Suffering an injury at work or while performing job-related activities is difficult enough without also being in the dark as to when you’ll receive your first insurance check. Injured workers can suffer immense losses, from missed time at work to permanent disability. When an insurance company accepts your workers’ compensation claim, there are specific rules that decide the time frame for when you should start getting checks in the mail. Understanding this time frame will help you know when to contact your employer or insurance company with concerns.
What Does Workers’ Compensation Pay For?
Filing a workers’ compensation claim can give injured workers the money they need to recover from personal injuries and lost wages. It can also result in disability benefits. Workers’ compensation will pay for lost wages if officials determine you are disabled enough to be unable to work or to receive wages that are lower than what you could receive prior to the injury. Workers’ compensation will cover all costs of medical treatment, including medications, prostheses, and other health care services. Permanent disfigurement or disability can result in specific loss awards. If a worker’s injuries result in death, surviving dependents may receive benefits.
Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Timeline
According to the Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Act, injured workers must be disabled for at least seven calendar days, including weekends, before receiving workers’ compensation benefit checks. On the eighth day of disability, the injured worker will start to receive benefits for work days lost. After missing work due to disability for 14 days, the worker will receive a check for payment for the first seven days.
If you report your injury right away, miss seven days of work due to your injury, and your insurance company accepts your workers’ compensation claim, you should have your first check in the mail within 21 days of your absence from employment. Your employer may also give you temporary payments for up to 90 days after the incident, even if the employer or its insurance carrier does not accept your claim. If you think you’re entitled to benefits but your employer denies your claim, you may file a claim with the Office of Adjudication.
In Pennsylvania, you must notify your employer of your workplace injury within 120 days of injury for a valid workers’ compensation claim. However, a worker should report the injury within at least 21 days to avoid payment delays. After the 120-day deadline, a worker loses his or her right to claim workers’ compensation, but the injured worker can still file a personal injury claim if applicable. The statute of limitations to file an injury claim in Pennsylvania is two years after the date of the accident or discovery of injury.
What If I Don’t Receive My Check On Time?
If your insurance company hasn’t paid you for a workplace injury on time, contact a lawyer. Failure to receive a check on time could mean the inability to pay your bills or purchase food for your family. An attorney can find out why payment hasn’t arrived and even help you receive an additional award in the shape of a penalty against the insurance company. If you don’t want to contact an attorney, speak with your insurer and talk to the claims representative on your case. Ask about the issue and request the representative send you a claim form if you still don’t receive your check.
If you take on even a light-duty, part-time job, and if you make the same amount you did before, the insurance company will suspend your payments for lost wages. If you make less than you did before the injury, you will receive partial disability benefits, equaling about two-thirds of the difference of what you make now versus what you used to make.