Understanding Your Workers’ Comp Rights in Pennsylvania: Workers’ Compensation Lawyer in Philadelphia, PA Explains Whether Anxiety or Stress Qualifies
When most people think about a workers’ compensation claim, they think of a physical injury such as one from falling off of a ladder, slipping on the floor, or getting a hand caught in manufacturing equipment. While these are indeed some of the most common examples of WC claims, they are not the only types of injuries that may qualify for workers’ compensation coverage. Emotional or mental injuries may also qualify for workers’ compensation when related to employment and prevent an individual from working. If you or a loved one suffer from anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), stress, fear, or any other emotional or mental injury, learn how our experienced workers’ comp lawyer in Philadelphia, PA, can help you and your family.
Here at Saffren & Weinberg, we are dedicated to protecting the rights of injured workers in Pennsylvania. Our WC law firm represents workers who have been injured in a work-related accident or due to a work-related illness, whether those injuries are physical or emotional/mental. You only have a limited amount of time to give notice to your employer after an injury and a limited amount of time to file a WC claim. Please give our workers’ compensation lawyers in Philadelphia, PA, a call to schedule your FREE consultation to learn more about our law firm.
What is Workers’ Compensation?
Workers’ compensation is a no-fault benefits program meant to quickly pay injured workers for their work-related injuries or illnesses without having to prove fault. This means that injured workers only have to establish that the injury was caused at work or related to work. WC benefits generally pay two-thirds (2/3s) of lost wages (up to a cap) and medical bills, as well as other benefits in certain instances.
When Does an Emotional or Mental Injury Qualify for Workers’ Comp Benefits?
Like physical injuries, for emotional or mental injuries to qualify for WC benefits, they must be related to or caused by employment. They must also impair or prevent an individual from being able to work. The disruption cannot be mild or slight, and it must be something that an independent medical examiner could evaluate and determine as being an impediment to working.
Why Emotional or Mental Injuries Are More Difficult to Prove for WC Benefits
Physical injuries will almost always be easier to prove than emotional or mental injuries. This is because a fall from a ladder at work causing a broken leg is obviously work-related. Injuries are related to repetitive injuries such as carpal tunnel, backaches, or other strain injuries, they can usually be linked to employment and proven with objective medical evidence.
However, emotional or mental injuries are much more challenging to prove because they usually do not start at work. Nor is there often x-ray or other objective evidence of injuries. Rather, most emotional or mental injuries are subjective complaints.
As a result, an individual seeking WC benefits for an emotional or mental injury must have an experienced workers’ comp lawyer in Philadelphia, PA, help prove the link to employment and the existence of the injury impeding an individual’s ability to work.
Examples When Emotional or Mental Injuries May Qualify for WC
While every emotional or mental injury may qualify for WC, some of the most common scenarios that can prove it include the following:
- Workplace sexual harassment, bullying, or intimidation
- Motor vehicle accidents or crashes
- Work-related injuries that are traumatic such as an accident, animal attack, explosion, or another event
- Seeing a co-worker or another individual get injured or killed in an accident
- Assaults or criminal activity such as a shooting, bomb, or other violent attacks
- High stress to meet deadlines or threatened layoffs, and
- Other types of stressful events that could cause debilitating injuries.
If You or a Loved One Have Emotional or Mental Injuries, Learn Whether You May Qualify for Workers’ Compensation Benefits
Our workers’ comp lawyers in Philadelphia, PA, can help injured workers recover compensation for lost wages and medical benefits related to stress, PTSD, anxiety, and other emotional or mental injuries. Learn more about how Saffren & Weinberg can help you during a FREE consultation by calling (215) 576-0100 or by using our “contact us” box to send us a message.
This website is designed to provide only general information. The information presented on this website is not formal legal advice. You should not rely on any general information from any source for making legal decisions. Each legal matter is unique and requires specific attention from a qualified and experienced attorney. Unless a representation agreement has been signed with Saffren & Weinberg, we are not your legal representatives.