The Workers Compensation program was established to ensure that all workers can afford medical treatment for injuries or illnesses caused by their work environment. It also guarantees that they be paid a portion of their wages, so that they can afford to recover. The law requires that all employers carry workers compensation insurance or show that they are self-insured. While this concept sounds simple and fair, it’s implementation has become complex and often combative. Therefore it an injured worker may have to hire a Workers Comp Lawyer In Pennsylvania to protect their rights.
For the first 90 days after an injury or illness, the worker has to see a healthcare provider on a list that their employer created. There have to be at least six options and three of them have to be doctors. The list has to be posted in a public space such as the employee break room. Failure to use the proper doctor could invalidate a claim. However, the doctors on that list may have split loyalties. While they are doctors treating a patient, they also may have a lucrative practice built on relationships with insurance companies and employers. Based on their findings, an employer may find that the injury is not work related.
The worker may also have to submit to an Independent Medical Examination. While the worker is seeing a doctor, they have to remember that this doctor works for the insurance company. A Workers Comp Lawyer In Pennsylvania will help the worker prepare for such an examination and understand what is at stake. Even when an employer agrees that an illness or injury is work-related, they may attempt to limit the extent of the injury or its duration. In this case the worker is required to undergo a Vocational Examination. If the examiner finds that the worker still is capable of making a living, then the employer will file a petition to reduce or end the workers compensation benefit they are being paid. Lawyers at Swartz Culleton PC will review these findings and bring in their own medical experts to counter these claims if necessary. At every step they will work with their client to make sure they comply with the complicated procedures and are treated fairly.
