Content reviewed by:
Alex Shulman
Shulman & Hill Injury Lawyers has represented injured New Yorkers since 2013. Our Queens public servant injury lawyers bring over 200 years of combined experience to workplace injury and personal injury claims.
We help public workers understand what benefits may be available after an on-the-job injury. This can include workers’ compensation, line-of-duty or agency-related benefits, disability benefits, and, in some cases, a separate personal injury claim against a negligent third party.
If you were hurt while serving, contact Shulman & Hill for a free consultation with one of our Queens workers’ compensation lawyers.
Types of Claims Our Queens Public Servant Injury Lawyers Handle
We handle claims involving various public service workers, including those employed by:
- New York City agencies.
- New York State agencies.
- Public authorities.
- Public schools and education-related employers.
- Hospitals and public health systems.
- Transit-related employers.
- Housing, maintenance, and public works departments.
- Correctional and public safety agencies.
Our Queens personal injury lawyers do not represent federal employees, including USPS workers.
If you work for a city, state, municipal, or public authority employer, we can review whether your injury falls under New York workers’ compensation, an agency benefit system, or another legal path.
Benefits That May Be Available After a Work Injury
New York workers’ compensation may pay for medical care related to your work injury. It may also provide wage replacement if your injury keeps you from working or limits what you can earn while you recover.
Depending on the facts, benefits may include:
- Authorized medical treatment.
- Prescription medication.
- Physical therapy or rehabilitation.
- Diagnostic testing.
- Partial wage replacement.
- Temporary disability benefits.
- Permanent disability benefits.
- Reduced earnings benefits.
- Schedule loss of use awards for certain permanent injuries.
Lost wage benefits are usually based on your average weekly wage and degree of disability, subject to the legal maximum.
You may also have rights even if you keep working, return on restricted duty, or do not miss much time. Some workers need treatment and work restrictions even when they are still reporting for duty.
What to Do After a Public Servant Injury
A work injury should be reported clearly and as soon as possible. Delays can give the employer, agency, or insurance carrier a reason to question where the injury happened or whether it was tied to your job.
After an injury, try to do the following:
- Notify your supervisor or agency contact.
- Ask for written confirmation that the injury was reported.
- Get medical care and explain how the injury happened at work.
- Identify witnesses, if anyone saw the incident.
- Take photos of the unsafe condition, equipment, vehicle, or location.
- Keep copies of accident reports, medical notes, and work restrictions.
- Track missed shifts, overtime loss, light duty, and reduced earnings.
- Avoid guessing when asked about details you do not know.
In New York, injured workers generally must notify their employer within 30 days of a work accident.
A workers’ compensation claim generally must be filed with the New York State Workers’ Compensation Board within two years. If a claim against a public entity is involved, a separate 90-day Notice of Claim deadline may also apply.
Third-Party Claims and Other Sources of Recovery
Workers’ compensation can help with medical care and part of your lost wages, but it usually does not pay for pain and suffering. If a person or company outside your employer caused your injury, you may have a separate personal injury claim.
A third-party claim may involve:
- A negligent driver who caused a crash while you were working.
- A contractor who created an unsafe work area.
- A property owner who failed to fix a dangerous condition.
- A manufacturer of defective tools, vehicles, or equipment.
- A private company responsible for unsafe maintenance.
- A security failure that led to an assault.
For public servants, this review can be especially valuable. A worker may be injured while on public property, inside a private building, in traffic, at a school, in a correctional setting, or around equipment maintained by an outside vendor.
Each setting can raise different legal questions.
When a Separate Claim May Apply
A separate claim may be possible when the injury was not caused only by your employer or a coworker.
For example, a city employee struck by a private vehicle, a transit worker hurt by defective machinery, or a maintenance worker injured because a contractor left a hazard in place may have a claim beyond workers’ compensation.
If a municipal agency, public authority, or other government body may be legally responsible for a personal injury claim, special filing rules and shorter deadlines may apply. Our Queens public servant injury attorneys review those issues early, so your rights are not lost because a notice or filing was missed.
How We Help Injured Workers in Queens
Shulman & Hill helps public workers build claims that are organized, supported, and ready for disputes. We do not treat your injury like a form-only process. We look at your duties, your medical evidence, your agency paperwork, and every potential source of recovery.
Our work may include:
- Reviewing the facts of the accident or occupational injury.
- Determining which benefit system may apply.
- Filing workers’ compensation paperwork.
- Gathering medical records and disability proof.
- Preparing for hearings before the Workers’ Compensation Board.
- Addressing denied, delayed, or reduced benefits.
- Reviewing whether a third-party injury claim is available.
- Coordinating strategy when multiple claims are involved.
Our in-house investigations allow us to move quickly when evidence needs to be preserved. That may include photographs, witness information, site details, vehicle information, maintenance records, or proof of unsafe conditions.
Speak With a Public Servant Injury Attorney in Queens
Shulman & Hill represents injured public workers in Queens and helps them pursue benefits and compensation available under New York law.
If you were hurt on duty, had benefits denied, or have questions about a possible third-party claim, contact a public servant injury attorney in Queens today. We offer free consultations and can help you understand the next step for your case.
Every Borough, Every Block, New York, We Got You.
