Did You Get Hurt While Working?
If your work causes an injury, illness or disease, you may be entitled to workers compensation. Workers compensation benefits in Pennsylvania are the primary source of payment for lost wages and/or medical treatment if you are injured at work.
What is workers compensation?
Workers compensation is essentially an insurance policy protecting workers that must be provided by employers in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is the primary source for wage loss and medical benefits paid as a result of a work-related injury or occupational disease. It also provides benefits to a spouse or dependents in the event of a work-related death. Benefits can also be recovered for a “specific loss,” such as a loss of hearing, sight or a body part. Further, benefits are available to compensate for a scar of the head, face or neck.
How do I qualify?
If you live in, primarily work in, or are injured while working in Pennsylvania, you are qualified for coverage under the Pennsylvania Workers Compensation Act. You do not need to apply for coverage prior to your injury, as coverage is mandatory for your employer.
Injured at Work – Are there time limits for filing for benefits?
There are two time limits involved with an initial claim for benefits — notice and the statute of limitations. The notice requirement simply means that you must notify your employer of a work-related problem within 120 days. However, notice must be given within 21 days in order to collect from the first day of your injury or disease. Note that with disease cases, the time to provide notice generally begins only as of the date you are informed that you have an occupational disease, provided you have not been out of work for too long.
The second time limit of concern is the statute of limitations. This is the time limit on how long you have to formally file a claim petition requesting a hearing on your right to benefits. Generally speaking, the statute of limitations on a workers compensation case is three years. However, there are numerous exceptions to the general rule, which can often result in a “tolling” or extension of the statute of limitations.
Any doubt as to the exact time limits in a particular case should also be discussed with an attorney.
For more information:
- Reporting Your Injury
- How Can I Protect My Rights?
- What Injuries Are Covered?
- What Benefits Can I Receive?
Contact Our Attorneys
The attorneys at Yablonski, Costello & Leckie are here to help you with your workers compensation case, contact us today to learn more.