Beaufort Worker's Compensation Lawyer
Legally Reviewed by, Brent Stewart: April 07, 2026
When you are hurt at work or if you become ill due to conditions in your workplace, you could be entitled to workers’ compensation benefits. This financial compensation can pay for medical treatment related to your injuries and provide partial wage replacement while you are unable to work.
Fault is not a factor in workers’ compensation cases, and the process of receiving benefits is not always simple. That’s why it is important that you turn to the attorneys at Stewart Law Offices to get help with your workers’ comp claim.
Since attorney Brent Stewart founded the firm in 1995, we’ve battled through red tape, bureaucracy, and tough insurers to help injured employees like you pursue workers’ compensation benefits.
Brent Stewart is a licensed South Carolina Bar attorney and founder of Stewart Law Offices with more than 30 years of legal experience, and he has spent decades advocating for injured workers throughout Beaufort and the Lowcountry.
Armed with workers’ compensation attorneys who are knowledgeable about South Carolina employment law, we’re ready to work hard to seek the benefits that you and your family need.
When you walk into our office, your case is handled carefully and personally, and you will feel welcomed, heard, and supported by a team that treats you like family, not just another file.
View how our workers’ comp law firm has helped former clients:
Do I Need a Workers’ Compensation Lawyer?
Many insurance companies and employers are willing to use whatever scare tactics are necessary to downplay your condition or deny your claim outright. Employers provide workers’ compensation insurance in accordance with South Carolina law, so why are they denying your claim?
Employers and insurance companies have one thing in common: they are often more worried about their bottom line than paying you the money you deserve. While representatives from your employer and their insurer may initially be responsive and show concern about your health and well-being, they will likely be looking for any reason to deny your claim or pay you less than what you are truly owed.
With an attorney from Stewart Law Offices handling your claim, you’ll have legal representation from a professional who knows the tactics employers and insurance adjusters often use to deny your claim and knows how to prove your injury and pursue appropriate benefits.
Another issue with injured workers fighting without legal help involves the benefits they receive. If your claim is approved, there’s a chance you won’t receive the full benefits you’re entitled to receive. It’s happened before and could happen again.
Our firm’s goal is to seek payments to injured workers at the maximum amount allowed under state law. We know that you and your family need these benefits to pay for medical treatment and rehabilitation, and you need that financial support as you try to get back on your feet. Don’t let a workplace injury keep you sidelined and suffering additional stress and strain. Turn to us for help.
Tips for Obtaining Workers’ Compensation Benefits Successfully
South Carolina has a no-fault workers’ compensation system in place. This means workers’ compensation benefits are payable regardless of who caused the worker’s injury. However, there’s a process that still must be followed to ensure claims are paid out.
Here are some tips to prevent your claim from being jeopardized:
- Seek immediate medical attention. Do this both for your health, and your claim. Even if injuries aren’t immediately apparent, taking this step shows you’re serious about staying healthy.
- Report any injury to a supervisor or HR. Employees are given 90 days to report the incident to their employer. If that deadline is missed, your claim may be denied unless extenuating circumstances prevent timely reporting of your injury.
- Take down witness names. The more people willing to corroborate your injury, the better chance your claim has of being immediately approved. Even if you believe the witness may be uncooperative, still jot their name down.
- Make sure proper forms are filled out. South Carolina workers can find fillable PDF forms on the Workers’ Compensation Commission site.
- Call Stewart Law Offices. Many people find these forms intimidating. But we have the experience to understand the entire process, and we’re ready to assist in obtaining, completing, and submitting the right forms, at the right time, to the right state agencies.
- Avoid sharing information, especially on social media platforms. Anything you say can be used to deny your claim. Keep the details off social media, and never share information with those with no interest in your case.
If the workers’ compensation claim is approved, injured workers are entitled to the following benefits:
- Vocational rehabilitation if injuries prevent you from returning to your previous occupation
- Medical benefits from a professional of your employer’s choosing (except emergencies)
- 66 2/3% of your average weekly pay up to the state-imposed limit of 100% of the state’s average weekly pay
Visit Our Workers’ Compensation Attorneys in Beaufort
How to File a Workers’ Compensation Claim in Beaufort
- Give your employer immediate notice of injury. Avoid delays if possible. Only exceptional circumstances allow injured workers to report their injury beyond the 90-day window.
- Be mindful of deadlines. After reporting your injury, you’re given two years to file for workers’ compensation benefits in South Carolina.
- Do NOT file your claim with South Carolina’s WCC. This is your employer’s responsibility.
- File your own claim if the employer forgets or the benefits aren’t what you think they’re supposed to be.
- Use Form 50 for workers’ compensation or Form 52 if the worker died and the family is filing on their behalf.
- If your claim is denied or the employer wishes to contest your claim, the WCC allows injured workers to request a hearing.
There’s a mandatory seven-day waiting period in South Carolina, with a 14-day retroactive period for benefits.
Because the entire process is confusing and may be intimidating to some, consider retaining the Beaufort workers’ compensation lawyers at Stewart Law Offices before requesting a hearing.
Appealing a Decision of the Commissioner
Not all decisions are fair or favorable for injured workers. But by law, you are given the opportunity to appeal the decision of the acting WCC commissioner. If a single commissioner denies your claim, you can appeal and have your case heard by the full commission.
Should the full commission deny your workers’ compensation claim, you may appeal to the South Carolina Court of Appeals within 30 days of receiving their final answer by mail.
If the Court of Appeals upholds the commissioner’s decision, you can then appeal with the South Carolina Supreme Court, which accepts only a few cases the court wants to hear. Getting counsel early on may avoid the necessity of appeals, which may result in lengthy delays, even when successful.
How Our Law Firm Can Help After a Beaufort Workplace Accident
Since our firm was formed, we’ve put the needs of injured workers first. Throughout South Carolina, our commitment to helping injured employees get their claims paid is surpassed only by our desire to see employees succeed.
Want to learn how Stewart Law Offices can help injured workers after they’ve endured a workplace injury? Our workplace accident lawyers will:
- Fight workers’ comp adjusters, who are known to force injured people back to work before they’ve healed;
- May help avoid multiple appeals or delays by having your paperwork completed correctly with all relevant information;
- Seek the full amount of benefits owed under state law;
- Fight to continue your benefits until you’re able to return to work with a clean bill of health;
- Offer free initial consultations to injured workers, an exceptional value in itself.
We’ll pursue your benefits while you concentrate on recovering from your injuries. Without a workers comp attorney, your claim may be delayed or even denied because of a failure to follow strict timelines and procedures. Many claimants elect to retain our firm merely because they cannot file claims alone, or do not wish to risk delay and denial while they figure out the complicated process.
Our Workers’ Compensation Law Firm is Prepared to Begin Fighting For Your Rights Today
The Beaufort workers’ compensation lawyers of Stewart Law Offices have helped thousands of South Carolina workers over the years. We’re ready to put our experience and skills to work for you. You deserve attentive and thorough representation, which our firm will extend to you.
If you need assistance with forms, and appeals, or want our lawyers to handle your claim from start to finish, time is essential in filing all paperwork. Contact our Beaufort personal injury lawyers for a free case evaluation and information about your legal rights in a worker’s compensation claim. We can be reached by phone, through our contact form, or by chatting with us live on our site.
Frequently Asked Questions
This is a particularly important question for Beaufort County, given the area’s significant marine, military, and coastal industries. Workers injured on navigable waters, including fishing, commercial boating, and port workers, may be covered by federal maritime law rather than (or in addition to) South Carolina workers’ compensation. The Jones Act, the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act (LHWCA), and general maritime law can provide benefits that are sometimes greater than those under state workers’ comp. If you work on or near the water in Beaufort, it is essential to consult an attorney who can identify which system applies to your situation.
Beaufort County is home to significant military installations, including MCAS Beaufort and Parris Island. Civilian employees who work directly for the federal government are covered by the Federal Employees’ Compensation Act (FECA), not South Carolina workers’ compensation. However, private contractors working on military bases may be covered by South Carolina state workers’ comp, the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act (LHWCA), or (in limited cases) the Defense Base Act, depending on the nature of their work, contract, and employment classification. If you are injured while working in or around a Beaufort military facility, determining the correct system can be complex; an experienced attorney can help you identify the right coverage and file accordingly.
Beaufort County’s economy includes construction, hospitality and tourism, healthcare, retail, and marine-related trades. Common workers’ compensation injuries in this region include falls from scaffolding and rooftops (construction), back and shoulder injuries from heavy lifting (hospitality, retail, healthcare), heat-related illness (outdoor workers in the Lowcountry climate), repetitive stress injuries, and injuries involving boats or waterfront equipment. All of these are potentially compensable under South Carolina workers’ compensation, provided the injury occurred in the course and scope of employment.
Yes. In South Carolina, workers’ compensation coverage applies to most employees regardless of whether they are full-time, part-time, or seasonal, as long as their employer has four or more employees and is not one of the limited exempt categories. Beaufort County’s significant hospitality and tourism workforce includes many seasonal workers who often don’t realize they have the same rights as full-time employees. Temporary agency workers may also be covered, though the question of which employer’s policy applies can require careful analysis. If you were injured in a seasonal or temporary role, don’t assume you are not covered; consult our Beaufort workers’ comp attorneys.
South Carolina workers’ compensation covers occupational diseases and conditions that arise out of employment, but mental health claims face a higher burden than physical injury claims. To succeed on a mental or psychological workers’ compensation claim in SC, you generally must show that the stress or trauma causing the condition was unusual and extraordinary compared to the normal pressures of the job. First responders, healthcare workers, and others exposed to traumatic events may have viable claims. These cases are complex and are frequently denied, so experienced legal representation is especially important.
Workers’ compensation and employer-sponsored short-term disability (STD) benefits are separate programs that may overlap; workers’ comp covers only on-the-job injuries or illnesses under South Carolina law, while STD typically covers any illness or injury that prevents you from working, as defined by your employer’s private insurance policy. If you qualify for both, you may receive STD while your workers’ comp claim is being processed, but many STD policies include coordination-of-benefits clauses that reduce STD payments or require reimbursement of overlapping amounts later, as there is no automatic state-mandated offset in South Carolina for private STD and workers’ comp. The exact interaction depends on your specific STD policy language, and our Beaufort attorneys can review your policy, coordinate claims, and help you maximize your combined benefits.
Once you have reached maximum medical improvement, your employer’s insurance carrier may offer a lump-sum settlement, a single payment that closes out your workers’ compensation claim in full. While a settlement provides certainty and immediate funds, it typically means giving up your right to any future workers’ comp benefits related to that injury, including future medical care. Whether a settlement is in your best interest depends on the severity and permanence of your injury, your future medical needs, your age, and the settlement amount being offered. You should never accept a lump-sum settlement without first consulting an attorney. Our Beaufort workers’ comp lawyers can evaluate whether an offer is fair and negotiate for better terms.