Reading Workers' Compensation Lawyers

Workers’ Comp Denied? We’re Your Firm.

A denied workers’ compensation claim doesn’t have to be the end. When an employer or insurer issues a Notice of Compensation Denial, your next step is filing a Claim Petition with the Pennsylvania Bureau of Workers’ Compensation. That process calls for an attorney who knows workers’ compensation law, understands Berks County procedures, and knows how to build a case that holds up before a Workers’ Compensation Judge. At Liever, Hyman & Potter, we’ve handled wrongful injury and death claims exclusively since 1959, and our attorneys have devoted virtually their entire careers to this single area of law, totaling 115-plus combined years of undivided focus.

We help denied claimants deal with insurance companies, navigate proceedings before a Workers’ Compensation Judge, and pursue available remedies under the Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Act. Since our founding, we’ve won thousands of awards and settlements for injured workers and their families, more than any other firm located in the Berks and Schuylkill County area. In a recent three-year period alone, our attorneys recovered more than 500 awards and settlements, including numerous million-dollar and multi-million-dollar results across our practice.

If your workers’ compensation claim has been denied, don’t wait. Call Liever, Hyman & Potter at (610) 885-1991 for a free consultation. You pay nothing in fees and nothing in case expenses we advance until we recover money for you.

Why Are Some Workers’ Compensation Claims Denied?

Claims get denied for many reasons. Knowing why can help you and your attorney identify the right path forward when filing a Claim Petition.

• Incomplete or late filing: Missing crucial deadlines or failing to provide complete information can lead to a denial even when the injury is legitimate.
• Disputes over whether the injury is work-related: Employers or insurance companies may argue that the injury didn’t occur on the job or within the scope of employment.
• Lack of medical evidence: Insufficient medical documentation linking the injury to the workplace leaves a claim vulnerable to denial, particularly when an Independent Medical Examination (IME) by an insurer-selected physician disputes the treating doctor’s findings.
• Pre-existing conditions: Insurance companies may argue that the injury is related to a pre-existing condition rather than a workplace incident.
• Failure to report the injury within 120 days: Pennsylvania law requires notice to the employer within 120 days of the injury. Missing this deadline can bar recovery of benefits in many cases, regardless of how serious the injury is.
• Employer-contested claims: Employers may argue the injury was self-inflicted, the result of intoxication, or otherwise excluded under the Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Act.

What a Successful Claim Petition Can Recover

Winning a Claim Petition can secure a full range of benefits covering both your immediate and long-term needs. A successful petition under Pennsylvania workers’ compensation law can include:

• Medical Benefits: Payment for all reasonable and necessary treatment related to your work injury, including emergency care, surgery, physical therapy, and ongoing care.
• Wage Loss Benefits: Pennsylvania workers’ compensation generally pays approximately two-thirds of your average weekly wage, subject to a state-set annual maximum, for as long as the disability continues.
• Specific Loss Benefits: Compensation for permanent loss of a body part or its use, including amputation, hearing loss, vision loss, and scarring or disfigurement.
• Death Benefits: Payments to eligible dependents of a worker who died as a result of a work-related injury or illness, providing financial support during an already devastating time.
• Compromise and Release Settlements: In some cases, parties may resolve a workers’ compensation matter through a lump-sum Compromise and Release agreement rather than ongoing benefit payments, closing the claim in a single negotiated resolution.

What Liever, Hyman & Potter Brings to Your Denied Claim

Lead attorney John R. Badal has served as Chairman of the Workers’ Compensation Section of the Berks County Bar Association, a role that built direct familiarity with local Workers’ Compensation Judges, procedures, and the standards that matter in Berks County proceedings. He was admitted to the Pennsylvania bar in 1978 and has devoted his entire legal career exclusively to representing wrongful injury victims. He’s nationally recognized as a member of both the Million Dollar Advocates Forum and the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, designations tied to documented results at those dollar thresholds.

Workers’ compensation proceedings in Berks County are assigned to a Workers’ Compensation Judge based on where the claimant lives or works. Local familiarity with those judges and how they evaluate evidence shapes how a case is prepared and presented. Our attorneys handle all communications with the insurance adjuster, protecting you from statements that could be used to reduce or eliminate your benefits. At the hearing stage, we present medical records, coordinate expert testimony, and argue your case before the judge. If the Claim Petition is denied, the decision can be appealed to the Workers’ Compensation Appeal Board within 20 days and, if necessary, to the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania within 30 days of an adverse WCAB ruling.

The broader legal community refers to us as “The Lawyers’ Lawyers” because a significant portion of our clients come through referrals from other law firms, satisfied former clients, and community members who know our record. Every case we accept is carefully reviewed and assigned to a civil trial attorney qualified to handle it. We handle only wrongful injury and death claims, so our attention isn’t divided across unrelated practice areas.

Contact Liever, Hyman & Potter for a Free Consultation

With Liever, Hyman & Potter at your side, you can have a workers’ compensation attorney in Reading who has spent decades navigating exactly this process. The consultation is free, and you pay nothing in fees or advanced case expenses until we recover money for you. If you’ve also been injured in a motor vehicle accident or suffered a medical malpractice injury, we handle those claims as well. 

Call us at (610) 885-1991 to tell us what happened and find out what your options are.