Georgia Form WC-1 is the Employer’s First Report of Injury or Occupational Disease, and the single most important thing to know about it is where it goes: the employer completes Section A and sends the form to its workers’ compensation insurance carrier or self-insurer claims office, not to the State Board of Workers’ Compensation. The form itself warns against sending it to the Board.1Georgia State Board of Workers’ Compensation. Georgia Form WC-1 – Employer’s First Report of Injury or Occupational Disease The insurer then completes its own section and files the full form with the Board. Miss a deadline or route the paperwork to the wrong place and civil penalties start accruing, so the mechanics matter.
When You Have to File
Under O.C.G.A. § 34-9-12, an employer must file a report when an employee suffers a job-related injury or contracts an occupational disease that either requires medical or surgical treatment or causes the employee to miss more than seven days of work.2Justia Law. Georgia Code 34-9-12 – Employer’s Record of Injuries Those two triggers are alternatives. An injury that needs stitches but costs zero lost workdays still requires a WC-1. An absence of eight or more days triggers the obligation even if the only medical care was a basic evaluation.
The duty to file does not depend on whether you believe the claim. Thinking the employee is at fault, or that the injury didn’t actually happen at work, does not relieve you of the reporting obligation. The statute looks only at whether the injury threshold was met. Disputes over liability get resolved later, through separate procedures, after the report is on file.
When the Clock Starts
Georgia law requires an injured employee to notify the employer, a supervisor, or a manager as soon as practicable, and in writing within 30 days if in-person notice hasn’t been given. Failure to notify within 30 days can bar the claim unless the employee shows a reasonable excuse or that the employer already knew.3Justia Law. Georgia Code 34-9-80 – Procedure for Giving Notice of Accident
Your reporting clock begins the moment a supervisor or manager learns of the injury, whether through the employee’s formal report or through firsthand observation of the incident.2Justia Law. Georgia Code 34-9-12 – Employer’s Record of Injuries Waiting on a written statement from the employee doesn’t pause the clock if a manager was there or was told about it.
What Section A Asks For
Section A gathers identifying and factual information in a few predictable categories. Pull the data together before you sit down with the form.
Employee Information
Full name, date of birth, phone number, email address, and mailing address.1Georgia State Board of Workers’ Compensation. Georgia Form WC-1 – Employer’s First Report of Injury or Occupational Disease The WC-1 does not have a field for the employee’s Social Security number, which sometimes surprises employers used to seeing one on government forms.
Employer and Insurer Information
Business name, mailing address, and Federal Employer Identification Number for the employer. On the insurance side: the insurer or self-insurer’s name, the insurer’s FEIN, and the insurer’s file number for the claim.1Georgia State Board of Workers’ Compensation. Georgia Form WC-1 – Employer’s First Report of Injury or Occupational Disease The form does not ask for a policy number, so don’t go hunting for one.
Accident and Injury Details
Exact date and time of injury, the county where it occurred, and whether it happened on the employer’s premises. You’ll describe the type of injury or illness, identify each affected body part, and provide a narrative of how the incident happened.1Georgia State Board of Workers’ Compensation. Georgia Form WC-1 – Employer’s First Report of Injury or Occupational Disease Keep the narrative factual and specific. “Employee fell approximately six feet from a ladder onto a concrete floor, landing on right arm and hip” is useful. “Employee had an accident” is not.
Wage Information
The form captures the employee’s wage rate at the time of injury and the average weekly wage.1Georgia State Board of Workers’ Compensation. Georgia Form WC-1 – Employer’s First Report of Injury or Occupational Disease Get the average weekly wage right. It drives any income benefits paid to the employee, which Georgia calculates at two-thirds of the average weekly wage up to $800 per week.4Justia Law. Georgia Code 34-9-261 – Compensation for Total Disability Underreport the wage and benefits come in low. Overreport it and the insurer will claw back the overpayment. Pull payroll records first, and include overtime and other recurring compensation.
How the Filing Actually Flows
The form has distinct sections with different responsible parties. Section A is yours. Sections B, C, and D belong to the insurance carrier or self-insurer.
Step 1: Employer Completes Section A and Sends It to the Insurer
Fill out Section A immediately upon learning of the injury and send the completed form to the workers’ compensation insurer or self-insurer claims office. The Board’s own guidance says this should happen immediately, not after some internal waiting period.5State Board of Workers’ Compensation. Employer Information Do not send the form to the State Board at this stage.
Step 2: Insurer Completes B, C, or D and Files With the Board
Once your insurer has Section A, it picks the appropriate follow-up section. Section B covers claims the insurer is paying. Section C applies to permanent partial disability settlements. Section D is checked when the insurer is controverting the claim. The insurer then files the complete WC-1 with the State Board and sends a copy of both sides to the employee and any attorney of record within 21 days of the employer’s knowledge of disability, injury, or death.1Georgia State Board of Workers’ Compensation. Georgia Form WC-1 – Employer’s First Report of Injury or Occupational Disease Distributing the form to the injured employee is the insurer’s job, not yours.
Electronic Versus Paper
Most filings reach the Board electronically. Georgia accepts WC-1 data through the Board’s online ICMS system, Electronic Data Interchange, and paper submission.6State Board of Workers’ Compensation. EDI Filing in Georgia Insurers and third-party administrators handle the EDI transmission in practice. Your part is to complete Section A promptly so the insurer has time to meet its deadline. Once the Board processes the filing, it assigns a unique claim number that tracks every subsequent action on the case.
Deadlines and Penalties
Two separate deadlines apply. You must complete Section A and send it to the insurer immediately upon learning of the injury.5State Board of Workers’ Compensation. Employer Information O.C.G.A. § 34-9-12 sets a statutory backstop of 10 days from notice of the injury for the report to reach the Board.2Justia Law. Georgia Code 34-9-12 – Employer’s Record of Injuries Where seven or more days of lost time are involved, the Board’s practical filing window stretches to 21 days from the employer’s knowledge of disability. Either way, your job is to get Section A to the insurer without delay.
Any person who willfully fails to file a form or report required by the Board faces a civil penalty between $100 and $1,000 per violation under O.C.G.A. § 34-9-18(a). The Board can also assess collection costs, including attorney fees, on top of the penalty.7Justia Law. Georgia Code 34-9-18 – Civil Penalties Late or missing benefit payments carry their own separate penalties.
The Panel of Physicians Runs Alongside
The WC-1 doesn’t ask whether you provided a list of authorized doctors, but the form’s instructions tell employers to let the injured worker select a physician from the posted panel and to explain how the panel works.1Georgia State Board of Workers’ Compensation. Georgia Form WC-1 – Employer’s First Report of Injury or Occupational Disease The panel obligation is a parallel legal requirement, not something the WC-1 satisfies on its own.
Georgia law requires every employer to maintain and post a Panel of Physicians of at least six doctors who are reasonably accessible to employees. At least one must be an orthopedic surgeon, no more than two may be industrial clinics, and the panel must include one minority physician.8Justia Law. Georgia Code 34-9-201 – Selection of Physician From Panel The panel must be posted in prominent places on the premises, and the employer must make sure employees understand their right to choose from it.
Failing to maintain or post a compliant panel is one of the most expensive mistakes a Georgia employer can make. Without a compliant panel, the employee can see any physician at the employer’s expense, with no restriction to the panel list.8Justia Law. Georgia Code 34-9-201 – Selection of Physician From Panel The employee can also make one change from one panel physician to another without prior Board approval.9Justia Law. Georgia Code 201 – Panel of Physicians
What Happens After You File
The WC-1 is the starting point. What comes next depends on the insurer’s decision.
If the Insurer Accepts the Claim
The insurer files a WC-2, Notice of Payment or Suspension of Benefits, to document that income benefits have started. The employee’s first check should be mailed within 21 days after the first missed workday.10State Board of Workers’ Compensation. Workers’ Compensation Law FAQs Temporary total disability pays two-thirds of the average weekly wage, capped at $800 per week, for up to 400 weeks. Catastrophic injuries lift the 400-week cap.4Justia Law. Georgia Code 34-9-261 – Compensation for Total Disability
Benefits do not start from day one. The employee receives no income benefits for the first seven calendar days of disability. If the disability lasts more than 21 consecutive days, those first seven days are paid retroactively.10State Board of Workers’ Compensation. Workers’ Compensation Law FAQs
If the Insurer Denies the Claim
The insurer files a WC-3, Notice to Controvert, which formally rejects the claim and gives the reasons.11State Board of Workers’ Compensation. Board Forms A denial doesn’t end the matter. The employee can request a hearing before the Board, and the case moves into administrative litigation.
What the WC-1 Does Not Cover
Filing the WC-1 does not satisfy federal OSHA recordkeeping. OSHA requires employers to complete an Injury and Illness Incident Report (Form 301) within seven calendar days of learning about a recordable injury.12Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). OSHA Forms for Recording Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses A state workers’ compensation form can substitute for OSHA 301 only if it captures the same information.13Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). OSHA Injury and Illness Recordkeeping and Reporting Requirements The Georgia WC-1 may not cover every OSHA data point, so many employers also keep an OSHA 301 or use an internal form that satisfies both. Employers with 10 or fewer employees throughout the previous calendar year are generally exempt from routine OSHA recordkeeping, along with certain low-hazard industries. The Georgia WC-1 obligation has no such size exemption.
HIPAA is not a barrier either. The Privacy Rule specifically allows healthcare providers to disclose protected health information to workers’ compensation insurers, employers, and state administrators without the employee’s authorization, as long as the disclosure is necessary to comply with workers’ compensation laws and limited to the minimum information needed.14U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Disclosures for Workers’ Compensation Purposes
Keep workers’ compensation claim records for five years after settlement of all claims arising from the injury under Georgia state retention schedules.15Georgia Archives. State Government Records Retention Schedule Accident reports that don’t result in a workers’ compensation claim have a shorter three-year retention. OSHA requires its injury logs and incident reports to be kept for five years following the end of the calendar year they cover.16Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Retention and Updating When both apply, the longer period controls.