Our Allentown Workers’ Compensation Attorneys Will Fight for Your Rights
Healthcare workers are more likely than workers in other industries, such as office workers, to suffer workplace injuries. Workers’ compensation benefits exist to compensate healthcare employees suffering work-related injuries to cover medical expenses, lost wages, and other costs. An Allentown workers’ compensation attorney can help you recover maximum compensation.
If you have been injured at work in Allentown or the surrounding areas of the Lehigh Valley, Munley Law can help you understand your rights.
What Does Workers’ Comp Benefits Cover for Allentown Healthcare Workers?
In the Lehigh Valley, most employers must provide workers’ comp coverage for medical benefits and wage loss benefits needed due to job-related injuries. Under Pennsylvania law, injured workers can file a workers’ compensation claim if they were hurt while doing work-related tasks. The amount of time an injured worker can receive benefits depends on how severe the injury is and if the worker will be permanently disabled.
Workers’ comp covers specific loss injuries for healthcare workers in Allentown PA. A “specific loss” refers to the loss of a body part or the loss of its use. For example, if your arm, leg, hand, finger, or other extremity had to be amputated, or if you are no longer able to use your arm, leg, hand, or finger, that would be a specific loss. Pennsylvania workers’ compensation also covers vision and hearing loss caused by work. Specific loss benefits are paid whether or not you miss work as a result of your injury.
What Are the Common Injuries Healthcare Workers Face in Allentown, PA?
About 30% of the 147,000 injuries suffered by PA workers in 2020 were by healthcare workers. Over 25% of healthcare worker injuries resulted in more than 30 days of missed work. Over 35% of injuries were a sprain or strain to the shoulders, arms, wrists, hands, or fingers. A quarter of injuries resulted from workers lifting, pulling, pushing, or carrying items that were too heavy for the worker. These common injuries are covered by workers’ comp for healthcare workers. Many other common types of injuries Allentown healthcare workers receive are also covered, including:
- Amputation
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Being struck by an object or heavy machinery
- Bone fractures
- Bruising
- Burns caused by heat, hazardous chemicals, hazardous materials, or other dangerous materials
- Contusions, lacerations, and crushing
- Internal injuries
- Death
- Electrocution
- Falls
- Illnesses contracted at work or caused by work
- Loss of use of a body part
- Motor vehicle accidents
What If I Lose a Loved One in a Workplace Accident?
Under the Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Act, if your family member died in a workplace accident, you may be able to receive death benefits for your loss from the insurance companies. Workers’ compensation benefits may pay for funeral expenses. They may also provide money to you as a member of the late worker’s family to cover wages lost and emotional distress. In the Lehigh Valley, family members may receive a percentage of the deceased worker’s salary. A weekly maximum limit on these payments is based on the state’s average salary for similar work.
Why Should I Hire a Workers’ Compensation Lawyer in Allentown?
Workers’ compensation benefits are meant to cover the expenses and costs caused by your job injury. They also provide death benefits to the family of a worker killed at work.
Unfortunately, many workers’ compensation insurance firms deny claims that should not be denied. Here are some of the reasons your claim could be denied:
- inaccurate information in your incident report
- application later filed more than 120 days after the accident
- your employer challenges whether you were injured
- your employer argues that you were not injured on the job or in a job-related accident
- your employer accuses you of using illegal substances while at work
- the insurer says that the employer’s insurance policy doesn’t cover you or your loss
If your claim is denied for any of these reasons or any reason at all, you can appeal. The appeals process can be challenging and take a long time. While you are hurt and trying to get well, you don’t want to deal with the appeals process. That’s why it is essential to have a skilled workers’ compensation lawyer fighting for your rights and handling the appeals procedure.
If you need to appeal a work injury claim, discuss your options with a qualified Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys work injury attorney today. Call for a FREE consultation and speak to an experienced personal injury attorney.
What Should You Do If You Are Injured While On the Job?
Some healthcare employees might not go to a Lehigh Valley hospital for minor injuries, hoping they will improve with time. This can be the case for back injuries suffered by healthcare employees who routinely lift and move equipment or patients.
Sadly, even minor injuries can worsen with time, especially back injuries. You must go to the doctor or medical clinic immediately after a workplace accident. After you receive medical attention, fill out an incident report form at work and report your accident in writing to your supervisor as soon as possible. Pennsylvania’s workers’ compensation law provides that you have 120 days from the workplace accident to file this report. In our experience, it is best not to wait and to file your report as soon as possible after the accident.
After you file your report, your employers’ insurer will likely contact you to learn more about your accident and injuries. Before talking to insurance companies, you must speak with an experienced workers’ compensation attorney in the Lehigh Valley. A skilled workers’ compensation attorney can talk directly to the insurer to ensure you get wage loss benefits, Social Security disability benefits, medical benefits, and any other benefits you deserve.
Why Choose Our Allentown Workers’ Compensation Lawyers?
When choosing a workers’ compensation lawyer in Allentown, look for one with experience, resources, and the skills needed to fight for your rights. At Munley Law, you get more than a lawyer. You get a law firm. Our attorneys work together as a team to give you the legal advice, experience, and combined efforts of our law firm. Our work injury lawyers are highly skilled and have a reputation for working harder than other lawyers. Our lawyers have consistently been named among the top trial lawyers in Pennsylvania and have been named to Pennsylvania Super Lawyers and Best Lawyers in America.
We protect your rights and ensure you receive the maximum amount you deserve in your worker’s comp case. Our mission is to help injured victims — so call us today for a FREE consultation.
Are Our Healthcare Worker Injury Lawyers Expensive?
We work on a contingency fee basis. This means that when we take on your case and establish an attorney-client relationship, you don’t pay any legal fees to Munley Law unless we collect money for you on your comp claim.
Talk to Munley Law Today
An Allentown workers’ comp lawyer can help you get the workers’ compensation benefits you deserve. If you suffered a serious injury while doing your work you can seek compensation from your employers’ workers’ compensation insurance. You work hard and you deserve the strongest legal representation. Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys is a firm of lawyers who have defended the rights of injured workers throughout the Allentown area for over 60 years. We have repeatedly produced good results for clients who have suffered serious injuries on the job. You need someone who knows how the Pennsylvania legal system works and can ensure you receive the compensation you deserve.
If you have been injured at work in Allentown or the surrounding areas of the Lehigh Valley, our Allentown personal injury lawyers can help you understand your rights. Call us or email us to schedule a free consultation.
