Have you or someone you know been at work and twisted the wrong way, tripped, fell, or suffered some type of work injury and simply go home thinking it will get better, day after day, and self-medicate with no eventual relief. Let’s face it, most of us need to work and get a paycheck to support ourselves and our families, so we don’t want to make a big deal out of something that might not be. We keep working, and the pain from a work injury might not get better, then eventually we find ourselves in real misery, with a very real problem that keeps us from performing our usual work. What do you do then?
To prevent any problems regarding reporting a work injury, it is always best to report it as soon as possible. As with any lawsuit, there are time restrictions and deadlines, which can prohibit you from pursuing your claim, if not adhered to. Under Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation law, you have (120) one hundred twenty days within which to report your injury, however; realistically, the sooner you report the injury, the better your case will be. As time goes by, and if you failed to report your work injury, the employer, through their lawyers will have ammunition to attempt to shoot down your claim, alleging that you really didn’t have any work injury, as you waited so long to report it.
Another deadline to keep in mind is how long can you wait until you file an actual Claim Petition to attempt to receive workers’ compensation benefits, after your claim is denied. In Pennsylvania, you have (3) three years within which to file a Claim, but again the longer you wait, the less advantage you have in succeeding with your case.
The best course of action is if you have injured yourself at work, give Notice to someone in a supervisory capacity or your Human Resources Department as soon as possible. Give explicit detail when you give Notice of how you hurt yourself, so that your employer can report the injury to their workers’ compensation carrier. If the carrier then denies your Claim, which they have to do within (21) twenty-one days of receiving the Claim, then seek the advice of an experienced workers’ compensation lawyer to file a Claim Petition. By you taking control of the situation early on, you will increase your chances of succeeding with your Claim, and appearing more credible before a Workers’ Compensation Judge.
Contact Robinson Law LLC to assess your particular case, and get the experienced help
that you need. Don’t make things harder than they need to be, and don’t guess yourself through the workers’ compensation process. We are here for you and your loved
ones, so let us help.
