How Often Should My Workmans Comp Check Come If I Have A Pennsylvania Work Injury?

Injured workers rely on their Workers’ Comp checks to support their families while they cannot work to receive their usual wages.  Knowing when and how these checks are supposed to come in is important for planning and budgeting, plus it is important to help you recognize when there is a problem with payment that a lawyer can help with.

Checks for Workers’ Comp are usually mailed as paper checks (not direct deposit) according to your pay schedule before the injury.  If you were paid weekly, expect weekly checks; if you were paid bi-weekly, expect bi-weekly checks.  If your check is late, you can often contact the Workers’ Comp insurance carrier and ask about it, but if there are any issues, a lawyer can help.  As for when your first check comes, it will depend on the process of your case and where you stand in the course of having your claim accepted.

Contact Cardamone Law’s Certified Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Lawyers at (267) 651-7945 for a free case evaluation today.

When Are Workers’ Compensation Checks Delivered in Pennsylvania?

Workers’ Compensation benefits are often stated in terms of weekly benefits, but they might not be paid weekly.  The standard procedure is to pay you in the same intervals you were typically paid before your injury.  That means that if were paid on a weekly basis, you should receive weekly checks.  If you were paid bi-weekly, you should receive bi-weekly checks to cover both weeks’ benefits.

What to Do if Your Workers’ Comp Check is Late

If your Workers’ Compensation check is late, you should first and foremost talk to your lawyer.  Our Allentown, PA Workers’ Compensation lawyers can advise you as to what to do in your specific situation and what might be happening behind the scenes that the check was delayed.  Usually, the following options might be available to you:

Call The Insurance Carrier

If the check was never sent or there was a clerical error on their part and they simply messed up, then calling them might be the fastest way to straighten everything out.  Double-check your address on file with them, ask them to confirm that the check was sent, and see if they have any other options to audit or double-check on it.

If they made a mistake and can correct it, then your check should be on its way.  If they confirm the check was sent, then you may have other problems on your hands with the delivery.  Alternatively, they could be wrong or lying.

In some cases, you might find out that they have already tried to send you notice that your benefits were suspended or terminated.  That is supposed to be something that is sent to you so that you have warning of this and can file in court to have the decision reversed, but insurance carriers are not always on top of these things, and you might be surprised to find out your benefits are no more.  In that case, you definitely need to go to court and get help from a lawyer to have your benefits restored.

Check with the Post Office

Mail has been less reliable than ever in the past few years, and closing post offices, reduced postal worker staffing, and re-arrangement of mail sorting processes might be responsible for a delay in the mail.  Call your local post office and see if they can get you any information on whether there is a known delay in your area.  They may also be able to check local rejected letters or simply ask your postal carrier to check their truck for dropped or misplaced letters.

You can also sign up for online mail updates with the post office in most areas, allowing you to see what mail is supposed to be in your mailbox today so that you can keep an eye on your incoming checks.

If your check was stolen from your mailbox, you can also report that to the postal inspector, then contact the insurance carrier to cancel their original check and get you a replacement.

File in Court

If your benefits were terminated, if you were not given notice, or if the insurance carrier is violating the terms of an agreement or Workers’ Compensation decision, then you may need to go to court to get things corrected.  We may be able to appeal the decision to terminate or suspend your benefits, and we can potentially seek penalties against the insurance carrier for violating the processes or seeking self-help by extrajudicially stopping your checks without notifying you or the court.

How Do I Receive Checks for Workers’ Compensation in Pennsylvania?

As discussed above, Workers’ Compensation checks are usually mailed in Pennsylvania.  Some Workers’ Comp insurers might be willing to set up direct deposit, but this is not typical.  As of the writing of this article, there has been legislation proposed in the state legislature for the 2023-2024 session to allow for direct deposit of Workers’ Comp payments, but this proposal has not become law and may not be passed into law this session.

Can I Get a Lump Sum Instead of Periodic Checks?

Workers’ Compensation settlements can often get you a single lump sum payment instead of weekly/bi-weekly checks, but accepting a settlement like this comes with benefits and risks.  While benefits staged out every week or every other week can help give you ongoing support, a lump sum allows you the flexibility to use the money now or invest it.  However, having “too much” money all at once might hurt your eligibility for other government programs such as SSDI disability, an ACA marketplace healthcare plan, and Medicaid.  Additionally, it is vital to have a lawyer review the settlement offer to see to it that the settlement contains enough money to cover ongoing wages as well as medical care you will need for your work injury going forward, as these settlements are typically “global” settlements that include medical care benefits as well.

Call Our Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Lawyers Today

For help with your work injury case, call Cardamone Law’s Philadelphia Workers’ Compensation attorneys at (267) 651-7945.