Guide to Workers’ Compensation in Pennsylvania
Workers’ Compensation Attorneys Serving Pennsylvania
The Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Act is designed to provide workers with financial security after suffering work-related injuries. If you are injured in the course of your employment, workers’ compensation benefits provide payment for medical treatment, rehabilitation expenses and lost wages you incur during your recovery.
At the Law Office of Melvin L. Vatz we have an in-depth understanding of Pennsylvania’s workers’ compensation system. Since 1979, our firm’s workers’ compensation lawyer, Mel Vatz has helped injured workers obtain workers’ compensation benefits in the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. We are committed to helping injured workers obtain and protect their workers’ compensation benefits.
Attorney Mel Vatz at our law firm also negotiates workers’ compensation lump sum settlements and defends against employer petitions to terminate or modify benefits. Contact our law firm today to schedule a free initial consultation.
Workers’ Compensation Claim Procedures
When you have been injured at work, you have many worries:
- What will happen if I can’t come back to work?
- How will my medical bills be paid?
- Will I be paid for my lost wages?
If your claim is denied, we will answer all of these questions, and take all of the necessary steps to insure that you get all of the benefits that the law requires, utilizing our close to for40 years of experience representing injured workers.
Legal Fees: You will not have to pay us any legal fees, unless we are successful in obtaining or protecting your workers’ compensation benefits. And we will pay the costs to pursue your case, such as obtaining your medical records and getting testimony from your doctors, if required.
Employers have 21 days to accept or reject workers’ compensation claims . If the claim is denied, we will file a petition for a hearing before a workers’ compensation judge. We will obtain and present all of the evidence necessary to obtain your benefits, including lost wages and medical benefits. If you have suffered permanent scarring to your head, neck or face as a result of your injury, or medical treatment for your injury, you may be entitled to additional compensation.
Challenges to Your Workers’ Compensation Benefits
You may be receiving workers’ compensation benefits and the insurance company may try to change or stop your benefits. If you get any notice of a petition to terminate, modify or suspend your benefits, contact our Workers’ Compensation attorneys immediately for a free initial consultation. There are many ways that your benefits may be challenged:
- Termination: If a doctor says that you can return to your previous job;
- Modification: If you have started working at a different job, or if a vocational expert says that you are capable of earning an income (even if you are not working)
- Impairment rating: If you have received total temporary wage loss benefits for two years, a doctor may be asked to evaluate you to determine what percentage of total disability you have (an “impairment rating”)
- Job search: You may be asked to go to job interviews for potential employment;
- Light duty job: Your employer may try to create a different job for you within your medical limitations;
Any attempt by the insurance company and the employer to change or stop your benefits requires that you get prompt legal help. Attorney Melvin Vatz will not charge you a fee unless we are successful in defending against the attempt to stop or lower your benefits.
Contact Us About Your Workers’ Compensation Benefits
If you have questions about workers’ compensation and your potential benefits, we can help you. Contact us by e-mail or by calling (412) 391-3030 for a free initial consultation.