Layoffs and Your Workers’ Compensation Rights

As most of the Philadelphia community is aware, it was recently announced that the School District of Philadelphia will be proceeding with mass layoffs of as many as 3,783 teachers and support staff.

So the question we ask is how might this or any lay off affect your rights if you are, were or are eligible to start collecting workers’ compensation benefits?

Well, you might be surprised to learn that if you were working in a light-duty capacity or if you were still on compensation benefits for medical care you may be entitled to continue receiving those benefits even after layoff or you may actually be entitled to reinstatement of benefits. In certain cases, even those who are working on regular duty at the time of layoff may be eligible to claim wage loss benefits under certain circumstances.

Rarely will your employer inform you of this right to benefits. We recommend that anyone who ever has had a work injury or disease consult with an experienced workers’ compensation lawyer if he or she loses his or her job for any reason, especially layoffs and plant closings.