Workers’ compensation benefits usually cover medical costs, and the wage loss an employee suffers while they are unable to work. If the employee is eligible he or she may be able to receive some or all of these benefits. In Pennsylvania if the worker has died, dependent family members may receive death benefits through worker’s compensation insurance. Also, the person who pays for the funeral expenses may be compensated for their expenditure on the funeral through worker’s compensation insurance in Pennsylvania up to a certain amount, which can change from year to year.
It must be noted that each state has its own variation of rules regarding certain types of claims. The benefits and rules described in this article are a general guide to understand the types of worker compensation benefits, with a focus on the benefits workers’ in Pennsylvania can receive from workers’ compensation.
Medical ExpensesWorkers’ compensation benefits cover for medical expenses arising from injury or illness. These include expenses ranging from the costs of getting diagnosed with the condition to treatment of the injury, disease or illness. Even though specific coverage may depend on state laws, the benefits in Pennsylvania usually cover a hundred percent of medical expenses.
These usually include the costs of visiting the doctor, getting medications and going through surgery; they also cover for special equipment that the employee may need after the injury or illness, like a wheel-chair or a special vehicle. However, mostly the insurance covers for accepted and recognized medical procedures, and not experimental therapies. Thus, it may be significantly more difficult to get coverage for experimental treatments under worker’s compensation claims. Other costs, such as transportation to and from doctor’s appointments can also be covered if they are properly documented.
In Pennsylvania the injured employee must treat with a doctor on the company’s panel of physicians for the first 90 days after his or her injury.
DisabilityThe insurance also pays for the loss of income that an employee faces after a disability arising through an illness or injury on work. Disabilities are generally classified into four categories, which are as follows:
Temporary total disability: This is the most common category of disability. It means that the person is not able to work at all for a certain period of time but may recover and be able to work in the future.
Temporary partial disability: This means that the worker is impaired from carrying out certain parts of their job for a certain period of time before she or she recovers.
These benefits will be based on the pay of the employee before the accident. A percentage of the employee’s salary will be paid out while the worker is unable to work.
RehabilitationThese benefits accommodate the therapeutic care that an employee needs to cope with the injuries or illness and get back to work. Physical therapy and occupational therapy would be covered under this.
If you have any questions about your workers’ compensation benefits or if you were injured and are wondering if you can receive workers’ compensation benefits give us a call or fill out our contact form. We have two Certified Workers’ Compensation Specialists on staff and as always our consultation and case review are completely free. There is never a cost to find out if we can help you.