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Some of the most serious workplace illnesses develop slowly over years of exposure to hazardous conditions. Pennsylvania workers’ compensation covers occupational diseases caused by your work environment. Lerner Steinberg & Associates has represented workers with occupational illness claims throughout Bucks County for over 34 years.
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An occupational disease is any illness or condition caused by the nature of a worker’s employment rather than a single workplace accident. Under the Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Act, occupational diseases are compensable when the disease is a natural result of the worker’s occupation and is not an ordinary disease of life to which the general public is equally exposed.
The challenge with occupational disease claims is that the connection between workplace exposure and illness is often disputed by employers and insurers, and the latency period between exposure and diagnosis can be years or even decades. Our attorneys understand these claims and work with occupational medicine specialists to establish the critical link between your work history and your condition.
The “date of injury” for an occupational disease in Pennsylvania is the date of disability — when the disease first prevented you from working or required medical treatment — not the date of exposure. This distinction is critical and affects your entire claim.
Bucks County has a significant inventory of older commercial buildings, manufacturing facilities, and infrastructure where asbestos was historically used. Workers who were exposed to asbestos in construction, demolition, insulation, shipbuilding, or manufacturing may develop mesothelioma, asbestosis, or pleural disease decades after the exposure. These cases require experienced attorneys who understand the long latency period and the multiple avenues of compensation available.
Prolonged exposure to high noise levels in manufacturing facilities, construction sites, and industrial environments throughout Bucks County causes permanent hearing damage. Pennsylvania workers’ compensation covers occupational hearing loss with specific loss benefits based on the degree of impairment.
Coal workers’ pneumoconiosis (black lung), silicosis from silica dust exposure, and other occupational lung diseases affect workers in mining, construction, and manufacturing. Healthcare workers exposed to infectious agents may also develop compensable respiratory conditions.
Certain occupations carry elevated risks of specific cancers due to prolonged exposure to carcinogens. When cancer is caused by or substantially contributed to by workplace conditions, it may be compensable as an occupational disease under Pennsylvania law. These cases require thorough medical evidence linking the specific cancer to the specific workplace exposures.
Unlike traumatic injuries, occupational diseases often have no clear “accident date.” Pennsylvania law uses the date of disability — the date the disease first prevented the worker from performing their job or required medical treatment — as the triggering date for the statute of limitations and benefit calculations. The three-year deadline to file a Claim Petition runs from this date. Our attorneys work carefully to establish the correct date of disability and preserve your right to benefits.
The most contested issue in occupational disease cases is causation — proving that your illness was caused by your work rather than lifestyle factors, genetic predisposition, or general environmental exposure. This requires expert medical testimony from occupational medicine specialists who can review your work history, the nature of your exposures, and the medical literature connecting those exposures to your specific condition. We retain the right experts to make that case.
Occupational disease claims are among the most complex in Pennsylvania workers’ compensation. The combination of long latency periods, disputed causation, and aggressive insurer defenses requires attorneys with real experience in these cases. Mike Lerner and Ben Steinberg handle every case personally from our Feasterville-Trevose office. All cases on a contingency fee basis — no fee unless we win.
