Pennsylvania law requires all employers to carry workers' compensation insurance to protect their employees, who have the misfortune of suffering an on the job injury. Based on that law that requires all employers to carry insurance, any time you suffer an injury on the job, in the course and scope of your employment, you should be eligible for worker's compensation. Because there were some employers that were violating that law, and not paying for workers' compensation insurance to save some money on their end.
The Pennsylvania Bureau of workers' compensation actually created what's called an uninsured guarantee fund, which means that even if your employer violated the law requiring them to carry insurance, you will still be eligible for worker's compensation. There are criminal penalties for employers who don't carry workers' compensation insurance, so an injured worker never has to fear that if they reported an on the job injury and their employer says "Well, I'm sorry we don't carry workers' compensation insurance," they would still be eligible for worker's compensation.
It's important that if you have an injury on the job, and for whatever reason, your employer tries to steer you away from workers' compensation or tries to suggest we don't carry workers' compensation, it's not an option. And it's important in those situations that you get in touch with a lawyer as soon as possible.
