Georgia Law Officers Call for Full Salary Benefits Under Workers’ Comp

Georgia law enforcement leaders are urging state lawmakers to grant injured officers their full salaries while they recover, a move that could significantly alter the nature of workers’ compensation insurance.

News outlets in the state reported that sheriffs and police chiefs held a press conference Monday, calling for passage of legislation that would make paid time off uniform across the state. Some jurisdictions already allow full pay for at least a few days, while others do not, the Henry Herald news site reported.

Georgia State Sen. Emanuel Jones, D-Decatur said he is drafting a bill to require full salary while an injured officer receives workers’ compensation benefits.

The effort began after Henry County officer Daniel Podsiadly was shot while pursuing a suspect that had killed four people and wounded other officers. Podsiadly has faced financial setbacks while on workers’ comp, authorities have said. Injured workers miss out on overtime and income from part-time jobs, the state Sheriff’s Association president said, according to the news reports.

A better indemnity approach would be similar to what the US military offers – full pay for members who are medically discharged, one sheriff said.

The workers’ compensation system in Georgia was established in 1920, around the time that most other states’ comp systems were born. As in most states, injured workers receive two-thirds of their weekly salary while recovering. In Georgia, the maximum weekly benefit for temporary total disability is $675, less than Florida, Alabama and South Carolina, and it end at 400 weeks unless it’s for a catastrophic injury, the Workers’ Compensation Research Institute has reported.

The comp system in most states has stuck with the two-thirds limit on wage-replacement benefits as a way to discourage fraudsters from faking injuries.

Topics Workers' Compensation Talent Georgia