In Pennsylvania, workers’ compensation benefits are paid for by employers. Workers’ compensation is an insurance product that covers most employees who are injured in a work-related accident. Pennsylvania law requires that certain employers carry workers’ comp insurance, and this law applies to most private businesses, small and large companies, start-ups, and nonprofits.
Your Pennsylvania employer likely pays workers’ comp premiums to an insurance company or a state-sponsored program. In less common instances, payments are made directly to employees. To satisfy the legal requirements of carrying worker’s comp in PA, your employer will have obtained coverage through one of the following:
- An insurance policy through a private insurer.
- A self-insurance program (most common among large companies).
- A group self-insurance fund.
- A policy from the State Workers’ Insurance Fund (most common among new businesses who are unable to purchase private insurance due to lack of experience).
If you have been injured in a work-related accident, it is in your best interest to consult with an attorney experienced in workers’ compensation cases. Initial applications are frequently denied or delayed due to application errors.
By working with an attorney, you can ensure that you obtain the full benefits you are entitled to promptly. In addition, if negligence contributed to your injuries, you may be entitled to more compensation. At Cordisco & Saile LLC, we have an impressive track record of winning workers’ compensation cases for our clients.
How Workers’ Compensation Works
Workers’ comp provides benefits to the worker, but it also has advantages for the employer. By accepting workers’ comp, you are effectively giving up your right to sue your employer. This is one of the many reasons it is so important to consult with a workers’ compensation lawyer; if negligence played a role, you may be entitled to far more compensation than you could get through workers’ comp alone.
Injured workers who are eligible for workers’ compensation may receive monetary benefits for medical expenses and other costs. They will also receive a percentage of their normal salary if they are unable to work. These benefits payments are administered by private insurers or the State Workers’ Insurance Fund.
Common Workers’ Comp Benefits
- Lost Wages: If your injuries are serious, you may be unable to perform your job duties for some time. Workers’ comp will pay a percentage of your lost wages while you are unable to work. Further, if your injuries are so serious that you are unable to perform your usual job duties permanently, workers’ comp will make up the difference between your pre-injury and post-injury earning capacity.
- Specific Loss: You may be entitled to benefits for a specific loss if your work-related accident resulted in a permanent and disabling loss to a specific part of your body. For example, if you lost a finger or toe, or your ability to speak or hear, you may be able to obtain specific loss benefits for this injury.
- Medical Expenses: A work-related injury will almost certainly lead to huge medical bills, including hospitalization, doctor visits, prescription medications, durable medical equipment, surgical procedures, rehabilitative therapy, and other costs. Workers’ comp will pay for all reasonable expenses related to medical care.
- Death benefits: If you lost a loved one due to a work-related accident, you may be able to obtain death benefits.
Although you are entitled to benefits, obtaining them is rarely an easy task. Workers’ compensation cases can be quite complicated. For starters, your employer will want to dispute your claim if possible.
Just as car insurance claims result in higher premiums, so do workers’ comp claims. If things get ugly, you can be certain that both your employer and its insurer will have legal counsel by their side. So, should you.
Your employer may deny your claim by asserting that you caused your own injuries by drinking on the job or engaging in horseplay, for example. According to the law, both scenarios would absolve the employer from its responsibility to provide workers’ comp. Even when your claim is straightforward, minor application errors can lead to lengthy delays or even an outright denial.
At Cordisco & Saile LLC, we have extensive experience dealing with employers across all industries and sizes, as well as the big insurance companies. We know how they operate, and how to seek the maximum compensation you are entitled to.
Contact Cordisco & Saile LLC Today
If you have been injured on the job, you have rights. At Cordisco & Saile LLC, we have an impressive track record of obtaining compensation for our clients, and we want to help you. You may even be entitled to benefits above and beyond what workers’ comp can pay. Do not go through this complex process alone. Call us today at 215-642-2335 for a free and confidential consultation about your case.
