Workers’ Compensation Appeals

If you file a workers’ compensation claim and the judge doesn’t make a decision in your favor after the hearings, you may want to appeal the decision.

The best thing you can do is hire an experienced workers’ compensation attorney from the beginning. If you’ve made mistakes along the way to jeopardize your workers’ compensation case, it may be very hard to win your appeal.

At Edgar Snyder & Associates, we can help gather medical evidence, file a workers’ compensation claim on your behalf, help you prepare for the hearings, and answer your workers’ compensation questions along the way.

Filing an appeal can be very confusing. There are several levels of appeals – beginning with the Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Appeal Board. The highest level is the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.

Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Appeal Board

If the workers’ compensation judge issues a decision that isn’t in your favor, you can appeal the decision. You have 20 days from the day your written decision is issued to file an appeal with the Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Appeal Board.

The Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Appeal Board will review your case and decide if they agree or disagree with the original decision. The Appeal Board will then issue a written decision.

If you disagree with the Appeal Board’s decision, you can appeal to the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court.

Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court

You have 30 days from the day the Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Appeal Board issues its written decision to file a further appeal with the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court.

The Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court will review your case record to determine if an error was made along the way and whether the decision was supported by substantial evidence. The Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court then will issue its written decision.

Most workers’ compensation appeals end with the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court. However, there is one final appeal level – the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.

Pennsylvania Supreme Court

If the Pennsylvania Supreme Court didn’t issue a decision in your favor, you can appeal once more to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. You have 30 days from the day your written decision is issued by the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court to file a “Petition for Allowance of Appeal” with the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court can decide to hear or not to hear the case. If it decides not to hear the case, you can’t file any more appeals. The decision of the Commonwealth Court is final.

If the Supreme Court decides it will hear your case, your lawyer and your employer’s lawyer will submit briefs and may be required to argue your case in front of the Supreme Court. The Court will then issue a written decision. At this point, the process is over and the decision is final.

Hiring an Attorney Can Make All the Difference

The Pennsylvania workers’ compensation process can be complicated and tricky – especially when filing an appeal. At Edgar Snyder & Associates, we’ve seen too many injured workers try to handle matters on their own, and make mistakes that hurt their workers’ compensation case.

We’ve helped over 7,000 injured workers get workers’ compensation benefits and payments. We’re ready to fight for your legal right to workers’ compensation.

Get a Free Legal Evaluation Today

Call 1-866-9-4EDGAR (1-866-943-3427), or fill out your information with the form at the top right of this webpage for a free legal evaluation of your workers’ compensation case. Our phones answer 24/7 – contact us now.