Workers’ Compensation Attorneys in Gettysburg, PA
Help when you are injured on the job in Adams County
A work injury can derail your entire life. It takes away your ability to provide for yourself and your family, results in medical bills, and puts your health in jeopardy. The workers’ compensation system was designed to protect injured employees from suffering the negative consequences of a work-related accident. Whether you suffered injury from a slip and fall or developed a medical condition from years on the job, workers’ comp is meant to help.
However, when employers deny you these benefits, you may need an attorney to step in. At KBG Injury Law in Gettysburg, our workers’ compensation attorneys have almost four decades of experience helping injured employees secure the benefits to which they are entitled. Whether your claim was delayed, denied, or terminated without warning, our legal team can help you get answers. We work with all types of employees and workers throughout Pennsylvania with appeals and hearings. Contact us today to talk about your claim.
What is workers’ compensation?
Under Pennsylvania law, if you are injured on the job or develop a work-related illness, workers’ compensation “provides for your medical expenses and, in the event you are unable to work, wage-loss compensation benefits until you're able to go back to work. Additionally, death benefits for work-related deaths are paid to your dependent survivors.” These benefits come out of an employer’s insurance policy or the State Workers’ Insurance Fund.
Employers are required to provide these benefits to employees, and in return employees cannot to file a lawsuit against their employer for their injuries. As required by the Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Act, nearly every employee in the state is covered by these laws, including seasonal and part-time workers, nonprofit corporations, unincorporated businesses and even employers with only one employee.
There are some exceptions to workers’ compensation coverage, including independent contractors, longshoremen, railroad workers, federal employees, domestic workers, and seasonal agricultural workers. Some are covered under separate workers’ comp legislation. If you unsure about whether or not you are eligible for benefits, contact the attorneys at KBG Injury Law and we can help determine your options.
What is included in workers’ compensation benefits?
Pennsylvania workers’ compensation includes a variety of benefits, including:
- Medical care. Workers’ compensation insurance should cover reasonable medical and surgical expenses related to your injuries or condition. This can include doctor visits, follow-up care, medications, surgeries, or physical therapy. Keep copies and documentation of all your documents and receipts.
- Lost wages. If you are unable to work while injured, workers’ comp also provides wage loss benefits. These are available for both total disability and partial disability. Our attorneys can help determine the type of benefits to which you are entitled and ensure your employer does not try to send you back to work before your doctor allows you to do so.
- Death benefits. Some work injuries and accidents may result in loss of life. In these most tragic of circumstances, workers’ compensation may offer death and funeral benefits to surviving dependents. The Gettysburg attorneys at KBG Injury Law can help you sort out the details and assist you in filing a claim.
Workers’ compensation benefits cover both on-the-job accidents and occupational diseases, if caused or aggravated by your employment. For certain lung diseases, state law notes that “you must have worked in an occupation with a silica, coal or asbestos hazard for at least two years in Pennsylvania during the 10 years prior to your disability.”
What are common on-the-job injuries?
Whether you work in the tourism industry, retail, office building, manufacturing, construction, or any other type of job, you run the risk of being involved in a workplace accident. Even a slip and fall on a wet floor can cause devastating injuries that can take you out of work for months. The workers’ compensation attorneys at KBG Injury Law have years of experience handling claims arising from:
- Amputation and limb loss injuries
- Back and neck injuries
- Car accidents with company vehicles
- Construction site accidents
- Head and brain injuries
- Falls from heights
- Loss of hearing or vision
- Machinery crushing accidents
- Musculoskeletal disorders
- Occupational diseases
- Repetitive strain injuries
- Slip and falls
- Warehouse accidents
- Workplace violence
Any time you suffer an accident or injury during the scope of your employment, you should be eligible for workers’ compensation benefits. This is true even if you are not on your job site when the injury occurs – as long as you are performing your job duties at the time, you are eligible. Employees injured due to intoxication or illegal activities may be barred from workers’ comp benefits. Talk to our Gettysburg lawyers if you are unsure about your eligibility.
Why have my workers’ compensation benefits ended?
If your employer or their insurance company believes you are no longer eligible for workers’ compensation benefits, they may stop your payments and coverage. However, they may only legally stop your benefits if you actually return to work, you sign something allowing them to do so, you are incarcerated after a conviction, they get an order from a Workers’ Compensation Judge allowing them to do so, or you die due to reasons unrelated to your work injury. If you believe your benefits were wrongly suspended (wage loss benefits are stopped but medical coverage continues) or terminated (both wage loss and medical benefits are stopped), the attorneys at KBG Injury Law can investigate your claim. There are a number of reasons an employer may suspend or terminate your benefits. They, or their insurance company, may state that:
- You did not follow your doctor’s treatment plan or violated medical restrictions
- You refused light duty work or assignments
- You did not or refused to take a required independent medical exam (IME)
- You quit your job while you were off work recovering from your injuries
- You have large gaps of time between medical treatments and exams
- You have fully recovered from your injuries
- You signed a Supplemental Agreement or a Final Receipt agreeing to end your benefits
- You accepted a lump-sum settlement and are no longer eligible for benefits
Our Gettysburg workers’ compensation attorneys can investigate the reason why your benefits were suspended or denied and determine your options. If you have grounds to launch an appeal, we are happy to build a strong case on your behalf to ensure you secure all the benefits to which you are entitled under the law.
How can a Gettysburg workers’ compensation attorney help?
Although just about every employee is entitled to workers’ compensation, not every employee gets the benefits they need. In some cases, injured workers have their claims denied completely. If this happens to you, call on our attorneys for assistance. Even what seems like a simple workers’ comp case can quickly turn complicated and add unnecessary delays and headaches without legal help.
If any of the following apply to your case, think about working with an attorney right from the start:
- You have a previous or underlying condition in addition to your injury
- A defective or malfunctioning product contributed to your work injury
- Your employer denies your injury or condition occurred from work
- Your injury is permanent or catastrophic
- You were fired as retaliation for filing for worker’s compensation benefits
- Your employer does not offer workers’ compensation
- Your benefits do not properly cover your medical expenses
- Your claim was denied or terminated without warning
- You need to file for compensation under the Heart and Lung Act
Is there a workers’ compensation attorney near me?
You can find KBG Injury Law at 37 West Middle Street, Gettysburg, PA, near Route 30 in the heart of Gettysburg. We also maintain four locations throughout South Central PA.
Experienced Gettysburg workers’ compensation attorneys
If you were injured on the job, you have a right to workers’ compensation benefits. The attorneys at KBG Injury Law can help. We can help you file a claim, appeal a denied claim, and strengthen your case with the evidence and proof you need to secure the benefits to which you are entitled. Feel free to contact our legal team today for a free initial consultation. Call 717-848-3838 or toll free at 800.509.10.11, or fill out our contact form. We have offices in Gettysburg, York, Lancaster, Harrisburg, and Hanover, and proudly serve workers throughout South Central Pennsylvania.