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Being injured on the job is one of the last things that you expect or hope to happen when you are working to support yourself and your family. While immediate medical care may address any threatening injuries, those that result in permanent scarring, disfigurement, and disability can be especially impactful.
If you’ve experienced life-altering, long-term injuries on the job, workers’ compensation provides you with the money you need to cover the costs and damages associated with your injury. When it comes to scarring and disfigurement, there are specific damages that your PA workers’ compensation lawyer can help you identify, measure, and collect.
Through rules published by the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry, disfigurement benefits are those that are paid when there is a serious, permanent, unsightly disfigurement to the head, face, or neck area. Disfigurement benefits are available for a period ranging from 1 week to a maximum of 275 weeks. The PA Dept. of Labor & Industry clarifies that there is no set payment amount for disfigurement benefits, noting that an agreement properly recorded through an agreement form between the employee and employer and/or their insurance carrier is necessary to determine the amount.
Negotiating what your disfigurement benefits are worth and how long you should be entitled to receive them can be difficult when trying to recover from your injury. With a skilled Pennsylvania workers’ compensation lawyer from Vanasse Law, LLC by your side, we’ll handle the entire process on your behalf.
If your injuries have led to long-term changes in your appearance due to scarring and other causes, you may be eligible for disfigurement benefits. Disfigurement benefits are generally paid as an additional element of your compensation beyond the temporary and/or permanent disability benefits that you may already be receiving following your workplace injury.
It is important to understand that accepting a settlement from the insurance company is a final amount and equates to the end of your ability to collect any additional compensation. Insurance companies make more money when they pay injured persons less, so offers of settlement are often for much less than you deserve.
Your PA workers’ compensation attorney helps you collect the evidence you need to accurately and completely measure your damages so that you and your family aren’t left covering costs linked to your injuries in the future.
To learn how an experienced workers’ compensation attorney from Vanasse Law can help you navigate your disfigurement claim or initial workers’ compensation claim after your injury, visit our site to schedule your free initial consultation.