If you have been injured at work and the injury has caused you to miss work, you are wondering if you are required to be compensated for those days missed.
In Pennsylvania, all employers are required to carry workers compensation insurance. If you are involved in a work-related injury, report the injury to a manager and/or supervisor immediately and make sure that the employer reports the injury to their workers’ compensation carrier. The insurance carrier then has 21 days to accept or deny the claim.
If the claim is accepted, you may be entitled to wage loss benefits depending on how many days you have been out of work. Wage loss benefits are payable on the 8th day after the injury. Once you are out of work for 14 days, then wage loss benefits are retroactive and wage loss benefits can be received for the first seven days as well.
In other words, if your injury caused you to miss only four days of work, you will not receive wage loss benefits. If your injury caused you to miss 10 days of work, you can receive 3 days of lost wages. If you injury caused you to miss 14 days of work, then you can receive lost wages for all 14 days. Wage loss benefits are typically two-thirds of your average weekly wage up to a maximum (currently $858 per week).
You will know whether you’ll receive wage loss benefits once you receive the workers’ comp insurance company’s acceptance or denial of your claim. If your claim is denied, speak to a workers’ comp attorney immediately. You may need to file a Claim Petition and litigate the matter to receive wage loss benefits.
If you experienced a work-related injury in Pennsylvania, please feel free to contact me for a consultation. Our office is located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and we are happy to assist injured employees throughout the Lehigh Valley area including Easton and Allentown.
