Philadelphia Workers’ Compensation
Philadelphia Workers’ Compensation Lawyers
30+ years representing injured workers in Philadelphia. Three Certified Workers’ Compensation Specialists. Direct access to the partners handling your case.
If you were hurt at work in Philadelphia and you are missing pay, waiting for medical treatment or surgery, dealing with a denied claim or stopped checks, facing an insurance medical examination, or being pushed back to work before you are ready, that is when elite workers’ compensation representation can make the biggest difference.
Schmidt, Kirifides, Rassias & Rio is one of Pennsylvania’s leading and most respected workers’ compensation firms for injured workers. Our attorneys represent injured Philadelphia workers through every stage of the Pennsylvania workers’ compensation process.
Our office is about 20 minutes outside Philadelphia in Delaware County, and our practice extends throughout Philadelphia and Southeastern Pennsylvania.
Our name and reputation are well known throughout Pennsylvania’s workers’ compensation community. Injured workers know us. Other attorneys know our work. Insurance companies and the lawyers who defend workers’ compensation claims know who they are dealing with when SKRR becomes involved.
That reputation was built by fighting relentlessly for thousands of injured workers and their families—for the wage-loss benefits they depend on, the medical treatment they need, and their rights when insurance companies try to delay treatment, stop checks, or deny responsibility.
That experience matters most when it protects the things an injured worker cannot afford to lose: medical treatment, wage-loss benefits, and control over what happens next.
Recognized Leadership in Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation
The work behind SKRR’s reputation reaches beyond our own cases. For decades, our attorneys have helped teach workers’ compensation law, held leadership positions in the legal community, and spoken directly with labor organizations about the rights of injured workers.
Teaching and helping shape the law
Mark R. Schmidt has served as Co-Chairman of the Delaware County Bar Association Workers’ Compensation Committee, while Anna V. Rio served as Co-Chair of the Philadelphia Bar Association Workers’ Compensation Section.
Our attorneys regularly teach Continuing Legal Education programs for other lawyers, speak with labor organizations about injured workers’ rights, and have authored amicus curiae briefs addressing important workers’ compensation issues across Pennsylvania.
Recognition from the profession and our clients
In 2026, every workers’ compensation partner at SKRR was selected to Super Lawyers, and Mark R. Schmidt was named to both the Pennsylvania Top 100 and Philadelphia Top 100 Super Lawyers lists.
The firm also holds AV Preeminent® Peer Rated status, Martindale-Hubbell Client Champion Platinum recognition, Avvo Clients’ Choice awards, and more than 200 five-star client reviews across Google and leading legal platforms.
The Delaware County Daily Times has repeatedly recognized our firm among the region’s best workers’ compensation lawyers.
What does Certified Workers’ Compensation Specialist mean?
Every SKRR workers’ compensation partner is a Certified Workers’ Compensation Specialist.
The Pennsylvania Bar Association’s Workers’ Compensation Law Section is authorized by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to certify attorneys as specialists in workers’ compensation law. Certification requires substantial workers’ compensation experience, examination, and continued compliance with the certification program.
For an injured worker, specialization can matter from the beginning of the claim: whether the injury was accepted correctly, whether wages were calculated properly, how medical disputes and IMEs are handled, what a return-to-work offer means, and what rights may be released in a settlement.
“10 out of 10 and I wish I could give them more! Incredible group of lawyers! They got me a great settlement for my work injury and I couldn’t be happier. Best workers compensation lawyers in Philadelphia and it’s not even close!”
How Are Workers’ Compensation Claims Handled in Philadelphia?
Philadelphia workers’ compensation claims are governed by Pennsylvania workers’ compensation law and handled through the Commonwealth’s workers’ compensation system—not as ordinary personal injury lawsuits in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas.
01How does a workers’ compensation claim begin?
The process generally begins when the worker reports the injury to the employer. The employer and its insurance carrier then investigate the claim and determine whether to accept it, deny it, or pay temporary compensation while the investigation continues.
If a claim is accepted, the insurance company may begin paying medical expenses, wage-loss benefits, or both. An accepted claim can still produce later disputes over the exact injury that was accepted, medical treatment, the amount of compensation, the ability to return to work, or whether benefits should continue.
02What happens when there is a workers’ compensation dispute?
When formal legal action becomes necessary, a petition may be filed with Pennsylvania’s Workers’ Compensation Office of Adjudication.
A Workers’ Compensation Judge may conduct hearings, establish deadlines for evidence, hear testimony, consider medical evidence, schedule mediation, and issue a written decision if the parties cannot resolve the dispute.
03Where are Philadelphia workers’ compensation cases handled?
Philadelphia is part of the Southeastern District of Pennsylvania’s Workers’ Compensation Office of Adjudication. The Philadelphia Workers’ Compensation Judges’ Office is located at 110 North 8th Street in Philadelphia.
Some hearings, mediations, and conferences may be conducted virtually. Others may take place in person. The format depends on the assigned judge, the type of proceeding, and the instructions provided for the particular case.
04What happens after a Workers’ Compensation Judge issues a decision?
If the parties do not resolve the dispute, the Workers’ Compensation Judge reviews the evidence and issues a written decision. A judge’s decision may be appealed to the Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Appeal Board and, depending on the legal issues involved, later to the Commonwealth Court or Pennsylvania Supreme Court.
Most workers’ compensation claims never reach Pennsylvania’s higher courts. What matters much earlier is making sure the claim is properly developed and protected while the injured worker is actually living through it.
What Should You Do After a Work Injury in Philadelphia?
You do not need to become an expert in Pennsylvania workers’ compensation law after getting hurt. But a few early decisions can affect your medical treatment, your wage-loss benefits, and what happens months later.
01Report the injury promptly
Tell your employer or supervisor when, where, and how the injury happened. Do not assume a coworker, manager, or medical provider reported it for you.
Under Pennsylvania workers’ compensation law, notice given within 21 days can protect the right to receive benefits dating back to the injury. Waiting more than 120 days may prevent a claim unless an exception applies or the employer already had sufficient knowledge of what happened.
Whenever possible, report the injury in writing and keep a copy.
02Describe the entire injury
Do not mention only the body part that hurts the most that day. An initial injury report can become important evidence later.
A fall may injure your back and shoulder. A lifting injury may affect your back and cause symptoms into your leg. Repetitive work may affect both hands, wrists, shoulders, or another part of the body over time.
Be accurate and complete. Do not minimize symptoms simply because you hope they will disappear.
03Get appropriate medical treatment
Tell the medical provider that the injury happened at work and explain how it occurred.
If your employer has properly established a list of designated medical providers and given the required notice, you may be required to treat with a provider from that list during the first 90 days. That does not necessarily mean the employer can force you to treat with only one particular doctor.
04Take your work restrictions seriously
If your treating doctor gives you restrictions, follow them. Returning too quickly or performing work beyond those restrictions can aggravate the injury and create additional disputes about what work you are physically capable of doing.
If the employer offers modified or light-duty work, the actual duties, physical demands, wages, schedule, and location all matter.
05Keep the records that may matter later
Save incident reports, medical records and work notes, photographs, witness information, pay stubs, work schedules, emails and text messages about the injury, insurance-company correspondence, and information about overtime, bonuses, or additional employment.
An injured worker’s compensation rate may depend on more than the paycheck they remember receiving each week. If the average weekly wage is calculated incorrectly, that mistake can affect benefits throughout the claim.
06Understand what you are signing
A workers’ compensation document can affect the accepted injury, wage-loss benefits, medical rights, or the future of the claim. A settlement can permanently end some or all of the insurance company’s responsibility.
Before signing something important, understand what changes after your signature is on the page, what benefits may end, what rights may be released, and what medical expenses could become your responsibility later.
Learn more about Pennsylvania workers’ compensation settlements.
What Workers’ Compensation Benefits May Be Available to Injured Workers in Philadelphia?
Pennsylvania workers’ compensation can provide medical treatment and financial benefits after a job-related injury or occupational illness. What may be available depends on the injury, how it affects your ability to work, and how the claim is recognized under Pennsylvania law.
01Medical benefits
Workers’ compensation may cover reasonable and necessary medical treatment related to the work injury, including physician care, diagnostic testing, therapy, medication, injections, surgery, medical equipment, and other treatment.
A dispute over treatment is not merely a paperwork problem when an injured worker is waiting for an MRI, an injection, surgery, or other care needed to recover.
02Wage-loss benefits
If a work injury prevents you from working or causes you to earn less than you earned before the injury, you may qualify for wage-loss compensation.
Overtime, bonuses, concurrent employment, and other earnings may affect the average weekly wage used to determine benefits.
Read our guide to Pennsylvania workers’ compensation wage-loss benefits.
03Specific loss and disfigurement benefits
Pennsylvania workers’ compensation law provides separate benefits for the permanent loss or loss of use of certain body parts. Compensation may also be available for serious and permanent disfigurement of the head, face, or neck.
04Death benefits for qualifying family members
When a work injury or occupational illness results in death, qualifying family members may be entitled to workers’ compensation death benefits.
05Lump-sum workers’ compensation settlements
Some workers’ compensation claims are eventually resolved through a lump-sum settlement. Settlement is not automatically the goal, and it is not automatically the right decision simply because a check is being offered.
A meaningful settlement evaluation should consider the medical evidence, existing benefits, future treatment, ability to return to work, earning capacity, litigation risk, and exactly what rights the injured worker is being asked to surrender.
For a broader explanation of the system, visit our Pennsylvania workers’ compensation guide.
Philadelphia Workplace Injuries by the Numbers
We include these numbers because they show how many Philadelphia workers and families are affected by workplace injuries every year—and how quickly a work injury can become a problem involving someone’s health, paycheck, and ability to support the people depending on them.
Philadelphia’s reported work injuries also show that this is not a problem limited to one kind of job. In 2025, the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry reported 6,051 injuries and illnesses in education and health services, 4,078 in trade and transportation, and 2,845 in public administration in Philadelphia County.
Behind those numbers are people who missed work, needed surgery or months of medical treatment, or suddenly had to worry about whether the next workers’ compensation check was going to arrive.
The statistics show how widespread workplace injuries are in Philadelphia. They cannot show what happens to one worker and one family when it becomes their life.
See more Philadelphia workplace injury data and sources
According to the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry’s 2025 Workers’ Compensation Annual Report, 166,011 workplace injuries and illnesses were reported statewide in 2025. Philadelphia County accounted for 15,453 of those cases, or approximately 9.3%—the largest county total in Pennsylvania.
The report also shows that Philadelphia had substantial numbers of reported cases across major employment sectors, including education and health services, trade and transportation, public administration, professional and business services, construction, manufacturing, and other industries.
These figures describe the scale of workplace injuries in Philadelphia. They do not tell us whether a particular worker’s claim was accepted, whether wage-loss benefits were paid, whether treatment was approved, or whether litigation became necessary.
Source: Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry, 2025 Workers’ Compensation Annual Report.
Philadelphia Workers’ Compensation FAQs
Does SKRR really handle Philadelphia workers’ compensation cases?
Yes. Our office is about 20 minutes outside Philadelphia in Delaware County, and our attorneys have represented injured workers in Philadelphia for more than 30 years. Philadelphia claims have been a substantial part of our workers’ compensation practice through hearings, medical depositions, mediations, settlements, and other proceedings.
Should I call a workers’ compensation lawyer if my claim has not been denied?
A formal denial is not the only reason to get legal advice. It may make sense to speak with a workers’ compensation lawyer when an injury causes significant time away from work, you need substantial medical treatment or surgery, an IME is scheduled, you are being pushed to return before you are ready, your checks appear wrong or stop arriving, or you are asked to discuss settlement.
Do I have to treat with the doctor my employer chooses?
Only under certain circumstances. If the employer properly established a designated-provider list and complied with Pennsylvania’s notice requirements, an injured worker may be required to treat with a provider from that list during the first 90 days. That generally does not mean the employer can force the worker to use only one particular physician from the list.
Where are Philadelphia workers’ compensation cases heard?
Disputed claims are handled through Pennsylvania’s Workers’ Compensation Office of Adjudication rather than the ordinary civil court system. Philadelphia is part of the Southeastern District, and the Philadelphia Workers’ Compensation Judges’ Office is located at 110 North 8th Street. Some proceedings are virtual and others may take place in person.
Can SKRR represent me if I work in Philadelphia but live in Delaware County?
Yes. Many people commute between Philadelphia, Delaware County, and other parts of Southeastern Pennsylvania. Living outside the city does not by itself prevent someone from pursuing a Pennsylvania workers’ compensation claim arising from work in Philadelphia. For local information, visit our Delaware County workers’ compensation guide.
Can union members and City of Philadelphia employees receive workers’ compensation?
They may qualify for Pennsylvania workers’ compensation after a covered work injury or occupational illness. Union contracts, civil-service protections, injury-leave programs, pensions, and other employment benefits can create additional issues, but they do not automatically eliminate workers’ compensation rights.
What if my workers’ compensation checks suddenly stop or change?
A change in wage-loss benefits should be taken seriously. The reason may depend on the status of the claim, documents that were filed, whether the worker returned to employment, or other developments in the case. If checks stop, decrease, or appear incorrect, it is worth finding out why before assuming the change is proper.
What Changes When SKRR Represents You?
One of the hardest parts of a workers’ compensation claim is not knowing whether something the insurance company is doing is routine—or whether it could hurt your case.
When SKRR represents you, those decisions are no longer yours to figure out alone.
We learn what happened, how the injury is affecting your work and your family, and where the claim stands. Then we deal directly with the insurance company and its lawyers and make sure you understand what is happening before important decisions are made.
- Review how the injury and wage-loss benefits have been handled
- Deal directly with the insurance company and its attorneys
- Develop the medical evidence needed to protect the claim
- Prepare you before an IME, hearing, or return-to-work decision
- Respond when treatment or benefits are challenged
- Explain your options before you make decisions that affect your future
You should know who is handling your case, what is happening, and why. That is the level of personal representation we believe an injured worker should receive.
Who Do We Represent in Philadelphia?
We represent people who get hurt doing the work that keeps Philadelphia running.
- Healthcare, nursing, and hospital services
- SEPTA, transportation, and maintenance
- Construction and skilled trades
- City government and public-sector employment
- Police, fire, corrections, and public safety
- Education and university employment
- Warehousing, distribution, trucking, and delivery
- Hotels, restaurants, retail, and service work
- Offices, professional employment, and local businesses
Those are examples, not limits.
Serving Philadelphia and the Surrounding Region
Our attorneys represent injured workers throughout Philadelphia—from Center City and University City to South Philadelphia, Northeast Philadelphia, Port Richmond, the airport area, the Navy Yard, and neighborhoods across the city.
Many of our clients also commute between Philadelphia and Delaware County, where SKRR was founded. That connection has always been part of our practice: representing people who live in one community, work in another, and need experienced Pennsylvania workers’ compensation representation when an injury changes everything.
Our Delaware County workers’ compensation practice remains at the heart of the firm, while our attorneys continue to represent injured workers throughout Philadelphia and across Southeastern Pennsylvania.
Wherever the work injury happens, our focus is the same: protecting the medical treatment, wage-loss benefits, and financial security an injured worker and their family are depending on.
See the work injuries and workers’ compensation claims we handle.
Talk Directly With a Philadelphia Workers’ Compensation Lawyer
If you were hurt at work, start with what happened. Are you out of work? Are your checks wrong or missing? Was your claim denied? Are you waiting for treatment or surgery? Did you receive an IME notice? Is your employer pushing you back before you are ready?
Tell us what happened. One of our workers’ compensation attorneys will personally review your situation and explain what we believe should happen next.
No fee unless we recover workers’ compensation benefits or compensation for you.
Past results and client experiences do not guarantee a similar outcome. Every workers’ compensation matter depends on its own facts and circumstances.