State News : Georgia

    The Georgia Legislative Session had no major changes to report for our system in this session.  This should generally be received as great news, considering the trend in recent years to annual increases in our TTD and TPD caps. 

    Although not directly related to Workers’ Compensation HB 451 presents a non WC and private insurance solution to PTSD benefits for first responders, and EMT’s.  This topic has been discussed for the last two sessions and originally was being proposed as an amendment to our WC code but sure and steady work by the Board has this issue positioned to fall into a non-WC coverage insurance program.  To continue with a theme of advancing protections for first -responders, SB 371 would provide additional compensation out of the State Indemnification Fund for public safety/first responders as a gap between workers' compensation benefits and their current wage income. 

    Beyond both of those matters which were near misses from a WC perspective, it remains business as usual with no significant changes to report!

Our Legislative Session for 2024-2025 has kicked off and I am pleased to report that, at this time, there are no proposed changes that currently impact our WC system. In Georgia, our Advisory Council is generally the body that presents any proposed uniform changes to the Legislature but this year there are no changes being presented. Of course, each session presents the possibility for surprises, and we will keep you informed of those. For now, however, it appears that smooth sailing lies ahead from Georgia’s employers regarding Statutory changes.

Several dates have been released by the State Board that would be of interest to claims specialists and employers alike. First, the 2024 Annual Educational Conference will take place August 26-28, 2024, at the Hotel at Avalon in Alpharetta, Georgia. Additional information will soon be available on the Board website at www.sbwc.georgia.gov. Second, Georgia celebrates the 25^th anniversary of our CWCP (Certified Worker’s Compensation Specialist) program! The CWCP Certification Program is a comprehensive claims management training course that was developed by the Chairman’s Advisory Council at the Georgia State Board of Workers’ Compensation. The Program is designed to educate participants on the fundamentals of workers’ compensation, and then continue to reinforce and build upon those fundamentals through continued education to ensure that each CWCP Certified Professional has a thorough understanding of Georgia’s Workers’ Compensation system. The CWCP Program consists of a Certification Course and a Re-Certification Course. The CWCP Certification Course is a pre-requisite for a Georgia Workers’ Compensation Adjuster’s License. More information can be found at www.CWCP.net.