You must notify your employer of your workplace injury within 21 days. Your employer may know immediately if you suffer an injury, but sometimes employers are not on-premises. Under Pennsylvania law, you have 120 days to file a workers’ compensation claim. If you do not report your injury or file a claim in time, you risk delaying your benefits or having your claim denied.
If your employer disputes your claim or your employer’s insurance carrier denies your claim, you have three years from the date of your injury to file a petition and have your case reviewed. Occupational illnesses work a little differently than injuries. Typically, illness in the workplace occurs as a result of hazardous exposure; which in most cases, happens over time. You must have contracted your occupational disease or illness within 300 weeks from the last date you worked in the location where you had exposure to the hazard that caused your condition.