Healthcare is dangerous work. From combative patients to potential needlesticks carrying contagious diseases, hazards are everywhere in this industry. However, if you’re an orderly or a certified nursing assistant (CNA), workers’ comp benefits can pay for the medical care you need and provide a financial cushion if you must be off work.
How Does Workers’ Compensation Help Injured Nursing Assistants and Orderlies?
Workers’ compensation is a state-mandated program that requires most Pennsylvania employers to provide workers’ compensation insurance for their employees. If an employee is injured while performing their work duties, they are entitled to workers’ compensation benefits. Those benefits include medical treatment for their injuries and partial wage replacement benefits if they must stay off work while their injuries heal.
When Can Orderlies and Nursing Assistants Qualify for Workers’ Comp?
To get orderly and nursing assistant workers’ comp in PA, the injured orderly or nursing assistant must first be an employee. Workers’ compensation benefits don’t cover independent contractors or self-employed people. The injury or illness must have occurred while the worker was performing their job or doing a work-related task. The employee must then meet Pennsylvania’s notice requirements.
The injured worker must give the employer notice of their injury within 21 days of the accident to receive retroactive benefits. The ultimate deadline for giving the employer notice is 120 days after the accident. Failing to report before that deadline passes may make the employee ineligible for benefits.
Common Injuries Among Nursing Assistants and Orderlies
Nursing assistants and orderlies share the same common nursing injuries that all healthcare workers may encounter while performing their jobs. They include the following:
- Strains, sprains, and tears
- Back pain and herniated discs
- Fractures
- Concussions and other head injuries
- Needlestick injuries, cuts, and punctures
- Exposure to infectious diseases and hazardous chemicals
- Overexertion
- Stress
- Bruising
- Injuries from violent interactions with patients
Shifting patients from one place to another, dealing with patients with dementia and other mental health conditions, and caring for people with contagious diseases make healthcare facilities hazardous places to work.
Nursing Assistants and Orderlies: What to Do After a Workplace Injury
When you’ve been injured at work while doing your job, get immediate medical care and then report your injury to your supervisor. In the days and weeks after your injury, you should take the following steps to protect your rights and your claim for benefits:
- Attend all scheduled doctor’s visits and follow treatment instructions exactly.
- Keep records of your medical treatments, bills, expenses, and prescriptions.
- Stay off social media and ask your friends and family not to mention your injury.
- Keep a diary to record all your medical visits, treatments, daily pain levels, and how your injury affects your everyday life.
- Contact an experienced Pennsylvania workers’ comp lawyer to handle your claim for you.
Contact our Pennsylvania Workers’ Comp Lawyers for Help
The experienced workers’ compensation lawyers of Calhoon & Kaminsky PC have been helping injured workers get the benefits they’re entitled to for more than 20 years. In that time, we’ve secured over $221 million for our clients.
When you’re ready to seek the benefits you’re entitled to, let us help. Call our office or contact us online today for your free, no-obligation consultation. Your case review is fully confidential.
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For more than 20 years, our attorneys have been helping injured workers navigate the complex Pennsylvania workers’ compensation system. We empower workers with the information and the representation they need to make the best decisions for themselves and their families’ future.
