We are seeing more common work injuries in our area due to the type of economic growth happening in our area. Central Pennsylvania has witnessed a boom in warehouse and…
Forklift accidents can certainly cause serious injuries for people working in warehouses throughout Central Pennsylvania. Looking up and down Interstate 81 from Greencastle to Chambersburg to Carlisle and north, warehouses…
A crane accident at the Manitowoc plant in Shady Grove, PA has killed a workers and injured several others. The accident occurred today at around 830 AM. “There's definitely a…
I was recently a guest on ABC 27 in Harrisburg on Good Day PA to discuss Social Security Disability. Specifically, I discussed with Amy Kehm, the host of Good Day…
I hear from every client their disbelief of the wait time to receive a hearing on their Social Security Disability appeal. It is frightening for folks who have no income or limited income and can’t function normally or work. However, it is also a reality. And, it is not just the Harrisburg Office of Adjudication and Review, which handles Social Security Disability appeals, that has the backlog wait time. It is a national problem.
Here are the current numbers. (As of July 2016)
| HEARING LOCATION | HEARING WAIT TIME |
| Elkins Park, PA | 20.0 Months |
| Harrisburg | 19.3 Months |
| Johnstown | 19 Months |
| Philadelphia | 20.5 Months |
| Philadelphia East | 20 Months |
| Pittsburgh | 21 Months |
| Seven Field, PA | 18 Months |
| Wilkes Barre | 16.5 Months |
| Pennsylvania State Average | 19.3 Months |
| Baltimore, MD | 21 Months |
| NHC Baltimore | 19 Months |
| Maryland State Average | 20 Months |
As you can see, the Harrisburg ODAR office is trending right near the Pennsylvania state average, but above the National average. There may be some relief in sight though. Harrisburg has recently added three new Administrative Law Judges, which should help reduce the wait time to around the National average. Bottom line is, even with new ALJ’s on the way, if you have been denied Social Security Disability and you appeal, you SHOULD NOT expect to have a hearing for at least 16 months. (more…)
South Central Pennsylvania is one of the fastest booming areas in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, especially in warehouses. In fact, several of the counties that we serve are listed among the Top 15 in Pennsylvania for population growth from 2010 to 2014. Those counties are: Cumberland (1st), Lancaster (4th), Franklin (6th), and Dauphin (15th). That leads to jobs, but also to common warehouse injuries.
A large part of the growth that has occurred in Central Pennsylvania can be directly attributed to the warehousing and manufacturing development along the interstate 81 Corridor, from Greencastle, PA up through Dauphin County. We’ve seen a recent boom, such as the development of Food Lion Distribution and World Kitchen in Greencastle, Chambersburg area warehouse development, which includes, Target, Ulta, K Mart, and Staples, new warehouses in Shippensburg, which includes, Procter & Gamble and Georgia Pacific, newer warehouses in Carlisle, which includes, Giant Foods, Ross Distribution, AMES distribution, Office Depot, Ryder, Amazon, OHL, and Lindt Chocolate. Those are just a few. These warehouse operations employ many people through South Central Pennsylvania. Additionally, there is more warehousing growth set for Carlisle (Exit 44 off I-81) and Shippensburg (Exit 24 and 29 off I-81). (more…)
The Occupational Safety and Hazard Administration (OSHA) has reported on its first year of the severe work injury reporting program. All Employers throughout the country are required now to report…
Is an injured workers who works for a temporary agency covered by workers compensation benefits? Its a question I am often asked. The answer is --- more than likely, yes.…
I see many shoulder injuries in my workers compensation practice. These types of injuries generally are centered around warehouses and distribution centers, trucking terminals, nursing care facilities, and manufacturing type…
Pennsylvania's unemployment rate remained unchanged for the month of June. The overall unemployment rate in Pennsylvania remained at 5.6%. The jobless rate was 5.6 percent in June, the same as…