Why Does it Make Sense to Hire a West Chester Worker Compensation Lawyer?

If you live in or near West Chester, Pennsylvania and are injured on the job, you might wonder why you should hire a workers compensation lawyer. What can a skilled West Chester worker comp lawyer such as those at Wusinich & Brogan do to help you maximize the benefits you ultimately receive? Why are workers' comp lawyers even necessary when laws and insurance programs are clearly written to protect workers when they are temporarily or permanently unable to work due to injury or illness contracted on the job?

The process might seem straightforward: You file a worker compensation claim and you receive a settlement, right? As any workers' comp lawyer practicing in West Chester or elsewhere in Pennsylvania can explain, the process is rarely so simple. Worker compensation lawyers often have to go to bat for clients whose insurance companies are seeking to limit the payout. Keep in mind, those insurance companies have their own workers' comp lawyers working the laws and regulations to their interests, not yours.

Consider just three features of the law that a skilled worker compensation lawyer in Pennsylvania can help a client navigate in West Chester, Philadelphia, Downingtown, Reading or elsewhere:

• Coordination of benefits – Several compensation programs are available under which an injured worker may be eligible to receive benefits simultaneously: Medicare, a company pension, a company severance, Social Security Disability (SSD) and state unemployment compensation. But it is a complicated scenario, where receipt of benefits from one program at the wrong time can reduce benefits from another.
• Alternative compensation programs – There are also several state and federal programs that can either complement or supersede the Pennsylvania Workers' Compensation Act, including:

• The Heart and Lung Act, which is largely applicable to law enforcement officers, firefighters, county jail and state mental hospital employees
• The Federal Employee Compensation Act, which includes postal workers
• The Federal Employers Liability Act (FELA), for railroad workers employed in interstate commerce
• The Longshoreman and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act, for maritime workers
• The Jones Act, for merchant marine workers
• The Defense Base Act, for contract workers employed on military bases outside of the U.S. 

• Lump sum settlement – If your case suggests there will be no surprise medical expenses or disabilities in future years, it might make sense to negotiate a lump sum worker compensation payment from your carrier.

Experienced lawyers, focused on workers' compensation law

Wusinich & Brogan Law Firm has handled litigation in more than 20 of Pennsylvania's 67 counties and has argued a number of cases in federal courts as well. Organized into eight areas of practice, Wusinich & Brogan is large enough to handle complex cases, yet small enough to give dignified personal attention to every client.

As a regional litigation firm headquartered in Downingtown—with regional offices in West Chester and Reading—we serve clients across Pennsylvania. The firm is particularly devoted to handling the affairs of injured workers. For more information, please contact a West Chester workers' compensation attorney online or call 610.594.1600.