Hurt on the Job? What to Do Next

You were hurt on the job. What should you do to protect your rights as an injured worker?

It’s critical that you take the proper steps after a work accident. Doing so will help avoid problems with your employer’s insurance company, and protect your rights to workers’ compensation if problems arise after you’re hurt at work.

Steps to Take Following a Work Accident

Report your work accident and resulting injury or illness. You have 120 days to tell your employer about a work accident that causes an injury or illness. If you didn’t know you had an injury or illness, you have 120 days to notify your employer from the time you discovered that your injury or illness is work-related. If you wait more than 120 days to report your injury or illness, your employer does not have to pay you workers’ compensation benefits.
See an approved workers’ compensation doctor for medical treatment. In Pennsylvania, if your employer has a list of doctors posted at your worksite, you must see one of these doctors for the first 90 days of your work accident injury. If you ignore the list and see your own doctor, your employer does not have to pay any medical bills until after the first 90 days of your injury. If a list is not posted, you can see your own doctor right away.
Your employer should file a “First Report of Occupational Injury” form. Your employer should send this form to their insurance company and file it with the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation. The insurance carrier has 21 days to accept or deny the work injury, which would cover medical treatment and lost wages. However, in order to get paid for the first 7 days of lost wages, you must be off work and under a doctor’s care for at least 14 days.
Your employer accepts or denies responsibility for your injury. If your employer accepts responsibility for your work accident injury or illness, you’ll receive a “Notice of Compensation Payable.” In some cases, you may be issued temporary workers’ compensation payments for 90 days. If your employer denies responsibility for your work injury, you will receive a “Notice of Compensation Denial.” In that case, you will need to file a claim petition. You have 3 years from the day you were hurt on the job to file a Pennsylvania workers’ compensation claim petition for an injury.

If you file a claim petition, you’ll need to go before a judge in a series of hearings to determine whether you should receive workers’ compensation payments. We highly recommend consulting a workers’ compensation attorney to help protect your legal rights during this complex process.

Note: Even if your medical bills are being paid, it doesn’t mean that your Pennsylvania workers’ compensation claim has been accepted. If your claim is accepted, you should receive payments for lost wages.

You Need Edgar Snyder & Associates on Your Side

If your employer denies you workers’ compensation payments, or you receive a notice to change your current payments, get help right away from our experienced Pennsylvania workers’ compensation lawyers. We’ve helped over 7,000 injured workers protect their legal rights against their employers and their employer’s insurance company.

We help you get the workers’ compensation benefits and payments you deserve by:

Gathering medical evidence and medical records
Handling matters with your employer’s insurance company
Contacting medical providers and handling the paperwork
Completing the claim petition and submitting it for you
Answering your workers’ compensation questions – without the legal jargon
Paying costs upfront – so you don’t have to
Monitoring your workers’ compensation case
Keeping track of unpaid bills while the case is pending and sending out a letter of protection, so collection agencies won’t cause you even more problems
Helping you prepare for the hearing with the workers’ compensation judge, telling you what to expect, how to dress, etc.
Scheduling a physician deposition – where the doctor talks about your injury and treatment
And more

Protect Your Rights – Get a Free Legal Evaluation Now

If you were recently hurt at work, you need to protect your legal rights now. Your employer’s insurance company won’t look out for your best interest. You need to act quickly.

Call Edgar Snyder & Associates at 1-866-9-4EDGAR (1-866-943-3427), or fill out your information at the top right of this webpage for a free legal evaluation of your workers’ compensation case. There’s no obligation to use our services, and there’s never a fee unless we get money for you.

Our phones answer 24/7, so get started now…before it’s too late.