The law in Pennsylvania dictates that employers are required to provide their employees with workers’ comp insurance coverage. The employer has the right to choose whether they’ll self-insure their workers themselves or use an insurance company.
Workers’ compensation is meant to provide employees who’ve got injured on the job with a source of income. It’s also designed to cover the medical bills that accrue from said injury.
Unfortunately, though, most folks don’t know what they’re entitled to and what kind of comp benefits they’re eligible to seek when they get hurt on the job.
This article will highlight some so the most common ones.
Temporary Total Disability
Temporary Total Disability, or TTD, is paid to you when you’re too injured to work. If you can’t work for 104 weeks because of an injury you sustained at the workplace, the insurance company your employer is using might need to conduct an IRE (Impairment Rating Evaluation) on you. After they’ve done the examination, if they find that you’ve got lower than 50% whole body impairment, they will claim that you’re only partially disabled.
Partial Disability
Partial disability comp benefits start when an Impairment Rating Evaluation shows you’re just partially disabled, or when the doctor of the insurance carrier says that they’re able to carry out light-duty work. This entails that, even though you’re not fully healed, you still can earn some income.
It’s always a good idea to have a personal injury attorney by your side when these evaluations are being done.
If you got injured while in a new job position and that said position is in a lower pay grade level than the previous one, you can seek two-thirds of the difference according to the average weekly pay.
Death Benefits
If a work injury causes your death, the heirs you leave behind can seek death benefits. This will be part of the deceased’s workers’ compensation insurance coverage. This also typically includes a $3000 funeral expense reimbursement.
Spouses get the payments until they remarry. Children under the age of 18 are also entitled to these benefits. If they’re full-time students in an accredited learning institution, they’re entitled to the benefits until they turn 23 years.
Specific Loss Benefits
If the injury you sustained at work involved the loss of hearing, vision or a body part, or you suffered severe or permanent disfigurement to either your face, head or neck, you can seek specific loss benefits. These benefits are the same as having TTD benefits for a period of healing and a specific time.
Takeaway
Most employees dread getting injured at work. The thought of not being able to eat or pay for the roof over your head is something that can cause many sleepless nights. However, as you can see, there’s a way you can survive through such an ordeal.
If you get hurt while working in Philly, a workers compensation attorney will know how to get you what you deserve. Don’t hesitate to seek their advice.