If you were hurt at work and are searching from Lancaster or anywhere in Lancaster County for a workers’ compensation lawyer, this guide walks through South Carolina workers’ compensation: the Commission’s published forms, how the weekly check is figured, the first-week rule, who directs medical care, and Brad’s method for turning a permanent partial disability rating into weeks of pay. South Carolina workers’ compensation is a no-fault limited recovery insurance system governed by the South Carolina Workers’ Compensation Commission, and the rules sit in Title 42 of the South Carolina Code.
Brad’s office is in Charlotte, and the drive section below covers the trip from Lancaster. For the broader South Carolina overview, keep South Carolina workers’ compensation on our practice areas page open as your starting point.
Finding your bearings in Lancaster County
Lancaster County was founded in 1785, and Lancaster is the county seat. The county is in the Piedmont region of northern South Carolina and is part of the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia Metropolitan Statistical Area. US 521, a four-lane divided highway, runs through the county on its route from Charlotte to Georgetown and connects to Charlotte’s I-485 loop, which links to I-77 and I-85. From the southern part of the county, Columbia and I-77 are less than an hour away.
MUSC Health Lancaster Medical Center is at 800 West Meeting Street in Lancaster. Its emergency department is open 24 hours, and its listed services include orthopaedic services, rehabilitation and wound care.
The South Carolina Commission forms, by name
The South Carolina Workers’ Compensation Commission publishes its forms on the Commission’s forms page. The employer files Form 12A, the First Report of Injury. Form 50 is the Employee’s Notice of Claim. On the employer’s side, Form 21 is the Employer’s Request for Hearing and Form 51 is the Employer’s Answer to Request for Hearing.
The wage form is Form 20, the Statement of Earning of Injured Employee. The concept that matters is your average weekly wage: Form 20 is the South Carolina paperwork that documents it, and your weekly benefit is figured from that wage.
Two more on the Commission’s list are Form 15, the Temporary Compensation Report, and Form 17, the Receipt of Compensation.
The questions Lancaster readers ask
How much does South Carolina workers’ comp pay each week?
Weekly compensation is 66 2/3% of your average weekly wage, subject to a state minimum and maximum under S.C. Code § 42-9-10. The maximum weekly compensation rate is $1,189.94 for injuries on or after January 1, 2026, under S.C. Code § 42-9-10; the Commission set that figure at its December 15, 2025 business meeting.
Why didn’t I get paid for the first week?
Under S.C. Code § 42-9-200, no compensation is allowed for the first seven calendar days of disability, except the medical benefits provided in Section 42-15-60, which still apply during those days. If the disability lasts more than fourteen days, compensation is allowed from the date of the disability.
Who picks the doctor in a South Carolina workers’ comp case?
Under S.C. Code § 42-15-60, the employer furnishes medical treatment, for a period not exceeding ten weeks from the date of the injury unless the Commission extends it by order. Refusing employer-directed treatment bars further compensation until the refusal ceases. The Commission may order a change of physician for good cause shown.
Where people in and around Lancaster work
The South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce publishes a list of the county’s 20 largest employers, in alphabetical order rather than by size. The state’s list includes Continental Tire North America, the Haile Gold Mine, Keer America, Nutramax Manufacturing, the Lancaster County School District, Lancaster County government, the Medical University of South Carolina hospital authority, Food Lion, Walmart and The Budd Group.
According to the county’s economic development office, manufacturing is about 14 percent of all jobs in the county and its second largest business sector, with work that ranges from textiles and packaging to metal fabrication and pharmaceuticals. Freight moves by truck and by rail, on CSX, Norfolk Southern and the Lancaster & Chester short line. Many residents commute out of the county for work, and many workers commute in.
How a permanent partial disability rating becomes weeks of pay
Brad explains the rating math as three inputs used in order: the rating percentage, the number of weeks South Carolina schedules for the injured body part, and your compensation rate.
Rating percentage x scheduled weeks for the body part x compensation rate.
For the back, S.C. Code § 42-9-30 schedules 300 weeks where the loss of use is 49 percent or less. Using Brad’s method as an illustration, 10 percent of 300 weeks is 30 weeks, and those weeks are multiplied by the compensation rate.
Brad also points out that in South Carolina the rating is not the whole story. In his Trivia Tuesday video on South Carolina permanent partial disability, which you can find in the Video Center, he says: “In South Carolina, the commission will take into account your pain and discomfort, whether or not you have permanent work restrictions before it arrives at an award of permanent partial disability.” The three factors he names are the impairment rating your doctor assigns, permanent work restrictions, and ongoing pain and discomfort. If settlement comes up, ask how the rating calculation fits into that discussion.
Working with Brad from Lancaster
The contact point for this guide is The Law Offices of Bradley H. Smith, 3117 Whiting Avenue, Suite 211, Charlotte, NC 28205. Office visits by appointment only. Call (980) 281-9984.
Lancaster is a service area for the firm: clients from Lancaster are served from the Charlotte office, by appointment.
From the county administration building on North Main Street in Lancaster, the drive to the Charlotte office is about 40 miles, most of it north on US 521. A routing estimate without live traffic puts it at a little over an hour, and rush hour can add time. SC 200 north toward the North Carolina line is another way up. Office visits are by appointment only, so call before you make the drive.
Brad has 20+ years litigating workers’ compensation in North Carolina and South Carolina. When you call, have the Commission forms you have received in front of you. If you want to talk about your average weekly wage, a rating, medical treatment, or a change of physician, raise that question at the start.
You can read about Bradley H. Smith and use the contact page for the Charlotte office details.
Talk through your next question
Bring the questions you want answered, whether it concerns your average weekly wage, returning to work, or a second opinion on medical treatment.
The links below marked North Carolina only cover North Carolina law, not South Carolina law.
Keep reading
- South Carolina workers’ compensation on our practice areas page
- The Video Center, including Brad’s South Carolina permanent partial disability video
- About Bradley H. Smith
- North Carolina only: the North Carolina workers’ compensation hub
- North Carolina only: the average weekly wage guide
- North Carolina only: how comp is calculated when you had just started the job
- North Carolina only: can workers’ comp stop paying you
- North Carolina only: the guide for Concord readers
Bradley H. Smith. No fee unless we recover. Call (980) 281-9984.
Frequently asked questions
How long do I have to report a work injury and file a claim in South Carolina?
Under S.C. Code § 42-15-20, notice of the accident goes to the employer within ninety days after the accident. That section lists exceptions, including where the employer already knew of the accident. Under S.C. Code § 42-15-40, the right to compensation is barred unless a claim is filed with the South Carolina Workers’ Compensation Commission within two years after an accident. That section has its own timing rules for occupational disease and repetitive trauma.
Is Brad licensed to handle South Carolina workers’ comp cases?
Yes. Brad is licensed in both North Carolina and South Carolina. His certification as a specialist in workers’ compensation law comes from the North Carolina State Bar and applies to North Carolina.
Why does a Charlotte office have a page for Lancaster readers?
Lancaster is on the firm’s South Carolina service list, and clients from Lancaster are served from the Charlotte office by appointment. This guide covers South Carolina workers’ compensation for readers in Lancaster County, South Carolina.
How far is the drive from Lancaster to the office?
From the county administration building on North Main Street in Lancaster, the drive to the Charlotte office is about 40 miles, most of it north on US 521. A routing estimate without live traffic puts it at a little over an hour, and rush hour can add time. Office visits are by appointment only.
Last updated: October 8, 2026.
Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Case examples are shared with client details anonymized. This page is general information about South Carolina law, not legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Every case is different. Talk to a lawyer about yours.