Is There a Waiting Period Before I Can Receive Cash Benefits?

In Pennsylvania, you will face a waiting period before you can begin receiving cash benefits through workers’ compensation. You’ve been injured on the job and may already be facing mounting medical bills and lost earnings, which makes time of the essence. Beginning the claims process as soon as you recognize you’ve been injured on the job is key, and an experienced Philadelphia workers’ compensation attorney is standing by to help ensure that you receive the full range of benefits to which you’re entitled – as soon as you’re entitled to receive them.

The Initial Seven-Day Waiting Period

Before workers’ compensation payments for disability apply in Pennsylvania, you must be off the job for at least seven days due to your work-related injury or illness, and this time frame includes weekends. The benefits to which you’re entitled become payable on the eighth day following the injury. After you’ve missed work due to your injury or illness for 14 days, you’ll receive retroactive payment for the first seven days you missed on the eighth day from this point.

This means that when all the following apply, you should receive an initial payment by day 21 following your first day of absence from work:

• You report your injury to your supervisor or boss promptly.
• Your injury or illness kept you off the job for at least seven days.
• Your claim is accepted by the involved worker’s compensation insurance company.

From here, if your injury keeps you away from work longer, you can expect to receive your compensation checks on a regular basis. Often, the most challenging aspect of this process is obtaining the claim acceptance you need, and a reputable workers’ compensation attorney can help you with that. 

Workers’ Compensation Basics

Employees are legally entitled to workers’ compensation coverage at both the state and federal levels. The idea behind workers’ comp is balancing employees’ rights with employers’ responsibilities in a more streamlined process in which a compromise is struck.

The way it works is that employees give up their right to sue their employers for more comprehensive compensation in personal injury lawsuits in exchange for guaranteed coverage and a relatively speedy claims process. Employers, on the other hand, are required to purchase workers’ compensation coverage for their employees, but they are relieved of the threat that their employees will file personal injury lawsuits – which are time-consuming, are expensive, and can disrupt business – against them.

Discuss Your Claim with an Experienced Philadelphia Workers’ Compensation Attorney Today

The formidable Philadelphia workers’ compensation attorneys at HGSK Injury Lawyers have a wealth of experience helping clients like you obtain just compensation in a timely manner, and we will spare no effort in our quest to accomplish the same for you. Our determined legal team is in your corner, so please don’t delay contacting us online or call 267-350-6600 to schedule a free consultation and learn more about what we can do to help you today.