Workers’ compensation benefits in Pennsylvania consist of three types (aside from fatal claim benefits, which are not really relevant for this discussion). These are described in detail on our website. There are wage loss benefits (also known as “indemnity”), medical benefits and “specific loss” benefits. Specific loss benefits are paid…
Pennsylvania Workers' Compensation Lawyer Blog
PA Bureau of Workers’ Compensation Names New Judge Manager for Southeastern District
It is a time of change at the Pennsylvania Bureau of Workers’ Compensation! As we addressed in a recent post, the former Judge Manager for the Southeastern District, Judge Holly San Angelo, has taken over the top spot as the Director of Adjudication at the Bureau. This, of course, left…
PA Bureau of Workers’ Compensation Creates Form for Direct Deposit
As we previously mentioned on our Blog, Senate Bill 1232 was created to require insurance carriers to offer direct deposit of PA workers’ compensation benefits to injured workers across the State of Pennsylvania. Hopefully, this will allay the difficulties that many injured workers have with receiving their workers’ comp checks…
PA Injured Worker Unable to Add Medical Condition Related to Accepted Work Injury
As we have discussed in this blog previously, changes to an accepted work injury in PA come in two types – “corrective” and “consequential.” The difference between these two situations can make or break a case, as recently illustrated by the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania in their decision in the…
PA Bureau of Workers’ Compensation Names New Director of Adjudication
After months of rumor, the Pennsylvania Bureau of Workers’ Compensation has made it official – there is a new Director of Adjudication. The Honorable Holly San Angelo will take over the position. Formerly acting as a Workers’ Compensation Judge (WCJ) in the Philadelphia Workers’ Compensation Hearing Office, and then a…
PA Bureau of Workers’ Compensation Announces Maximum Rate for 2025
Today, we received notice from the Pennsylvania Bureau of Workers’ Compensation stating that the maximum workers’ compensation rate for injuries suffered in 2025 will be $1,347.00. This number is based upon the Statewide Average Weekly Wage (SAWW). This figure is an increase from the SAWW of $1,325.00, which represented the…
DHS Lien Not Automatically Reimbursable Under PA Workers’ Comp
While perhaps not of interest to every injured worker, the subject of PA Department of Human Services’ (DHS) liens is one that appears from time to time in Pennsylvania workers’ compensation cases. And, while the injured workers may not have a huge interest, the PA workers’ compensation insurance companies surely…
PA Workers’ Compensation Available to First Responders Suffering Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Pennsylvania workers’ comp unfairly treats mental or psychological injuries differently than physical ones. Our system is a “no-fault” structure. What does that mean? Put simply, if an employee is doing his or her job, and suffers a disabling physical injury, he or she is generally entitled to PA workers’ compensation…
PA Workers Compensation Judge Must Consider All Conditions “Due To” A Work Injury In IRE
One of the bigger “victories” by the PA workers’ compensation insurance industry against the injured workers in Pennsylvania is the Impairment Rating Evaluation (IRE) process. Under this process, after an injured worker has received 104 weeks of temporary total disability benefits, the insurance company can initiate an IRE, which can…
Direct Deposit for PA Workers’ Compensation Benefits Moves a Step Closer
As attorneys who represent injured workers across the great State of Pennsylvania, we are all too aware that our clients who rely on the US Postal Service for the delivery of their workers’ compensation checks can occasionally find their checks lost or delayed in transit. Since mortgage companies, landlords, car…