Philadelphia Workers’ Compensation Lawyer

Except in limited circumstances, you have the right to seek benefits through workers’ compensation if you are classified as an employee in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and get hurt or sick due to your working conditions. However, as many first-time claimants learn the hard way, obtaining the benefits you are entitled to by law can be surprisingly tricky if you try to go through the claims process alone.

Fortunately, an experienced personal injury attorney could help you construct a strong initial workers’ comp claim and guide you through the process of appealing if your claim is rejected. Even if you only have a few questions about your options for seeking benefits after a workplace accident, contacting a Philadelphia workers’ compensation lawyer should still be high on your list of priorities.

How To File a Workers’ Compensation Claim

Unless someone needs immediate emergency care, the top priority for anyone who suffers a work-related injury or is diagnosed with a work-related illness should be notifying their employer, ideally in writing, to create a paper trail for the report. Failing to provide notice of a workplace injury or illness within 21 days of first discovering it may later impede that worker’s ability to get certain benefits. Failing to provide notice within 120 days will likely prohibit them from getting any benefits or compensation.

After making an initial report, a prospective workers’ comp claimant must seek treatment from an employer-approved doctor for at least 90 days after initially getting hurt or sick before switching to an alternative physician if preferred. Generally, the injured or sick worker’s employer should handle the claims process paperwork after this. However, a Philadelphia workers’ comp attorney could help get things moving if the employer creates unnecessary delays.

What Benefits Could Workers’ Comp Provide?

All claimants whose claims are accepted by their employer’s workers’ comp insurance provider have a right to full reimbursement for all reasonably necessary medical treatment to help them recover from their work-related injury or illness. Compensation can include inpatient and outpatient care from primary treating physicians, assistive equipment like crutches or wheelchairs, prescription medications, and travel costs to and from appointments.

Workers too hurt or sick to perform their usual job for at least seven days can receive temporary disability benefits, usually equal to two-thirds of their average pre-injury weekly wage or salary. These benefits can be extended into permanent disability benefits if a work-related injury or illness permanently reduces a claimant’s working and earning capacity. However, those types of claims can be particularly challenging and almost always require support from an experienced workers’ comp lawyer in Philadelphia.

Call a Philadelphia Compensation Attorney for Help

The purpose of workers’ compensation is to support people who have suffered serious physical harm while doing their job and minimize the harm their injury or illness does to their career, financial security, and life as a whole. In practice, though, filing a workers’ compensation claim and getting the benefits you need can be anything but simple, particularly if your employer’s insurance provider disagrees with you about how bad your injuries are or about whether your condition is work-related in the first place.

Working closely with a capable Philadelphia workers’ compensation lawyer is essential to achieving the best possible result from this sort of case. Call us today to discuss your options.