Under Pennsylvania law, every employer is required to provide workers’ compensation coverage to their employees. The employer may purchase the coverage from an insurance company or self-insure their employees against injury. Workers’ comp is designed to provide a source of income if someone cannot work due to a workplace injury and to cover medical bills for that injury. However, many people are unaware that there are different types of compensation available to employees who are injured.

Temporary Total Disability (TTD) Benefits

Temporary Total Disability (TTD) benefits are payable while you are unable to work after an injury at work. If your injury keeps you out of work for 104 weeks, your employer’s insurance company may require you to undergo an Impairment Rating Evaluation (IRE). After that examination, the insurance company will consider you partially disabled if you have less than 50 percent whole body impairment.

Partial Disability Benefits

Partial disability benefits begin when an IRE indicates you are partially disabled or an insurance carrier’s doctor determines that you are able to perform light-duty work. This indicates that, although you may not have completely recovered, you may be able to earn some wages. If the new position offered pays less than the job you were doing when you were injured, you are entitled to receive two-thirds of the pay difference based on the average weekly wage up to the maximum rate of pay the year you were injured.

Specific Loss Benefits

If your workplace injury involved the loss of a body part, loss of hearing or vision or you suffered permanent or serious disfigurement to your neck, head or face, you will be eligible for specific loss benefits. This benefit is equal to your TTD benefit for a specific time and period of healing.

Medical Expenses

Any medical expenses incurred as the result of your injury are covered under the medical expenses provision of the workers’ compensation coverage. The coverage also includes any modifications that must be made to your automobile to accommodate your injury. There are no time or other restrictions on payment for medical care for your injury.

Travel Expenses

If your treatment takes you out of the Philadelphia area or the area where you live, you qualify for travel expense reimbursement as part of your compensation. If you cannot get there on your own, the insurance company must provide you with transportation to and from the location where the Independent Medical Examination will take place.

Death Benefits

If you die after a work injury, your heirs will be eligible for death benefits as part of your workers’ comp coverage. The payment must be made within 300 weeks of the injury or exposure and includes $3,000 in funeral expense reimbursement. Benefits are paid to your spouse until he or she remarries as well as to your children who are under 18, unless they are enrolled full-time in an accredited school, in which case they will receive payment until they are 23.

If you have been injured in an accident at your workplace in Philadelphia or other cities in Pennsylvania, contact Lundy Law to see what rights you may have. We can help guide you through the complicated workers’ compensation process and review your case to see if you are eligible for additional compensation. You can arrange for a free consultation by completing our online form or calling us at 1-800-Lundy Law.