Workers’ Compensation Lawyers in Lancaster, PA

What do Pennsylvania workers’ compensation benefits include?

Employees who are hurt while working or become ill due to their work can claim the following Pennsylvania workers’ compensation benefits:

Medical care

As part of the Workers’ Compensation Act, not only are employers required to cover medical expenses, but they also need to advise you of your rights at the time of your injury.

Employers must pay for all the healthcare you need to improve your health and to prevent it from getting worse. If you suffer permanent injury, workers’ compensation should be required to provide proper benefits for the rest of your life.

Covered medical expenses include:

• Emergency room care.
• Surgeries and hospital stays.
• Evaluations and visits with a general physician and with specialists such as orthopedists and pain management doctors.
• Therapy with physical therapists, occupational therapists, and many other therapists.
• Additional care may also be covered such as chiropractic care.
• Assistive devices such as prosthetics and computer technology.
• Prescription medication.

Employees normally start their health care by choosing from a list designated by their employer (known as a panel physician list) of six or more medical providers for your initial visits and any healthcare visits during the next 90 days. If any of those medical providers prescribe invasive surgery, you may seek a second opinion at the employer’s expense. If your employer does not provide such a list, you may visit your own health provider at your employer’s expense.

The attorneys at KBG Injury Law can contest claims by your employer that the medical treatments you are receiving are not improving your health. Know that if you seek medical care outside of Pennsylvania, some expenses may not be covered. Collaborating with an experienced attorney will ensure you do not accidentally seek treatment that is not covered.

Wage loss benefits

Generally, injured employees are entitled to two-thirds of the average weekly wage for as long as they are unable to return to work as a result of their work injury. These are called temporary total disability benefits. Those who can only work part-time or in a limited capacity after suffering an injury are also entitled to workers’ compensation benefits. These are known as temporary partial disability benefits, are in the amount of two-thirds of the difference between the employees average weekly wage and their reduced earnings, and are payable for up to 500 weeks. Our Lancaster workers’ compensation lawyers work to ensure employees are receiving their correct average weekly wage. For workers who have an hourly wage or a weekly wage, temporary benefits help them pay their bills while they recover.

Permanent wage loss benefits (partial and specific loss benefits)

Specific loss benefits are paid when a work-related injury results in the loss of, or the complete loss of use of a body part. For example, an accident may result in the traumatic or surgical amputation of a finger or appendage, or damage so severe to that finger or appendage that its use is lost for all practical intents and purposes. In these cases, there are specific loss benefits designed to compensate the permanent loss of that function. Specific loss benefits also cover the loss of hearing and vision and disfigurement of the head face or neck resulting from a work injury.

Death benefits

Death benefits can be provided to a surviving spouse, as long as they lived with and were financially dependent on the deceased at the time the death occurred. Dependents under the age of eighteen can also receive benefits, and full-time students may continue receiving benefits until age twenty-three. The payments received are between 51 and 66 2/3 percent of the employee’s average wage, depending on the number of dependent children. Death benefits also include a one-time lump-sum funeral benefit.