The Pennsylvania Bureau of Workers’ Compensation has released the maximum workers’ compensation rate for injuries suffered in 2024. This is based upon the statewide average weekly wage. For injuries suffered in 2024, the maximum workers’ comp rate will be $1,325.00 per week. This is up from the 2023 maximum rate…
One of the most important determinations in any PA workers’ compensation case is the Average Weekly Wages (AWW). As we have explained in prior blog posts, if an injured worker has been employed for over a year, and is not paid a fixed amount each pay period, the AWW is…
Under the Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Act, the insurance carrier has 30 days to either pay a medical bill for treatment related to a work injury, or file for Utilization Review (to challenge whether such treatment is reasonable and necessary). The question, at times, is whether the treatment is “related” to…
Brilliant & Neiman LLC is proud to announce that Dina Brilliant and Glenn Neiman were part of a panel of Pennsylvania workers’ compensation dignitaries for a Continuing Legal Education Seminar, entitled “Ethical Considerations in Virtual Practice: Workers’ Compensation.” The seminar was presented on December 12, 2023 by the Bucks County…
In Pennsylvania workers’ compensation, physical and mental injuries are treated very differently. Is that fair? Probably not, but that is the law with which we are left. A physical injury, like a herniated disc in the neck or back, a rotator cuff tear in the shoulder or a ligament tear…
We often have issues regarding whether a particular medical expense is payable by the workers’ compensation insurance carrier. The issue could be whether it is a “medical” treatment at all, whether it is related to the work injury, or whether it is “reasonable or necessary.” A recent case from the…
We are often asked why an injured worker in Pennsylvania needs an attorney. “They know I got hurt on the job,” the injured worker might say, “Why would I need a lawyer?” Well, the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania recently issued a decision that demonstrates why every injured worker in PA…
There are two situations when an employee hurt at work in Pennsylvania is entitled to workers’ compensation benefits. The first, which encompasses the vast majority of cases, is when the employee is “actually engaged in the furtherance of the [employer’s] business or affairs . . . .” This is true…
When an injured worker in Pennsylvania hurts his or her spine, there are many diagnostic tests that a doctor may prescribe. Sometimes, the doctors do not fully explain what a test is, or what it may show. We believe that an injured worker should be fully informed, whether as to…
You are hurt at work. What do you do now? Keep in mind that not every injury is a sudden event, like injuring your low back picking up a box or falling down steps at work. Some injuries are harder to determine and understand, even for the person who is…