Author Archives: Jay Butchko
2017 Brings Modest Social Security Disability Increase
There is good news and bad news for recipients of Social Security Disability and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits. The good news is that monthly benefit amounts will increase for 2017. The bad news is that the increase will only be .3 percent for cost of living adjustments (COLA). Since 1975, Social Security’s general… Read More »
OSHA Injury Reporting Requirements Could be a Sword for Pennsylvania Injury Cases
On Dec. 16, 2016, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued a major record-keeping rule clarification. Pursuant to the new guidance, an employer has a “continuing obligation” to make and maintain accurate records of each recordable injury and illness. As a result, employers who fail to properly record workplace injuries and illnesses can… Read More »
Pennsylvania Funding Cuts Affect Access to Unemployment Benefits
Due to state funding cuts to the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry, the staff at the Unemployment Service Centers which process claims have been significantly reduced. As a result it has become more difficult for unemployed Pennsylvanians to file claims and to get answers to questions on how to properly address issues that… Read More »
DO I HAVE TO SIGN PAPERWORK TO SEE THE COMPANY DOCTOR IN MY PENNSYLVANIA WORKERS’ COMPENSATION CASE?
Once you are injured at work, you are required to report the injury to your employer. Once you do that you are usually asked to sign paperwork which could include an accident report and/or a panel physician list. The panel physician list is commonly known as the list of “Company Doctors.” Normally, an employee… Read More »
Happy Thanksgiving!!
To all of our clients, friends and followers: Thank you for your continued support and for allowing us to represent the hard working people of central pennsylvania for over 48 years! Many blessings to you and your family. The law offices of Ira H. Weinstock, P.C.
UNDER THE PENNSYLVANIA WORKERS’ COMPENSATION ACT, CAN I SEE A CHIROPRACTOR WHEN I GET INJURED AT WORK?
Under the Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Act, an injured employee has a right to medical treatment. The Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Act requires that the employer have a list of six medical providers or “health care providers.” Under section 109 of the Act, “health care provider” has been defined as follows: Health care provider means any… Read More »
The Pennsylvania Unemployment Law and Financial Eligibility Changes
When unemployed workers begin the application process for Unemployment Benefits, many take for granted that they will be financially eligible for benefits. Financial eligibility requires a determination that the employee has worked a sufficient number of “credit weeks” in their “base year” and that they have sufficient earnings in the four quarters of their… Read More »
PENNSYLVANIA WORKERS’ COMPENSATION ACT: WHAT ARE SPECIFIC LOSS DISFIGUREMENT BENEFITS?
A claimant who sustains a specific loss disfigurement injury such as a scar from burns or from a work-related surgery to the head, face or neck, may be entitled to receive benefits pursuant to Section 306(c) of the Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Act. To be eligible for disfigurement benefits, a scar must not be commonly… Read More »
I’ve Been Convicted of a Crime in Pennsylvania, Can I Vote?
According to the Pennsylvania Department of State, the following individuals who are currently facing or have been convicted of Misdemeanors and Felonies may register and vote if they have been citizens of the United States for at least one month before the next election; have been residents of Pennsylvania and their respective election districts… Read More »
DO I NEED MY DOCTOR TO TESTIFY FOR MY PENNSYLVANIA WORKERS’ COMPENSATION CASE?
The simple answer is maybe. It depends on the length and severity of your injury as well whether the injury was obvious. An obvious injury has been found to be one where an employee is doing something at work that “requires force or strain and pain is immediately experienced at the point of force… Read More »