Pennsylvania workers' compensation laws are very limited, in terms of what you're entitled to recover. The way the laws are written, wage loss and medical bills are covered, pain and suffering is not. That's not to say that at some point, you can't receive a lump sum as compensation for your injury, and that lump sum can be more than you otherwise would have received for your wage loss and your medical costs.
The trade-off in exchange for it being a no-fault system is that regardless of whether your employer is responsible for your injury or not, they don't have to pay your pain and suffering. Now with that said, if you're close to returning to work, or you're able to find a light-duty job after you receive the settlement, your wages are covered, and the money that you've received from workers' compensation can be considered something additional, hopefully, to make up for everything you had to endure for the injury.
The insurance company will never tell you that. The insurance company will simply tell you, "If you don't have lost wages, you can't get a settlement." But there are ways that lawyers, such as us here at O'Malley & Langan, can help you negotiate a fair settlement that will provide you with additional compensation for your lost earnings.
