Workers’ comp is supposed to be simple — hurt at work, benefits follow. The system’s actual texture is these questions, asked by injured Pennsylvania workers every week, answered here the way we answer them in consultations: plainly. General information, not advice about your claim; the free consultation is where answers get specific. The system itself is administered by the PA Department of Labor & Industry; our workers’ comp practice page covers how we handle claims.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I do first after a work injury?
Report it to your employer immediately and in writing — Pennsylvania allows up to 120 days, but late reporting invites disputes, and benefits can’t start before notice. Then get medical care and keep every record.
Can my employer make me see their doctor?
Pennsylvania’s rules on designated provider lists can require treating with listed providers for an initial period if the employer followed the posting requirements — and those requirements are frequently botched, which frees your choice. Bring the posted list (or its absence) to a consultation.
What benefits does comp actually pay?
Reasonable and necessary medical treatment, and wage-loss benefits calculated from your average weekly wage — plus specific-loss benefits for certain permanent losses and death benefits for families. What it never pays: pain and suffering. That gap is why the third-party question below matters.
My claim was denied. Is that the end?
It’s the beginning of litigation, not the end of the claim — a petition before a workers’ compensation judge is how denials get tested, and they’re overturned regularly. Appeal windows apply, so move promptly.
The insurer sent me to an ‘independent’ medical exam. How independent is it?
It’s the insurer’s exam — the doctor is chosen and paid by the carrier, and benefit cutoffs frequently follow. Attend (refusing has consequences), be accurate, volunteer nothing beyond questions asked, and tell your lawyer it’s scheduled.
Can I be fired for filing a comp claim?
Retaliation for exercising comp rights is unlawful; employment can still end for legitimate unrelated reasons — which makes your documentation and the timeline the evidence. If the sequence smells wrong, bring it to us.
What is a comp settlement, and should I take one?
Pennsylvania allows lump-sum resolutions (Compromise & Release) that typically end wage and/or medical benefits in exchange for a payment, with judge approval required. Whether yours is fair depends on future medical exposure and wage math — never sign one unreviewed.
Someone besides my employer caused my injury. Does comp block a lawsuit?
No — comp bars suing your employer, not the negligent driver, equipment maker, or other contractor. The third-party claim recovers what comp doesn’t, with lien coordination between the two — the analysis injured workers most often miss.
How are lawyers paid in comp cases?
By a percentage fee that must be approved by the workers’ compensation judge — reviewed for reasonableness and set out in writing. The consultation is free either way.
Do I really need a lawyer for a comp claim?
For an accepted claim paying correctly: maybe not, and we’ll say so. For denials, cutoff threats, IMEs, settlement offers, or any third-party angle: the system is adversarial and the carrier has counsel. The free consultation is the honest way to find out which situation is yours.
Ready to talk? Call (215) 464-4600 or contact us online for a free, confidential consultation — contingency fee, no attorney’s fee unless we recover, costs explained in the written fee agreement.