You have sustained a workplace injury, and received workers’ compensation benefits for your medical expenses and the time you lost at work while recovering. But now you have an unsightly scar on your head that extends down to your neck. There is no way to hide the scar and it has taken an emotional toll on you. Every time you look in the mirror you are reminded of the traumatic accident, and every time someone meets you for the first time and their eyes land on that scar you can see the questions forming in their mind. Sometimes you feel depressed when you look at the scar because you just want to feel normal and look the way you used to look before.
The emotional toll of permanent scarring
These are not merely vain thoughts. Having visible, unsightly scars can have an impact on a person’s self-esteem and their enjoyment of life. Depending on the kind of work you do, visible scarring can have a negative impact on your level of success in your work. If the incident that caused the injury that left a scar was a workplace accident, you may be entitled to workers’ compensation benefits for scarring and disfigurement. Under Pennsylvania’s workers’ compensation Act you may be eligible to receive disfigurement benefits, which are paid for ” For serious and permanent disfigurement of the head, neck or face, of such a character as to produce an unsightly appearance, and such as is not usually incident to the employment, sixty-six and two-thirds per centum of wages not to exceed two hundred seventy-five weeks.”
Workers’ compensation for an injury that left you disfigured
You might have been involved in a car accident during your employment and received cuts and lacerations to your face and neck, you could have suffered chemical burns, or burns from a thermal fire. If you had to have surgery on your head or neck because of a work-related injury you might also be left with unsightly scarring.
There are a few qualifications that must be met before you can qualify for benefits for disfigurement, and you do not have to be disabled by the scarring. If the scar that is causing the disfigurement came about because of a workplace injury, and you gave appropriate notice to your employer about the injury, and if the disfigurement will be permanent–that is the scarring is still present and visible six months after the injury has healed you may be eligible for workers’ compensation benefits.
Disfiguring scars can take a toll on your emotional wellbeing and you should be able to receive some form of compensation for your loss. You can schedule a free consultation with a trusted workers’ compensation attorney in Philadelphia who is a strong advocate for your rights.
The after effects of a workplace injury can linger for longer than you expected. If you have severe scarring from an injury, surgery, burns or any other kind of permanent scarring, you may be able to collect workers’ compensation. The knowledgeable Philadelphia workers’ compensation attorneys at Larry Pitt & Associates are focused on protecting your right to fair compensation when you have permanent scarring or disfigurement after an occupational injury has healed. Please call 888.PITT.LAW or fill out our contact form to reserve a free consultation at one of our convenient office locations. We proudly serve clients throughout Berks, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia Counties.
