COVID-19 Updates

Impact of COVID-19 on the South Carolina Workers’ Compensation Commission

April 17, 2020

We hope everyone is staying safe and healthy. Over the weekend, the South Carolina Workers’ Compensation Commission made the decision to suspend all live hearings until May 1, 2020 in light of the current COVID-19 pandemic. Further, in response to Governor McMaster’s Executive Order issued on March 19, 2020, the Commission will be closed to the public until further notice. The Commission will continue operating with minimal staff on-site and the remainder of the staff working from home.

For your convenience, please click this Advisory Notice to be taken directly to the Commission’s latest Advisory Notice. Notably, the filing requirements outlined by the Commission will remain in place until further notice. Further, the Commission will consider requests for telephonic hearings involving emergent issues, on a case by case basis. Importantly, the Advisory Notice does not apply to Informal Settlement Conferences currently scheduled to resolve injured workers’ claims for permanency on a Form 16A. These conferences will now be held telephonically rather than in-person. Please be sure to notify all injured workers who have Informal Conferences pending before the Commission of this change.

In the event the injured worker prefers the Informal Conference be held in-person, please notify Kelly Goodale (kgoodale@wcc.sc.gov), and the Informal Conference will be rescheduled. Please do not hesitate to reach out to our team should you have any questions or concerns related to the Commission’s Advisory Notice. Additionally, please know our team is here to help you navigate the impacts of COVID-19 on your workers’ compensation claims and invite you to contact us with any issues. As always, we are happy to help in any way we can.

Best wishes and be safe.