While you may be entitled to benefits under your employer’s workers’ compensation insurance policy, actually getting money can be a challenge. Hiring our experienced personal injury lawyer in Harrisburg can give you the edge you need to not just win your claim for benefits but maximize your financial recovery.
Our attorneys have more than 120+ years of experience and have won tens of millions in settlements and verdicts for clients like you. Give us a call or connect with us online to discover how we can help you get the benefits you need as you recover from your workplace injury in Harrisburg, PA.
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How Marzzacco Niven & Associates Can Help With a Workers’ Comp Claim in Harrisonburg
Getting hurt on the job can have high costs. Medical treatment can be expensive, and a sudden loss of income can be devastating. Your injury could even prevent you from going back to work in the same capacity – or at all.
Fortunately, benefits available through your employer’s workers’ compensation insurance can help to offset these costs and losses. The experienced Harrisburg workers’ compensation lawyers at Marzzacco Niven & Associates can help you navigate the claims process and seek the maximum available benefits.
When you hire us, we will:
- Calculate the value of your damages
- Help you comply with workers’ comp requirements
- Handle all communications and administrative tasks involved in your claim
- File all claims and appeals with the workers’ compensation insurance company
Contact our law office in Harrisburg, PA, to learn more about how our respected, award-winning legal team can help. Your first consultation is absolutely free, so call now at (717) 231-1640.
Workers’ Comp Benefits Guide for Injured Workers in Pennsylvania
When you are injured on the job, you are likely entitled to workers’ compensation. There are five types of benefits available under Pennsylvania state law:
- Medical benefits
- Wage lost benefits
- Occupational disease benefits
- Specific loss and disfigurement benefits, and
- Death benefits.
We explore each benefit in more detail below.
Medical Benefits
You’re entitled to benefits for the reasonable costs related to medical care and treatment for a work-related injury.
This may include:
- Emergency room visit
- Hospitalization
- Surgery
- Prescription medication
- Physical therapy
- Rehabilitation
- Medical devices
- Medical equipment
- Follow-up doctor’s visits
- Medical tests
There is a catch. You can’t just go and see your own doctor. Your employer is required to give you a list of at least six pre-approved doctors or specialists. For the first 90 days after your workplace accident, you’ll have to visit someone from this list for treatment. After 90 days, you can see a different physician (of your choosing) if you need a second opinion.
Wage Loss Benefits
Wage loss benefits offset the financial setback you experience if you’re unable to get back to work after your on-the-job injury.
Typically, you can receive up to two-thirds of your average weekly wage (calculated using what you were earning before you got hurt).
There is a limit as to how much you can recover in lost wages. The Department of Labor & Industry has a cap that adjusts annually. For 2022, the statewide average weekly wage is capped at $1,205.
Let’s say two-thirds of your average weekly wage is $1,300. Since the wage loss benefit is capped, you’ll only receive $1,205.
How Long Can I Receive Wage Loss Benefits?
It depends on if you’re classified as having a partial disability or a total disability.
Total disability benefits are available for up to 104 weeks.
Partial disability benefits are available for up to 500 weeks.
Your level of impairment – or disability – can change. The threshold is typically 35 percent. If your impairment is calculated at less than 35 percent, then you’ll qualify for partial disability. If it exceeds 35 percent, as established by the American Medical Association, then you may qualify for total disability benefits.
Wage loss benefits typically continue until you’ve maxed out the recovery period or you’re able to return to work at the same earning capacity before you got hurt. There are some workers’ comp exemptions too.
Occupational Disease Benefits
If you’re diagnosed with an occupational disease within 300 weeks of your last date of employment, then you may also qualify for workers’ compensation benefits.
Specific Loss & Disfigurement Benefits
If your injury has resulted in the loss of a body part or sense, then you may qualify for specific loss benefits.
Specific loss benefits are injury-specific, meaning that the amount of money you can get and how long the benefits last are directly tied to the loss you’ve suffered.
Examples include:
- Loss of a hand: two-thirds of your wages for 335 weeks
- Loss of a foot: two-thirds of your wages for 350 weeks
- Loss of a leg: two-thirds of your wages for 410 weeks
- Loss of an eye: two-thirds of your wages for 275 weeks
Unlike wage loss benefits, you can recover specific loss benefits even if your amputation, loss of vision or hearing, or disfigurement doesn’t prevent you from going back to work.
Death Benefits
When a workplace accident or occupational disease is fatal and results in a worker’s death, surviving family members may be entitled to workers’ compensation death benefits.
Benefits are available if the victim dies within 300 weeks of:
- Sustaining a work-related injury, or
- Being employed in the industry responsible for their illness.
Surviving beneficiaries can recover benefits for medical costs, lost wages, and up to $3,000 for reasonable burial expenses.
Marzzacco Niven & Associates Can Help You Recover Workers’ Compensation Benefits After a Job-Related Injury
The workers’ comp process can be frustrating and time-consuming. Don’t go it alone. We offer a free consultation, so contact our workers’ compensation lawyers in Pennsylvania today. Call our Harrisburg law office today to schedule your free consultation or click here if you have more questions.
We have a team of workers’ compensation lawyers helping clients across the state with offices in Harrisburg, Wyomissing, York, Carbondale, Carlisle, Chambersburg, Lancaster, and Lebanon.
Workers’ Comp Blog & Resources
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