Workers’ compensation is a vital guarantee for employees that any injury they suffer on the job. This is especially important for people with high-risk professions, such as construction workers and emergency service personnel. Thousands of Pennsylvanians require workers’ compensation benefits every year, and this can be costly to employers and the state.
A recent study by an organization that researches these crucial benefits determined that the Keystone State is one of the most expensive in the nation when it comes to working through cases. The study covered the total costs of delivering benefits and identified some of the factors that make Pennsylvania so costly for employers and employees.
“High litigation expenses were driven by the percentage of claims with medical-legal expenses and higher payments for such expenses,” according to an officer with the organization conducting the study. “Additionally, while Pennsylvania had typical attorney involvement, the average defense attorney payment per claim was higher compared with other study states.”
Costs of claims for seven or more days of disability-related lost time also increased since 2012. Medical payments were also a fifth higher per claim than the median, indicating more expensive treatment for injured workers or higher administrative costs for the claims studied by the organization.
People who are having difficulties claiming workers’ compensation benefits have the right to legal representation when they forward their claims or fight a rejected claim. An attorney can help figure out the best way to get the benefits that injured or sickened workers deserve to recover. No one should have to go through the possibly arduous process alone.