Navigating the Complex Web of Workers’ Compensation

by | Apr 4, 2013 | Employment Law

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If you have been injured on the job or if you have contracted an occupational disease, whether it is an industrial or a construction related incident, you may be eligible for workers’ compensation. If you think you might be qualified for financial remuneration, you should talk to a worker’s compensation lawyer PA, who will be familiar with the many rules and regulations governing workers’ compensation and who can fight to get you the money you deserve. Your lawyer will help you understand that workers’ compensation is designed to benefit employees, their dependents, and employees as well. On the employee’s end, they receive a set amount of money each week to cover medical bills and lost income. In exchange, they give up the option to sue their employer. The employer is impervious to any legal action that an employee might take against them. Workers’ compensation is usually not used in cases where the employer is at fault or has been negligent. Employees are also not eligible to collect money for pain and suffering.

To get compensation, an employee must deal with the employer, an insurance agent, a doctor, and a workers’ compensation lawyer. It is the insurers’ job to deal with all claims and provide benefits, sometimes through the mediation of an insurance adjuster. If they delay or use trivial reasons to postpone their decision, the insurance company is required to pay all court costs for the day. Some employers are ready and willing to pay their workers’ compensation, especially since it can help them avoid a law suit; some, however, are hesitant to pay the money. Injured employees should keep their employers aware of the injury and its current state, which will usually make their superiors more willing to pay the compensation.

Some employers may also try to misrepresent the information to the insurance company so that they are not forced to pay the money; this is one of the principle reasons to hire a workers’ compensation lawyer in PA. The doctor is important because he or she is the one who determines whether or not your injury or illness is work-related, whether you need any further treatment, whether you need time off, whether you qualify for further disability benefits, and whether you have a permanent condition. The doctor works with the insurance agent and sends frequent reports and updates on your case. Finally, injured employees will work with a workers’ compensation lawyer in PA. Although they are not legally required to hire a lawyer, it is extremely difficult for people to carry out their cases on their own. A lawyer is necessary if the employer denies coverage, the insurance agency denies coverage, your promised financial compensation never arrives, the insurance agency or employer wants to take a deposition, or you want to sue a third party.
These are just a few of the instances in which you would need legal representation, and even the most straightforward cases can benefit when injured employees hire a workers’ compensation lawyer in PA. He or she can help clients navigate the complex web of communication with the employer, insurance agent, and doctor, and get injured workers the money they deserve.