here: how claims work at the Industrial Commission, the first 14 days, benefit calculations, and when to challenge a denial.

Charlotte Workers’ Compensation Lawyer →

South Carolina

Injured in Rock Hill, Fort Mill, or the border counties? South Carolina runs on its own commission, forms, and caps. See how we handle SC claims.

South Carolina Workers’ Comp →

How we help

The same three things, in either state

Average weekly wage, checked

Average weekly wage errors on the wage statement are the most common underpayment we correct.

The forms, on time

Notice deadlines and Commission filings protected from day one, in either state.

The credential that matters

Certified as a specialist in workers’ compensation law by the North Carolina State Bar; licensed in NC and SC.

Who we help: warehouse workers, delivery drivers, construction crews, healthcare staff, and retail and service employees — anyone hurt on the job in North Carolina or South Carolina, whether from one accident or years of wear.

Bradley H. Smith: 20+ years litigating workers’ compensation in North Carolina and South Carolina.

Coming from Rock Hill or York? Start with the Rock Hill workers’ compensation guide. Coming from Lancaster? Start with the Lancaster, SC workers’ compensation guide.

What is Workers’ Compensation in South Carolina?

Workers’ compensation is a no-fault limited recovery insurance system that is governed by the South Carolina Workers’ Compensation Commission. The “no-fault” component of the system means that an injured worker is entitled to benefits even if the injury is the result of their own negligence. In exchange for the no-fault component, an injured worker is not entitled to any additional compensation beyond what is provided under workers’ compensation if the employer’s negligence caused the injury. In addition, an employee may not sue the employer for negligence by way of a civil lawsuit. The inability to sue the employer civilly means that an injured worker’s recovery is limited to only what is provided under workers’ compensation law. Importantly, this means that an injured worker is unable to receive compensation for pain and suffering as it is not a benefit provided in workers’ compensation.

What Injuries Are Covered?

1. General Injuries
Generally, all injuries or deaths that occur as the result of an accident while working for your employer are covered under workers’ compensation.
2. Occupational Diseases
Occupational diseases are caused by conditions specific to a particular type of work or employment. Examples include asbestosis, hearing loss, bursitis, and repetitive stress injuries. However, the disease must not be an ordinary disease of life to which the general public is equally exposed.

What Benefits Are Paid?

1. Medical Compensation
Workers’ compensation will pay your medical bills related to the treatment you receive for your injury. This includes prescriptions and reimbursement for mileage if the round trip is 10 miles or more. However, the insurance company or your employer have the right to choose what medical provider or doctor you see for your injury.
2. Disability Compensation
There are four different types of disability compensation that you may be entitled to receive depending on the circumstances of your case. One type is temporary total disability compensation which is designed to provide weekly payments while you are unable to work due to your injury. A second type is temporary partial disability compensation which pays you a weekly benefit when you return to work with work restrictions at a job that pays you less than you earned before your injury. The third type is permanent partial disability compensation which pays you based on a permanent partial impairment assigned by your doctor once it is determined that you are at maximum medical improvement. In South Carolina, the Commission will also consider other factors such as your work restrictions and ongoing pain to arrive at an award of permanent partial disability beyond the impairment rating assigned by your doctor. The fourth type of disability compensation is permanent total disability, which pays up to 500 weeks of disability benefits when the Commission determines that you are unable to return to work because of injuries to two or more body parts or the extent of permanent partial disability to your back. If the accident results in paraplegia, quadriplegia or physical brain damage, disability benefits are payable for life (S.C. Code Section 42-9-10).
3. Death Benefits
When a work-related accident causes death, the decedent’s spouse, dependent(s) or next of kin will be entitled to weekly disability up to 500 weeks and burial expenses up to $12,000 (S.C. Code Section 42-9-290).

How is my weekly disability benefit amount calculated?

1. Benefit Amount Calculation
In South Carolina, the calculation is typically based on two-thirds of your pre-taxed average weekly wage for the year before the quarter in which your accident occurred, subject to the maximum weekly compensation rate, which is $1,189.94 for injuries on or after January 1, 2026. For example, if your accident occurred on July 15, 2024, the one-year period in the calculations would run from July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2024. Additionally, if you were working two different jobs at the time of your accident (known as concurrent employment), you can combine the pre-injury wages in the calculation. There are other methods for calculating your compensation rate that may apply depending on if you worked for only a short period of time with the employer before your injury or some other unique situation.

Common Reasons Injuries Are Denied

1. Insufficient proof that your injury was caused by a particular event at work

Under the workers’ compensation law, an injured worker has the burden to prove that his/her injury resulted from something that happened while he/she was working. If your workplace accident was not witnessed, or not reported immediately to your employer after it occurred, or there is some suggestion that you may have been hurt doing something outside of work, the workers’ compensation carrier may decide to deny your case. Often an insurance adjuster will look for any reason to deny your case. If your employer is unwilling to vouch for the fact that you got hurt at work, this could also give the adjuster a reason to deny your case. This is why it is so important to (1) immediately report your work-related accident to your employer (and follow up with an email, text, or written note); (2) go to the doctor that the employer tells you to go to; and (3) tell the first doctor or medical provider that evaluates you exactly how your accident occurred at work.

2. Insufficient medical evidence that the event at work aggravated a pre-existing medical condition
This is one of the most popular reasons for an insurance adjuster to deny your case. Remember: just because you suffered a prior injury or had issues with an injured body part before your work-related accident that does not mean that you cannot receive workers’ compensation benefits following an injury at work. A skilled attorney with experience reading and interpreting medical records and deposing doctors can help overcome a denial based on a pre-existing condition. The law provides for workers’ compensation benefits when your work-related injury materially aggravates a pre-existing condition.
3. The time, place or circumstance surrounding when, where, or how the injuring event occurred is not covered by workers’ compensation
For a work-related injury to be covered under workers’ compensation it must occur in “the course and scope” of your employment. Sometimes accidents occur while the injured worker is not on the employer’s premises or not yet “on the clock.” For instance, accidents that occur while you are going to and coming from work are generally not covered by workers’ compensation. However, there are various exceptions to this general rule that may apply to a situation that makes the case covered by workers’ compensation. One such exception is the “traveling salesperson exception” that applies when the nature of the employee’s work requires him/her to travel on a trip out of town for an extended period. This exception says that the employee is continuously in the course of their employment during the duration of the trip although they are not necessarily performing actual work for the employer during the entirety of the trip. An experienced workers’ compensation attorney can evaluate the facts of your case and determine whether there is a viable exception applies in your case so that your case is covered under workers’ compensation.
4. Failure to timely report the accident to your employer or file your claim with the Workers’ Compensation Commission.

Generally, notify your employer of a workplace injury within 90 days under S.C. Code Section 42-15-20 and file a claim with the South Carolina Workers’ Compensation Commission within two years after the accident under S.C. Code Section 42-15-40. Put the notice in writing (email, text, or a written note). Exceptions to the notice requirement may apply when the employer already had knowledge of the injury, physical or mental incapacity prevented notice, a third person’s fraud or deceit prevented notice, or the Commission accepts a reasonable excuse and the employer was not prejudiced.

Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. Every workers’ compensation case in North Carolina and South Carolina is unique, and the value of any case depends on its specific facts. This page is general information, not legal advice, and does not create an attorney-client relationship.