What is Workers Compensation?
Workers compensation is an insurance system by which state-required, no-fault benefits are provided by an employer to an employee—or the employee’s family—due to a job-related injury (including death) resulting from an accident or illness that happened at work.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, workers’ compensation is defined as “a program that provides insurance benefits to employees who experience work-related injuries or occupational diseases. The definition highlights the fundamental purpose of workers’ compensation: to provide essential support and financial benefits to injured workers. The system ensures that injured workers receive medical treatment, wage replacement, and other benefits without needing to prove fault or negligence by the employer. In return, employees typically waive the right to sue their employers for negligence. Workers’ compensation aims to protect both employees and employers by providing a streamlined process for addressing workplace injuries and illnesses.
Potential workers’ compensation includes medical coverage for treatments and rehabilitation, providing temporary or permanent disability payments, and offering vocational rehabilitation services to help injured workers return to the workforce. The benefits of workers’ compensation include prompt medical care and financial support for injured workers, reduced litigation costs for both employees and employers, and a clear process for handling workplace injuries. However, there are also detriments, such as the potential for disputes over the extent of injuries or the adequacy of benefits, and the administrative complexity that can delay the resolution of claims. Understanding workers’ compensation is crucial for both employees and employers to ensure that injured workers receive the support and benefits to which they are entitled.
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Reading Factory Worker Injury Lawyer
Reading is the historical home of the famous Reading Railroad, the county seat for Berks County, and one of PA’s biggest cities. Industry is still an economic lynchpin in Reading and the city’s manufacturing employers are among some of the area’s largest. Reading’s versatile workforce is one of the reasons factories choose Reading as their base of operations. And Reading’s factory workers are essential to the success of local factories.
However, factory work is notoriously dangerous. If you or a loved one has been injured or killed while at work at a factory in Reading, West Reading, or anywhere in Berks County, you want to make sure you hire the most experienced, competent Reading factory worker injury attorneys to fight for the financial compensation you deserve. For six decades, Munley Law has been helping injured factory workers throughout Pennsylvania after a terrible accident. Our Reading workers’ compensation lawyers work hard to make sure your rights are protected. […]
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Reading Workers’ Compensation and Third Party Claims
What is a Third Party Claim?
Workers’ compensation claims are specific to your employer’s workers’ compensation insurance and only cover your medical bills and lost wages. If you qualify for specific loss or death benefits if you are a dependent of a loved one who has lost their life due to a work injury, those are covered as well by workers’ comp insurance.
When you file a third-party personal injury claim, however, you can receive financial compensation for damages such as:
- Pain and suffering related to the injury or illness
- Wrongful death and loss of consortium in the event of a fatal injury or disease
- Cost of mental health treatments
- Punitive damages, ie financial damages designed to punish the responsible party for their recklessness or negligence
If your injury or occupational disease was caused by someone other than a co-worker or your employer, […]
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Can You Be Fired After Filing for Workers’ Compensation?
Could You Be Fired After a Workplace Injury?
The short answer is “no”. It is illegal for an employer in Pennsylvania to fire an employee for filing a workers comp claim. PA workers’ compensation law prohibits employers from terminating an injured worker for:
- Reporting a work-related injury or disease
- Filing a workers’ compensation claim
- Having a workers comp claim approved
- Receiving workers comp benefits
If you have recently opened a PA workers comp claim or if you have recently reported a work-related injury or illness to your employer and you believe you are experiencing punitive actions such as unfair treatment or if you have been fired, you need to contact an experienced and skillful Wilkes-Barre workers’ compensation attorney at Munley Law to help you prove your employer’s actions were unlawful.
How Does Workers’ […]
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What Injuries, Diseases and Illnesses are Covered by Workers’ Compensation?
Can I Receive Workers’ Compensation?
Workers’ compensation is an insurance program that provides a financial safety net for Pennsylvania workers who have suffered a work-related injury or occupational disease during the course of their employment. If you suffered an injury or have become sick from workplace conditions in PA, you have the right to receive workers’ compensation from your place of employment to cover your medical expenses and lost wages for your injury or illness.
The Pennsylvania Workers Compensation Act of 1915 mandated that all employers in PA provide workers’ compensation insurance for all employees. All Pennsylvania workers are covered for the entire period of their employment. Coverage begins on the first day on the job. Injuries or diseases caused or aggravated by workplace duties are covered under workers’ compensation, regardless of the employee’s previous physical condition.
If you are suffering from a work-related injury or disease, […]
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Philadelphia Workers’ Compensation: Specific Loss Benefits
What Are Specific Loss Injuries?
Workers’ compensation coverage is PA state-mandated insurance for employees created by the Pennsylvania Workers Compensation Act. This insurance is a safety net for workers who become injured or sick as a result of job-related duties. Workers’ compensation benefits cover medical expenses due to the injury or illness and lost wages from work missed due to the injury and recovery.
While workers comp covers lost wages due to missed work, if you have suffered an injury that results in the loss of a body part or loss of function of that body part or permanent disfigurement, you may be entitled to collect a special kind of Pennsylvania workers compensation insurance known as Specific Loss insurance and this compensation is available to injured workers even if you are able to return immediately to work.
If you are a worker in Philadelphia and you have suffered serious and permanent disfigurement, […]
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