A common question we are often asked at Pearson Koutcher Law is: How long after workers’ comp settlement do I get paid? Ideally, you should start to receive your wage-loss benefits within 21 days after notifying your employer of your injury. After you report your injury, your employer should promptly submit a claim to its workers’ compensation insurance company. The insurance company is required by law to respond to this claim within 21 days. If they accept the wage-loss portion of your claim, they will start sending you checks. They can also temporarily agree to pay you benefits but delay their final decision for 90 days from the time of your injury. Insurance companies often deny claims, though, and if your claim is denied or you have not received a response from the insurance company within 21 days, please contact the workmans comp lawyers at Pearson Koutcher Law.
The workers comp settlement process in Pennsylvania ends with a hearing before a Workers’ Compensation Judge. This hearing usually lasts less than 30 minutes and gives the judge a chance to confirm that you understand the terms of your agreement.
Once the hearing wraps, the judge typically issues a written decision within 1 to 7 days. After that, the countdown starts.
Typically the insurance company sends payment with 21 days of the Decision date.
This part of the post-settlement payment process tends to be quick, but staying in touch with your Philadelphia workers’ compensation lawyer can help keep things on track.
Even when a settlement is approved, delays happen. These are sometimes administrative, but they can still push your check back by several weeks.
For example, missing signatures or incorrect banking details can hold things up. Some delays happen because the insurer or legal teams take longer than expected to submit or process final documents. Errors in these steps often stall the release of your workers comp benefits.
At Pearson Koutcher Law, clients can reach their attorney directly by cell, which helps resolve these issues a bit faster than usual.
If your check doesn’t show up after 30 days, contact your workers’ comp attorney right away. Insurance companies can receive a penalty for late workers’ comp payment, but your Philadelphia workers’ compensation lawyer has to act to make that happen.
Keep a file with all your paperwork, notices, and written updates. This can really help if someone needs to prove when your compensation claim duration started or if a formal complaint has to be filed.
If you are injured at work, your medical costs should be covered starting on the date of your injury. But how long do you have to be out of work before you are entitled to workers’ compensation payments? Pennsylvania law provides that if you are out of work for seven calendar days or less, you are not entitled to wage-loss payments. If you are out of work for between seven and fourteen calendar days, you are entitled to benefits except for the first seven days. If, however, you are out of work for more than fourteen calendar days, then you are entitled to payments going back to the first day you were out; there is no seven-day waiting period.
If the insurance company has denied any part of your claim – the wage loss portion or the medical portion – or it has not responded to your claim within 21 days, contact the workmans comp lawyers at Pearson Koutcher Law as soon as possible. In this case, it is likely that the insurance company is trying to avoid paying your claim, which unfortunately happens often. The Philadelphia workers’ compensation lawyers at Pearson Koutcher Law have decades of experience fighting for injured workers’ rights. They will file a Claim Petition on your behalf, asking a Workers’ Compensation Judge to award you benefits.
Yes. Call the workers’ compensation law firm of Pearson Koutcher Law. Our seasoned attorneys will help you get the benefits you deserve.
If you have questions such as, When should I start to receive workers compensation payments? or other questions about your rights as an injured worker, contact Pearson Koutcher Law today for a FREE consultation. Our workman’s comp lawyers near me have more than one hundred years of combined experience in defending the rights of injured workers.