Pennsylvania workers’ compensation laws allow you to begin drawing partially lost wage benefits after missing seven days of work. You can collect workers’ compensation starting on the eighth day after you suffer an illness or injury that prevents you from working. This wage replacement benefit could cover up to two-thirds of your usual wages, up to a set limit.
Most other benefits related to your workers’ compensation insurance coverage, including medical care coverage, should begin immediately following your injury if you follow the proper protocol for notifying your supervisor and seeing a doctor.
Understanding the Time Table for Collecting Workers’ Comp in Pennsylvania
Assuming you filed your claim and the insurance provider approved it, you may begin receiving payments for your missed wages as soon as eight days after your workplace illness or injury. For example, if you fractured your ankle in a fall on Tuesday, you may begin receiving partial wage replacement benefits as soon as the following Wednesday.
Once you miss two weeks of work, you will receive a week of retroactive pay to cover the partial wages from the first seven workdays you missed.
How long you will continue to receive these lost wage benefits depends on your level of disability. In general, those who suffer more serious and lasting impairments can continue to draw benefits longer, although many Pennsylvania workers’ compensation cases end in a settlement.
Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Provides Several Types of Benefits
In Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Act offers protections to workers hurt on the job. This act outlines the benefits and rules that apply to workers’ compensation benefits in the commonwealth. PA Workers’ compensation is available from private insurers as well as the State Workers’ Insurance Fund.
For many workers, this insurance provides the only option for covering lost wages they miss while out of work sick or injured. Because it provides them with a paycheck while they cannot work, this wage loss benefit is the most important part of workers’ compensation coverage for many injured workers and their families. However, it is just one benefit available through workers’ compensation coverage. Other benefits include:
Medical Care Coverage
Pennsylvania workers’ compensation pays out to cover the treatment and care of all work-related injuries and work-acquired illnesses. This should include:
- Hospitalization
- Doctor’s appointments
- Prescription drugs
- Other related expenses
This coverage will begin with your first visit and continue until the doctor releases you from their care for this particular ailment. It is important to note that there may be limitations on which doctors you can see for your initial treatment and a portion of the follow-up care.
Lost Wage Benefits
Lost wage benefits usually provide a portion of your normal wages — about two-thirds — up to a set maximum. This will continue until you reach the set time limits or return to work at your normal capacity. You will still receive lost wage benefits if you return before you are back to your full abilities, although your benefits will go down when you return to work part-time or in a reduced capacity.
Specific Loss Benefits
You might be eligible to receive specific loss benefits if you suffered a permanent loss related to your workplace illness or injury. For example, you could receive a payout if you lost your hearing or vision, suffered an amputation, or lost the use of your hands.
Death Benefits
Workers’ compensation benefits are available to the surviving family members of a worker who died as a result of a workplace injury. These benefits provide the family with money to pay for funeral and burial costs as well as other final expenses.
Talk to a Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Attorney About Your Case
If you suffered injuries in a Bucks County, PA on-the-job accident or got hurt at work elsewhere in Pennsylvania, the team from Cordisco & Saile LLC can help ensure you get the benefits you deserve through workers’ compensation. You can file for your benefits and try to get them on your own, but we can help you sort out any issues or fight a denial.
Our team can help you collect the workers’ compensation in Pennsylvania you deserve after suffering an illness or injury at work. We can calculate your partial lost wage benefits and take action if workers’ compensation is not providing the payments you deserve.
Reach out to our Bucks County team of attorneys today by calling 215-642-2335. We offer free case reviews and consultations.
