Hershey Workers’ Compensation Lawyer

Getting Workers’ Compensation benefits can make a huge difference for injured workers whose medical bills begin piling up, all while they are unable to work to provide for themselves and their families.  The benefits you get while on Workers’ Comp should be paid by your employer/their insurance carrier regardless of what caused your accident, so long as your injuries were work-related and keep you from working now.

Our lawyers fight to help injured workers and their families get benefits during times of disability.  If the insurance carrier and your employer are fighting your claim and deny that the injury was work-related or claim that you should be able to return to work, then we can step in, get medical reviews to fight their position, gather additional evidence, and fight to get you the benefits you need.

Call Cardamone Law at (267) 651-7945 today for a free case evaluation with our Certified Allentown Workers’ Compensation Lawyers today.

Injuries Covered by Workers’ Comp in Hershey, PA

All kinds of work injuries can be covered under Workers’ Compensation, providing benefits that help you move forward with your recovery and get back to work.  In most cases, injuries need to be severe enough to disable you and keep you from returning to work for at least 7 days before benefits kick in, though medical care should be covered for a work injury regardless of whether it ultimately affects your ability to work or not.  That being said, most work injuries that our Workers’ Compensation lawyers seek coverage for are quite severe, potentially leading to weeks, months, or even years of recovery time and total or partial disability payments.

Some of the most common injuries that keep workers away from their job are back injuries.  Low-back injuries from car crashes, slipped discs and herniations from lifting and carrying injuries, and broken bones from falls can all affect you for months or years to come, requiring Workers’ Comp benefits.

Other common workplace injuries involve electrocution, cuts, scrapes, broken bones, concussions, traumatic brain injuries, and other injuries from industrial accidents.  At the same time, you can also potentially file a claim for more mundane injuries, like a slip and fall at work, carpal tunnel and other repetitive stress injuries, and more.

In some cases, Workers’ Comp covers ongoing health conditions that arose because of your working conditions.  This is common in cases of mesothelioma, lung disorders, and other poisoning, cancer, and exposure conditions.

Ultimately, the core requirement that needs to be met is that your injury was work-related.  As long as this is true – and you did not intentionally cause your injury or bring it about through drug or alcohol use – then Workers’ Comp should cover any injury and most health conditions arising from your work tasks.

Benefits for Injured Workers in Hershey, PA

When you suffer a work injury, you can claim medical coverage, wage-loss benefits, and specific loss benefits for your injury.  Medical coverage pays for all care needed to treat the injury, including ongoing rehabilitation and such.  Wage-loss benefits typically pay 2/3 of your average weekly wage while you are totally disabled or 2/3 of the difference between old and new wages if you can work at a partial capacity while injured.  On top of these, specific loss benefits pay you a set amount depending on what injury you faced in cases of amputation, lost function, lost sight/hearing, and significant facial scarring.

If instead of an injury, the case involves a worker who was killed on the job, death benefits may be paid to the victim’s family.  The amounts paid change depending on the number of family members the deceased victim supported, with certain amounts reserved for spouses and additional amounts paid for more children.  Along with this, funeral and burial benefits are also paid at certain amounts.

How Long Can You Get Benefits for Under Workers’ Comp in Hershey?

Benefits are supposed to be paid as long as the injured worker still needs them.  With medical coverage, this can potentially mean getting therapy, painkillers, and other medical care for years, depending on the condition.  With wage-loss benefits, the length of payment depends on your level of disability.

With total disability cases where the victim cannot work at all, they are permitted to stay on Workers’ Comp benefits as long as they still cannot work.  However, there are a few hangups with this.  First, your payment amount is set at the beginning of your case based on the average weekly wages you made before the injury.  This amount is not increased for inflation and will stay the same for as long as you get benefits, meaning that you might eventually want to leave benefits and get back to work where you can make more money.  Second, after 2 years on benefits, you will face reviews every 6 months to determine whether you are still totally disabled or not.  If you slip below total disability, you will likely have your benefits cut to partial benefits and be expected to return to work.

If your disability is only partial, then you may be able to work to some extent, just not enough to make your pre-injury wages.  Partial benefits can be paid to make up 2/3 of the difference in old and new wages for 500 total weeks.  These 500 weeks are not necessarily consecutive, as some injuries and conditions might get worse again and bounce you back and forth between total and partial disability.

If you settle your case, then you actually will not be on continuing, ongoing benefits.  Instead, your case will usually be resolved with a lump-sum payment that needs to be large enough to cover all anticipated medical expenses and lost earnings through the time it will take you to recover.  As such, it is vital to have a lawyer review your potential settlement offers and make sure that the settlement is fair before you sign anything.  Signing a compromise and release agreement will effectively stop you from being able to get additional payments in most cases.

Call Our Hershey, PA Workers’ Comp Lawyers Today

If you were hurt at work, call Cardamone Law’s Workers’ Compensation lawyers at (267) 651-7945 today.