You Can’t Retire with Your Workers’ Compensation Payments

There are so many rules and procedures that govern the steps that must be taken if you suffer a workplace injury that the actual nature of workers’ compensation benefits can quite easily slip through the cracks.

In the end, however, it is important to remember that workers’ compensation insurance is designed to help alleviate the family’s financial stresses when confronted with a work injury, not to simply replace an injured employee’s wages.

This decision seems to be made on the presupposition that an injured worker who is receiving full pay will feel little incentive to return to work in a timely fashion, which may or may not be true. But it is the nature of the situation, so it is best to be aware of that when you file a workers’ compensation claim. That way you can avoid being unduly surprised when your Notice of Compensation arrives in the mail.

But You Can Get By

Now that you know what workers’ compensation won’t do, this is what you can expect from your benefits if your claim is approved:

• Medical care, services, and supplies are to be paid fully by the employer’s insurer
• Payments for lost wages if you are rendered permanently disabled
• Death benefits may be paid to the survivors of the deceased
• The minimum payment will be the lesser of the following -
• 90 % of your mean weekly wage as documented in the filing of your claim
• 50 % of the average weekly pay for all Pennsylvania workers

If you have been injured in a workplace incident, you should speak with an experienced Philadelphia workers’ compensation attorney. Contact the Philadelphia workers’ compensation attorneys of Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C., at 215-238-1130.