Pittsburgh Workers’ Compensation Lawyer

If you suffered serious injuries on the job and are worried about how to pay your medical bills, Pittsburgh workers’ compensation lawyers may be able to help you. We can refer your case out to the right attorneys and they can explain how to obtain workers’ compensation benefits from your employer and how to keep receiving those benefits until you return to work.

Pittsburgh Attorneys Can Help With Your Workers’ Compensation Case

You do not have to face the confusing, overwhelming process of dealing with a workers’ comp claim on your own. Pittsburgh workers’ compensation lawyers are here to help you get the benefits you deserve by:

• Coming to see you: If you are too badly injured to leave the hospital or your home, they come to you. A legal team can visit you wherever you are.
• Explaining the process: They can help you understand your right to receive workers’ compensation benefits for any serious injuries you sustained at your workplace.
• Filing paperwork: There are strict deadlines and other requirements for filing a worker’s comp claim. A law firm can take care of it all on your behalf.
• Fighting denials: If you are already receiving benefits, they can fight any insurance company that is threatening to take your benefits away and force you back to work before you are ready.

If you suffered an injury or illness at work, you are likely entitled to collect workers’ compensation benefits through your employer. Navigating the legal process alone is a challenge that you do not need to deal with right now. Let the workers’ compensation attorneys guide you through this process so you can focus on feeling better.

Suffering major injuries at work often leaves people with many questions and few answers. If you have been hurt in the workplace, you may be wondering:

• Who pays for your medical care?
• What if workers’ compensation denies your claim?
• How can you get money for lost wages?
• What if you cannot return to work?
• Can you file a lawsuit for compensation against your employer?

Lawyers can answer each of these questions and others during a free consultation. They can also help you collect evidence, meet deadlines, and negotiate a settlement.

Do You Need a Workers’ Compensation Attorney in Pittsburgh?

It is a good idea to have someone on your side if there are any hiccups in your case. Workers’ compensation negotiation and litigation are often complex, and your employer’s insurance company is sure to have an entire legal team representing it.

For example, denials of workers’ compensation benefits are common. If your employer or their insurer denies your workers’ compensation claim, our firm can stand up to them and protect your rights. Without our representation, you would have to confront these large, powerful entities on your own.

How Much Can You Get From Workers’ Compensation?

There are several factors involved in determining how much money you may get from a workers’ compensation claim. In general, you can expect to receive:

Partial Lost Wages

You can recover up to two-thirds of your lost weekly wages. These wage loss benefits continue until you return to the workplace, whether that means going back to your old job or finding a new one.

Medical Treatment for All Work-Related Injuries

All workers injured on the job are entitled to free medical care for workplace injuries so long as you see a doctor approved by your insurer. This care could include:

• Hospital stays
• Diagnostic tests
• Surgery
• Physical therapy
• Assistive devices
• Nursing home stays

Injury-Related Disability Payments

Other benefits include permanent total and permanent partial disability payments for catastrophic injuries like amputations. Alternatively, our Social Security Disability lawyers can help you seek benefits through Social Security if you are unable to return to work.

A good way to demystify the workers’ compensation process is to discuss your case with a lawyer. We can refer your case out to someone we know and trust.

How Can You Get the Compensation You Deserve After a Work-Related Injury?

Pennsylvania’s Workers’ Compensation Act allows you to seek compensation for workplace injuries so long as you did not cause those injuries yourself through “intoxication” or “reckless indifference to danger.” The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania lays out the following timeline for pursuing such a claim:

• You should report the injury to your employer within 21 days, although you technically have 120 days from the injury date to file this report without risking your right to file a claim for workers’ compensation benefits.
• Once your employer receives the report, they must “immediately” notify their insurer.
• The insurer has 21 days from when you first reported your injury to make a decision regarding your claim. This decision could be a denial or acceptance of liability.
• If your employer or their insurer denies liability and refuses to pay your claim, you have three years from the injury date to file a petition for benefits.
• Once you return to work, the insurance company has seven days to notify you that your benefits have been terminated. The insurer cannot stop benefits without notice.

Seeking Compensation From Your Employer’s Coverage

Getting the compensation you deserve after a workplace injury should be as easy as notifying your employer, seeing an approved doctor, and filing a claim. However, things do not always go this smoothly for injured workers. It is possible for the insurance provider to deny your claim, forcing you to resort to litigation to get fair compensation.

Common reasons employers reject claims include:

• The claim was not filed with the worker’s supervisor on time
• The claim was not filed with the state on time
• The reported injury was a pre-existing condition or medical condition
• The reported injury did not occur on the worksite or workplace
• There is insufficient evidence to support the claim

With a lawyer at your side, you can avoid technical errors and submit a strong case for workers’ comp benefits.

Seeking Compensation After a Denial

If your employer’s insurer does not approve your workers’ compensation claim, or if they stop your benefits before you are ready, workers’ compensation attorneys can file the proper petition. This could require you to go before a judge and seek a settlement.

Our legal representatives can work with you throughout the entire settlement process, which may involve:

• Attending mediation with your employer or the insurance company, during which you will try to find common ground (e.g., a lump sum settlement or some other award)
• Attending a hearing before a judge, who will hear arguments from both sides and decide whether or not to award you benefits
• Appealing an unfavorable decision, where you ask the Workers’ Compensation Office of Adjudication (WCOA) to issue a new decision

Get in Touch With Berger and Green for a Professional Referral for Your Workers’ Compensation Case

Injured at work and unsure whether you have a claim for benefits? Contact us to get referred to Pittsburgh workers’ compensation lawyers for a free consultation.