Workplace injuries affect millions of individuals across the United States. Pennsylvania workers’ compensation works to remedy these injuries by providing benefits, so that workers may return to their jobs and have medical expenses paid for. Many injured employees do not know that they can also apply for and receive Social Security Disability (SSD) benefits in addition to their workers’ compensation if they cannot work.
Workers’ compensation eligibility
Workers’ compensation works to provide benefits for medical costs associated with work-related injuries and provide compensation if your injury stops you from working for a time.
Applying for workers’ compensation in Pennsylvania involves:
- Determining that you worked within the scope of your employment
- Deciding that you were injured due to the negligence of your employer or a fellow employee
- Quantifying your injuries for monetary damages
For example, if you face a broken bone in your hand, you may not have the ability to operate machinery that your job requires. During this time, in addition to medical care and prescription costs covered, you may receive a portion of your salary through workers’ compensation.
Receiving SSD and workers’ compensation
Yet when you cannot work, the Social Security Administration (SSA) offers disability benefits from government funding. Assuming your organization falls into the great majority of businesses paying taxes toward Social Security, you may have the opportunity to obtain additional damages.
Applying for SSD benefits involves determining a rightful amount to award you for your injury’s effects. Disability benefits provide you with money if you prove unable to work during your recovery. You will fill out an application recognizing your inability to work due to your workplace injury, and the SSA will either approve or deny your claim. Because you will receive workers’ compensation, the SSD benefits will require adjustment, so that the amount of support supplied to you is fair and just.
Though your SSD benefits will decrease due to your receiving of workers’ compensation, obtaining both benefits will still prove larger than receiving one or the other.
In any workplace injury claim, you may wish to hire an experienced attorney to help you apply correctly for all benefits. Facing work injuries can designate a lengthy process, and you want an experienced individual helping to maximize your required compensation from both workers’ compensation insurance in Pennsylvania and SSD benefits.