Healthcare professionals dedicate their lives to healing others, often in challenging and hazardous environments. As a nurse, medical assistant, orderly, home health aide, or any healthcare worker in Allentown, you face unique daily workplace risks—from lifting patients and handling medical equipment to potential exposure to infectious diseases. These specialized risks require specialized legal representation when injuries occur.
At Munley Law, our Allentown workers’ comp lawyers recognize the distinctive challenges healthcare workers face when injured. Our Allentown workers’ compensation attorneys have developed focused expertise in healthcare industry claims, understanding the complex environments of hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, and home healthcare settings throughout the Lehigh Valley. If you’ve been injured while caring for others, contact us today for a free consultation tailored to your healthcare-specific case.
Healthcare-Specific Workplace Injuries in Allentown
Healthcare environments present distinct risks not found in typical workplaces. Our Allentown workers’ compensation attorneys understand the specialized nature of healthcare injuries.
- Patient Handling Injuries: Over 35% of healthcare worker injuries involve sprains or strains, which are among the most common workplace injuries healthcare professionals face. A quarter of these injuries result from workers lifting, moving, or transferring patients who may be immobile or combative. These injuries often develop over time, with many healthcare workers continuing to work despite pain.
- Needlestick and Sharps Injuries: Healthcare professionals regularly face exposure to contaminated needles and sharps. These injuries can transmit bloodborne pathogens, including hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and HIV. Workers’ compensation should cover not only the initial injury but also testing, preventative treatment, and ongoing monitoring.
- Workplace Violence: Healthcare settings see significantly higher rates of workplace violence than other industries. Nurses and emergency department staff in Allentown hospitals are particularly vulnerable to assault from patients experiencing psychiatric emergencies, under the influence of substances, or in distress.
- Infectious Disease Exposure: From COVID-19 to tuberculosis, healthcare workers face unique exposure risks. Pennsylvania workers’ compensation provides specific coverage for occupational diseases contracted through workplace exposure.
- Repetitive Stress Injuries: Medical professionals performing repeated tasks such as typing patient notes, administering medications, or assisting with medical procedures can develop carpal tunnel syndrome, tendonitis, and other repetitive stress injuries requiring specialized treatment.
Workers’ Compensation Benefits for Allentown Healthcare Workers
Pennsylvania law provides specific benefits for healthcare workers injured while performing job-related duties.
Your medical benefits cover all reasonable and necessary treatment related to your workplace injury, including specialized care for healthcare-specific injuries, rehabilitation services, medications, medical equipment, and travel expenses to medical appointments.
If your healthcare workplace injury prevents you from working, you’re entitled to wage replacement benefits of approximately two-thirds of your average weekly wage. These benefits continue until you can return to your healthcare position, with special considerations for healthcare professionals with irregular schedules or multiple employers.
Healthcare workers who suffer permanent injuries receive specific loss benefits for loss of use of extremities due to patient handling injuries, vision or hearing loss from workplace incidents, or disfigurement affecting your face, head, or neck.
Additionally, healthcare workers and their families may be eligible for workers’ compensation death benefits if a workplace injury or illness tragically results in loss of life, including infectious diseases, long-term conditions resulting from chemical or biological exposure, and coverage for latent conditions that develop over time.
Unique Challenges for Healthcare Workers’ Compensation Claims
Healthcare professionals face industry-specific obstacles when filing workers’ compensation claims.
Some healthcare facilities may discourage injury reporting or pressure employees to return to work prematurely. Understand your rights, including knowing if you can be fired while on workers’ compensation. Our attorneys ensure your rights are protected regardless of employer pressure.
Insurers often claim healthcare workers’ injuries result from pre-existing conditions rather than workplace incidents. We understand how to counter these arguments with medical evidence.
Healthcare facilities experiencing staffing shortages may pressure injured workers to return before fully recovering. Our legal team ensures you receive appropriate recovery time.
Medical documentation for healthcare workers requires specialized attention to detail. Our Allentown personal injury lawyers work with medical experts who understand your case’s legal and healthcare aspects.
Why Allentown Healthcare Workers Choose Munley Law
The Allentown workers’ compensation attorneys at Munley Law bring specialized experience to healthcare injury claims. We have extensive experience representing nurses, nursing assistants, technicians, and all healthcare professionals. Our team understands complex healthcare workplace environments and knows healthcare-specific OSHA regulations and safety standards. Our attorneys are recognized by Pennsylvania Super Lawyers, and we collect no fee unless we obtain compensation for your healthcare workplace injury.
You’ve dedicated your career to caring for others. Now let us care for you. If you’re a healthcare worker injured on the job in Allentown or the Lehigh Valley, contact Munley Law for a free consultation. Our attorneys understand the unique challenges facing healthcare professionals and will fight to ensure you receive the specialized compensation you deserve.
Call us today or complete our online form to schedule your free healthcare workers’ compensation consultation.
