The Heart and Lung Act Benefit Explained

Video Transcript:
Hello, this is Mike Dryden. I’m the head of the Worker’s Compensation department at Willig Williams and Davidson. Today, I’d like to speak to public safety employees in Pennsylvania. As a public safety employee, firefighter, or police officer, you have access to the Pennsylvania Heart and Lung Act. The Heart and Lung Act involves much more than injuries to the heart and lungs.

If you stub your toe while chasing a suspect as a police officer, or hurt your elbow lifting a ladder as a firefighter, you have dual entitlements to the benefits provided by the Heart and Lung Act, as well as Worker’s Compensation under the state and the Pennsylvania Worker’s Compensation Law. Heart and Lung provides 100% of your base salary for temporary disability.

It’s a very, very important law for public safety because while you’re on it, you’re treated as a member of the bargaining unit. You can’t lose your job while you’re on Heart and Lung. They have to have a hearing to terminate your Heart and Lung Act benefits before they can alter the way that you’re paid. You also have different ways to select the doctors that you see following an injury.

But even when you’re covered by the Heart and Lung act, you have to make sure that the state Worker’s Compensation Act provisions are being honored by your employer. You should still receive a “notice of compensation payable” that accurately describes your work injury. You know you should still have billing information for your worker’s compensation insurance carrier that’s going to handle your claim.

You have two sets of rights. The Heart and Lung Act being more beneficial to employees, generally, than the Pennsylvania State Worker’s Compensation law. If you have questions regarding your rights under the Heart and Lung Act, please do not hesitate to contact the Workers Compensation Department at Willig Williams & Davidson.

Download your copy of the Heart and Lung Act benefits poster here.