Lancaster PA Workers' Compensation Law Blog

Originally passed in 1915, the Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Act was set forth as a state-wide insurance system on a no-fault basis aimed to provide injured workers with benefits, lost wages and medical coverage. The intent of the Act is not to replace all wages for the worker but to give a percentage of wages to help aid recovery after a work-related injury. The Act also does not cover non-economic damages. This means if pain and suffering come as a result of injury, the worker will have to pursue those damages separately. Depending on the injury, workers will be eligible for…

While many are familiar with the idea of pain and suffering as it results from other injuries and incidents, few are aware that mental injuries themselves can be compensable. Mental injury claims often come from workplace stressors and are on the rise as claims. For employers, this raises a lot of issues and creates a lot of headaches, especially in their HR departments. It is much more difficult to successfully claim one of these cases, and the issue brings up a lot of questions for both employees and employers. Understanding the link between stress in the workplace and the mental…

Some injuries at work are more complicated than others. For instance, if you are asked to come in and pick something up for or from your boss and are injured on the premises, you may wonder if you are eligible to receive Workers’ Compensation benefits. While you were not on the clock, you were at your place of work and your actions were in benefit of the employer. In a lot of claims like this, you will have a good case for compensation. However, the devil is in the details when it comes to such claims. The first question is…

The short answer to this question is “no,” but there are some caveats to the answer. While Workers’ Compensation benefits are not considered taxable income at the federal or state level, those receiving benefits through Social Security disability insurance or Supplemental Security Income in addition to Workers’ Compensation may have their benefits taxed. For some, their SSDI or SSI may be reduced to ensure the combination with Workers’ Compensation is below a threshold of payment, known as the Workers’ Compensation offset. The amount of Worker’s Compensation that would be taxable is the amount your disability payments are lowered to stay…

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) can develop after a trauma in any setting. Despite this fact, not all states allow Workers’ Compensation claims based on PTSD. For the states that do, the worker must have experienced or witnessed an event that is deemed traumatic while acting the scope of employment, then show symptoms of PTSD that interfere with the ability to work in that employment. Furthermore, there must be an official diagnosis of PTSD from a certified psychiatrist or psychologist. On the Job Traumatic Events Some examples of what is considered a traumatic event at work include, but are not limited…

Under the Workers’ Compensation Act, workers who are injured on the job are entitled to recover lost wages equal to two-thirds of their weekly wages. The Act also highlights the minimum and maximum adjustments with the benefit rate being set using the annual maximum that was in place when the injury occurred. This maximum is decided by the Department of Labor and Industry by calculating a maximum based on a state’s average weekly wage. For the year of 2017 in Pennsylvania, the maximum weekly compensation rate for the calendar year is $995, which is a 1.7% increase from last year….

Under the Workers’ Compensation Act, a Worker Compensation Judge is able to award a claimant attorney fees when after an unreasonable content is a petition. This type of award is based on the facts and legal issues that were involved in needing an attorney for the petition. A WCJ will also decide the amount and the length of time allowed for the claimant to be reimbursed for such fees and weigh the skills needed, how long the proceedings took, along with the time and effort expended. This becomes complicated when an appeal on the award is successful. When a WCJ…