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Philadelphia is where Pond Lehocky began. Our founding partners opened the firm’s first office in Center City with one idea in mind: that injured and disabled workers in this city deserve a legal team completely in their corner. Decades later, that office is still our home, and Philadelphia workers are still at the heart of what we do.
This is a city built on labor: the hospitals and universities that anchor the region, from Penn and Jefferson to Temple and Children’s Hospital, the hotels and restaurants that host millions of visitors, the trades that raise the skyline, the longshore crews on the Delaware River, and the transit and warehouse workers who keep the region moving.
When a job injury takes you out of the workforce, the insurance company is not on your side. Our Philadelphia workers’ compensation attorneys are.
Why Philadelphia Workers Choose Pond Lehocky
Workers’ compensation insurance carriers bring teams of adjusters and defense attorneys to every claim. You deserve a firm with the depth to match them, and few firms anywhere can match what we put behind a case. Philadelphia injured workers trust us for the following reasons:
- Born and built here. Pond Lehocky is one of the largest workers’ compensation and disability firms in the country, and it started right here in Philadelphia.
- A record that speaks for itself. Our attorneys carry more than 250 years of combined courtroom experience and have handled over 100,000 cases, recovering billions of dollars for injured and disabled people.
- Recognized by our peers. Pond Lehocky was named a Regional Tier 1 Philadelphia workers’ compensation firm in the Best Law Firms 2026 rankings, with attorneys honored by Best Lawyers in America and Super Lawyers.
- Care under one roof. Our own medical team helps coordinate treatment and makes sure your injuries are evaluated honestly rather than through the insurer’s lens.
- No fee unless we win. There is never a cost to learn where your claim stands.
We also treat you like a person, not a case number.
How We Help Injured Employees Receive Workers’ Compensation Benefits
Healthcare and social assistance now make up close to a third of all jobs in Philadelphia, but the city’s working life runs much wider than that. Different jobs carry different dangers, and proving how your specific duties caused your injury is often what decides a claim.
Our workers’ compensation attorneys regularly represent Philadelphia workers hurt across the city’s core industries:
- Hospitals and healthcare. Nurses, aides, and techs at systems like Penn Medicine, Jefferson, Temple, and CHOP face lifting injuries, needlesticks, exposure to illness, and patient-related violence.
- Construction and the trades. From high-rise sites in Center City to road and infrastructure work, falls, struck-by injuries, and equipment accidents are constant risks.
- Hospitality and service work. Hotel, restaurant, stadium, and retail staff deal with slips, burns, lifting strain, and repetitive motion injuries.
- Transit, delivery, and warehouse work. Drivers, transit operators, and package handlers suffer crashes, lifting injuries, and repetitive trauma over long shifts.
- Port and dockside work. Crews along the Delaware River waterfront may have claims under the federal Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation program, which is separate from the state system.
Not every injury arrives in a single moment. Many workplace injuries develop over years, and occupational diseases tied to your job can support a claim just as a sudden accident can.
How Much Is Your Case Worth?
Where Philadelphia Workers’ Comp Cases Are Heard
If your claim is disputed, it does not get decided by the insurance company. It goes before a state workers’ compensation judge. Philadelphia sits in the Southeastern District of the Workers’ Compensation Office of Adjudication, and local cases are generally heard at the Philadelphia hearing office on Arch Street, where a judge takes testimony, weighs the medical evidence, and issues a binding decision.
The workers’ comp process has its own rhythm. Judges schedule mandatory mediation early in nearly every case to see whether a fair settlement can be reached, evidence is presented over a series of hearings that often run several months, and a decision typically follows within about 90 days of the record closing. Pond Lehocky attorneys appear before these judges constantly, and knowing how each one approaches a case is part of what we bring to yours.
What Your Claim Can Pay
Pennsylvania workers’ compensation is designed to replace part of your lost income and cover the medical care your injury requires, no matter who was at fault. Wage loss benefits generally equal two-thirds of your average weekly wage, up to a statewide ceiling that is adjusted every January.
For work-related injuries in 2026, the maximum is $1,394 per week, an increase from $1,347 the year before. Because every check is calculated from your average weekly wage, insurers have a strong incentive to set that figure too low, often by leaving out overtime, bonuses, and other earnings that count.
A full claim can reach well beyond a weekly check. It can also cover reasonable and necessary medical treatment, specific loss awards for the permanent loss of a body part or its use, disfigurement to the head, neck, or face, and death benefits for the families of workers who do not make it home.
Partial disability benefits can run up to 500 weeks in many situations. We look at every category that fits your circumstances, so nothing you are owed is quietly left behind.
What to Do After a Workplace Injury in Philadelphia
A handful of early steps can protect both your recovery and your claim. Report the injury to your employer in writing as soon as you can. Notice given within 21 days lets your benefits date back to the day you were hurt, and waiting longer than 120 days can cost you the right to benefits entirely.
Get medical care promptly. If your employer posted a valid list of providers and you signed an acknowledgment, your first 90 days of treatment may need to come from that list, and after that, the choice of doctor is yours. Keep copies of every report, bill, and medical record.
From there, your employer should notify its insurer, which then has 21 days to accept the claim, deny it, or begin temporary payments while it investigates. A denial is not the end of your case. You can file a claim petition, and in most cases, you have three years from the date of injury to do so. Bringing in a Philadelphia workers’ comp lawyer early makes it far easier to protect those deadlines and build the proof your claim needs.
Visit Our Philadelphia Office
Our home office sits in the heart of Center City at One Commerce Square, 2005 Market Street, 18th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19103, with a dedicated disability office for Social Security disability benefits matters on the same block at 2005 Market Street, Suite 350. You can reach the team at (215) 568-7500.
We offer free consultations, work with Spanish-speaking clients, and can arrange to meet you at home or in the hospital when an injury makes travel difficult. Many parts of a case can now be handled by phone or video as well.
Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation FAQ
Below are questions we hear often when representing injured workers. For more, visit our workers’ compensation FAQ or reach out directly.
Do I really need a lawyer for a Philadelphia workers’ comp claim?
You are allowed to handle a claim yourself, but the insurer will have professionals working to limit what it pays. A lawyer levels that imbalance by gathering the right medical evidence, handling communication with the adjuster, and presenting your case to the judge. Many people come to us only after a denial, and we can step in at that stage too, though earlier is usually better.
How long do I have to take action in the claims process after being injured on the job?
In Pennsylvania, you generally have three years from the date of injury to file a claim petition, though notice to your employer should come much sooner, ideally within 21 days. For occupational illnesses that develop over time, the clock generally starts when a doctor connects your condition to your work, so report it as soon as you receive that diagnosis.
Can my employer choose my doctor?
Only for a limited time, and only if the rules were followed. When an employer properly posts a list of providers, and you acknowledge it in writing, you may need to treat within that list for your first 90 days of care. After 90 days, you are free to see the doctor you choose.
The insurer scheduled an independent medical examination. Do I have to go?
These exams are often requested, but the doctor is chosen and paid by the insurer, and may minimize your injury to justify cutting benefits. We prepare you for what to expect, review the resulting report closely, and challenge conclusions that do not reflect your true condition.
What if a third party caused my injury?
Workers’ compensation does not depend on fault, but if someone other than your employer contributed to your injury, such as a negligent driver or the maker of defective equipment, you may have a separate claim against that party in addition to your workers’ compensation benefits. We evaluate both, so you do not leave money on the table.
What does it cost injured workers to hire Pond Lehocky for a broken bone?
Nothing to begin. We work on a contingency basis, commonly 20 percent of what we recover for you, and that fee must be approved by a workers’ compensation judge. If we do not win your case, you owe no fee.
Contact an Experienced Workers’ Compensation Lawyer for a Free Case Evaluation
A serious work injury can put your health, your paycheck, and your family’s security at risk all at once. You do not have to face the insurance company alone, and in the city where this firm was founded, help is close by. Pond Lehocky has spent decades standing up for Philadelphia’s injured workers, and we are ready to stand up for you.
Contact us for your free consultation. There is no fee unless we win.
