Areas Served
Workers’ Compensation Attorney Serving Norvelt
Norvelt, Pennsylvania, is a small community with a unique history. Founded during the Great Depression as a New Deal homestead settlement, it is today home to the Youngwood Historical and Railroad Museum and a selection of local wineries.
You are entitled to workers’ compensation if you’ve suffered an injury at work in Norvelt. Pennsylvania’s workers’ compensation system can cover your medical expenses and lost income, but employers sometimes object to a workers’ compensation claim. If your employer is denying that you suffered an injury at work or claiming that you were on drugs or intoxicated when the accident occurred, you need a skilled workers’ comp lawyer to defend your claim.
Stine & Associates, P.C. is a workers’ compensation law firm serving Norvelt and other communities all over Westmoreland County, Greensburg, Pittsburgh, and elsewhere in western and central Pennsylvania. If you need help with a workers’ comp claim in Norvelt, contact Stine & Associates, P.C., today to discuss your case with a compassionate attorney.
Workers’ Compensation in Norvelt, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania’s workers’ compensation system helps workers who are injured at work or who become ill due to their job, providing benefits such as:
- Coverage for all medical expenses
- Coverage for lost wages
Fault is not a factor in workers’ compensation cases. Unlike a personal injury case, you don’t need to prove that your employer was negligent. You can collect workers’ comp benefits even if your negligence led to the accident.
According to the Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Act, you cannot collect workers’ compensation benefits if:
- You intentionally inflicted your injuries
- You were doing something illegal when you were hurt, such as using drugs
- Intoxication was the sole reason for your accident
Your employer has the burden of proof in all these situations, so if they want to claim that you intentionally hurt yourself or that you were on drugs when you were hurt, they will have to prove it.
Reporting an Injury at Work
You must report the injury to a supervisor immediately when you’re injured on the job. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry, you must tell your employer:
- That you were injured while working
- Where the injury happened
- When the injury happened
If you don’t report the injury immediately, you can lose your right to collect workers’ comp benefits. You must report the injury:
- Within 21 days, if you want to receive retroactive benefits
- Within 120 days to receive workers’ compensation benefits
Although you have up to 120 days to report your injury, you should never wait to make a report. Waiting without a good reason can increase the chances of denial. Don’t just report your injury to a coworker and leave it at that. You must report an injury to a manager or supervisor to meet the requirements of the law.
After you report your injury to a supervisor, your employer must file a First Report of Injury within 10 days, but not sooner than seven days, unless your injury is so minor that you didn’t lose any time at work.
What Benefits Can Workers’ Compensation Provide?
Depending on the specifics of your injury, the Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation system can provide benefits such as:
- All reasonable medical expenses
- Partial disability benefits for up to 500 weeks if you are less than 35 percent impaired
- Total disability benefits if you are at least 35 percent impaired
- Specific loss benefits, if you lost the use of your foot, toe, hand, finger, arm, leg, hearing, or sight, or if you suffered a disfiguring head, face, or neck injury
- Temporary compensation for lost wages and medical expenses for up to 90 days
Wage Loss Benefits
Workers’ comp will compensate you for your lost wages while you’re out of work due to an injury. According to the Department of Labor & Industry, your weekly wage loss benefits will be about two-thirds of your weekly paycheck.
The maximum weekly workers’ compensation payment for 2025 is $1,347. Workers who earn between $1,010.26 and $2,020.50 per week are paid 66 and 2/3 percent of their weekly wage. Workers who earn between $748.33 and $1,010.25 are paid $673.50 per week. Workers who earn less than $748.33 per week are paid 90 percent of their weekly wage.
You cannot receive wage loss benefits until the eighth calendar day after your injury, but you can receive retroactive benefits for the first seven days after you’ve been out of work for 14.
Choosing a Doctor after a Work Injury in Norvelt
You’re free to choose your doctor after a work injury in Norvelt unless your employer has posted a list of at least six doctors for you to choose from. If your employer has posted a list of doctors and has accepted your workers’ comp claim, you must see one of the doctors on the list for your initial doctor’s visit and for the first 90 days after your injury. According to the Department of Labor & Industry, you can see any doctor you like if your employer hasn’t posted a proper list.
Why Do Employers Sometimes Challenge Workers’ Compensation Claims?
Since workers’ compensation is a no-fault system, why do employers sometimes challenge compensation claims? After all, the system protects them from being found negligent and having to pay a personal injury claim.
Employers challenge workers’ comp claims for several reasons, including:
- Avoiding higher insurance premiums
- Protecting the company’s reputation
- Protecting the company from investigation
- Keeping company productivity high by preventing you from taking time off work
When challenging your workers’ compensation claim, your employer may:
- Claim that your injuries were pre-existing
- Claim that you are exaggerating the severity of your injuries
- Claim that the injury didn’t happen at work
- Claim that you injured yourself intentionally or were drunk or on drugs
What to Do if Your Employer Challenges Your Claim
If your employer doesn’t accept your workers’ compensation claim, the Workers’ Compensation Office of Adjudication will assign a judge to decide your case. If the judge decides against you, you can file an appeal with the Workers’ Compensation Appeal Board.
You aren’t obligated to use a lawyer during this process, but the company probably will use a lawyer, and this can put you at a disadvantage. An attorney with knowledge of Pennsylvania workers’ compensation law and experience with winning workers’ comp cases can level the playing field and give you the edge you need to win your case.
Contact a Workers’ Compensation Lawyer Serving Norvelt, Pennsylvania, Today
If you’ve been hurt in an accident at work in Norvelt, Pennsylvania, you have the right to be compensated for your injuries. Stine & Associates, P.C. is a law firm serving not only Norvelt but other communities all over western and central Pennsylvania.
We’ve stood up for injured workers in Pennsylvania for over 30 years. We focus exclusively on workers’ compensation, personal injury, and social security cases, so you will be working with an attorney who has extensive experience in cases like yours. Attorney Cindy Stine is committed to giving a voice to the injured, the disabled, and the ill. We won’t charge you anything until and unless we collect compensation for you. If you’ve been hurt in a workplace accident in Norvelt, Pennsylvania, contact Stine & Associates, P.C., for your free consultation today.