CompHelpNow.com

When a worker is injured on the job, Pennsylvania law requires the workers' compensation insurance companies to issue a document called a Notice of Compensation Payable. This important document is to be filed with the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry and represents the employer's and insurer's legal recognition of a work injury. It contains a description of the injury and sets forth the employee's average weekly wage. Typically, the Notice of Compensation Payable is prepared by the workers' compensation insurance company, and often the description of the employee's injury is not accurate. It is very common for the insurance company to describe the injury as less severe than it really is. For example, an employee might injure his/her wrist on the job and go to the hospital's emergency room or the company doctor for treatment. X-rays reveal that the wrist is fractured, but when the injured worker receives the Notice of Compensation Payable, the injury is described as a wrist sprain. Many employees do not even look at the injury description when they receive the document. However, an inaccurate injury description almost always favors the insurance company and hurts the injured worker. The Notice of Compensation Payable should have an accurate injury description. If the nature of the injury has changed, for instance, if a low back sprain is later determined to be a herniated lumbar disc after an MRI, the Notice of Compensation Payable should be changed to reflect the diagnosis of the more serious condition. If you have not received a Notice of Compensation Payable or if your injury description is not accurate, you should contact us immediately.

Smigel, Anderson & Sacks
ATTORNEYS AT LAW
4431 North Front Street • Harrisburg, PA 17110
717.234.2401 • 1.877.CompHelp

CompHelpNow

The One-Stop Site for Injured Workers