Firefighters, EMS providers, police officers, and correctional officers carry risks most jobs don't — and Maryland law recognizes that. Beyond medical care and wage benefits every injured worker gets, many public safety workers also get an occupational-disease presumption under Md.
Maryland state justice, public order, and safety agencies reported about 1,000 recordable work injuries and illnesses in 2024, at a rate of 5.5 per 100 full-time workers. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Labor & Employment §9-503 for certain conditions. We represent public safety employees across the Town of Bel Air and Harford and Cecil counties. You pay nothing unless we win.
At Pinder Plotkin, the initial consultation is free, whether by phone or in person. You have the right to an attorney, and we work on a contingency basis — you do not pay attorney fees up front while dealing with medical bills and lost wages, and our fee comes only after you win.
Firefighters & EMTs get a presumption for heart, hypertension, lung disease, and certain cancers. Police officers get a heart disease and hypertension presumption, plus on-duty injury coverage. Correctional officers are covered for assault and cumulative injuries, with a presumption in some counties.
Under §9-503, deputy sheriffs in Montgomery, Anne Arundel, and Prince George's counties get the same heart-disease and hypertension presumption — Harford and Cecil counties aren't named in that statute, which is worth knowing if you're a deputy sheriff here. Paid police employed by a county, a municipality, the State, an airport authority, or the Maryland-National Capital Park Police are covered as well.
Report it in writing or verbally within ten days of the injury. If you develop an occupational disease, you must report it to your employer within one year of discovering the illness.
Get to a doctor as soon as you can and follow your healthcare provider's instructions. Tell them about your injury in detail so you get the proper treatment — and so the record ties your condition to the job.
Your healthcare provider will record your injury, but it helps to document it yourself too — how it happened, your symptoms, and the treatment you're getting.
Photograph the injury if it's visible. Photos can serve as evidence of the extent of your injuries even after they heal, and can help show the cause of the injury.
File your claim with the Maryland Workers' Compensation Commission with the help of a workers' compensation attorney, who can handle the paperwork and legal steps needed within the filing deadline.
Heart, hypertension, lung disease, and certain cancers presumed job-related.
Heart disease and hypertension presumption, plus on-duty injuries.
Assault and cumulative injuries; presumption in some counties.
Deputy sheriffs in Montgomery, Anne Arundel, and Prince George's counties get the same heart-disease and hypertension presumption. Paid police employed by a county, municipality, the State, an airport authority, or the Maryland-National Capital Park Police are covered too.
Our workers' compensation attorney, Marc Hassan, and our team handle Maryland work-injury and presumption claims from the first report to the Commission hearing. We know how insurers try to rebut the §9-503 presumption — and how to push back.
Joshua Fannon is an attorney with the Pinder Plotkin Legal Team and a 25-year first responder — Battalion Chief with the Baltimore City Fire Department and elected President of IAFF Local 964. On public-safety claims he brings an insider's grasp of occupational injury and the presumption statutes.
We represent public safety employees across the Town of Bel Air and Harford and Cecil counties. The consultation is free.
Unlike a typical injury claim, Maryland workers' comp benefits are set by statute — not negotiated case-by-case with an insurance adjuster. You may be entitled to:
As with other workers' comp claims, you generally receive two-thirds of your average weekly wage as compensation while you're out of work.
Temporary total disability pays two-thirds of your average weekly wage while you’re unable to work, capped at the state average weekly wage (§ 9-621). Under the 14-day/3-day waiting rule (§ 9-620), if you’re out fewer than 14 days, the first 3 days aren’t paid unless your disability continues 14 days or more.
Maryland pays permanent-disability awards in tiers. For a smaller permanent partial disability (under 75 weeks), a civilian is paid at the Tier 1 rate — one-third of their average weekly wage. Under Md. Labor & Employment §9-628, a qualifying public-safety employee with the same award is paid at the Tier 2 rate — two-thirds of their average weekly wage. For the same injury, that is roughly double.
Your workers’ comp claim is against your employer’s insurer and doesn’t depend on fault — but it also doesn’t pay for pain and suffering. If someone other than your employer helped cause your injury, you may also have a separate third-party claim that can recover more. We look at both so you don’t leave money on the table.
Maryland workers’ comp generally covers employees, not true independent contractors. But workers are often misclassified — if your employer controlled how and when you did your work, you may be covered even if you were labeled a contractor. It’s worth letting us take a look before you assume you have no claim.
Whatever your role, if you were hurt on the job near Bel Air, Maryland's workers' compensation system is built to get you medical care and wage-replacement benefits. Some public-safety roles carry additional statutory protections — see our pages for firefighters & EMTs, police officers, correctional officers, and public safety employees below.
Workplace injuries are more common than most people realize, and Maryland’s no-fault system gives injured workers real protections — including some added protections for public-safety roles.
Many public safety roles qualify for an occupational-disease presumption under Md. Code, Lab. & Empl. § 9-503 — but the list of covered roles under § 9-503 is not identical to the broader 'public safety employee' definition in § 9-628, so it's worth confirming yours.
Get a fast, free estimate of what your case could be worth.
Estimate what your Maryland workers’ comp claim could be worth.
Estimate Your Settlement ValueWorkers' compensation is insurance employers carry to cover injuries an employee suffers on the job. Under Maryland law, an injured worker is paid for medical expenses and lost wages related to the injury, and because it is a no-fault system you generally do not have to prove your employer did anything wrong.
Not every workplace incident qualifies. In Maryland, your injury is covered only if it arises out of and occurs in the course of your employment, meaning it happened while you were doing your job and resulted from the conditions of that work.
Report the injury to your employer, in writing or verbally, within ten days of getting hurt (occupational illnesses have their own timeline), get medical treatment, and speak with a workers' comp lawyer before dealing with the insurer.
Start by reporting the work-related injury or illness to your supervisor or employer right away. From there you file a claim with the Maryland Workers' Compensation Commission, and a lawyer can make sure it is done correctly and on time.
A denial means the insurer does not think your injury is compensable, but you can challenge it. An experienced Bel Air workers' comp lawyer can request a hearing before the Maryland Workers' Compensation Commission and fight for your benefits.
You have the right to an attorney, and Pinder Plotkin works on a contingency basis, so you do not pay attorney fees up front while dealing with medical bills and lost wages, and our fee comes only after you win.
121 Archer St, Bel Air, MD 21014 · Call (888) 844-5373 to schedule a visit. View on Google
We handle car accident cases throughout Bel Air and the surrounding counties.
At Pinder Plotkin, this isn't a satellite office — it's home. Christian Miele lives here in Bel Air and served the state as a Maryland Delegate before joining our firm. Josh Fannon lives in Harford County. And Tony Balsamo grew up in Harford County. Our team didn't move here for the caseload — when you work with us, you are working with people who know these roads, these courts, and these neighbors.
You protected your community. Let us protect your claim. Reach out to the Pinder Plotkin Legal Team for a free, no-pressure consultation — and don't sign anything from the insurer until we've talked.
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