Pennsylvania Work Comp News

Published by Howdy Workers on May 22, 2021May 22, 2021

The latest news about workers compensation in Pennsylvania.

• Appeals Court: WCAB Erred in Finding No Requirement to Pay for Cannabis
  March 21, 2023
  Add Pennsylvania to the list of states where employers can be required to reimburse injured workers for cannabis when the drug is determined to be a reasonable and necessary treatment…
• Worker's Latent Illness Not Subject to Occupational Disease Act's Exclusive Remedy Provision
  February 23, 2023
  The Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania ruled that an occupational disease that manifests more than four years after an employee's last exposure to hazards causing that disease is not subject to…
• Carrier Can't Directly Appeal From Denial of Petition for Intervention
  February 8, 2023
  A divided Pennsylvania Superior Court, sitting en banc, ruled that an insurance carrier could not take an immediate appeal of a trial judge’s denial of its petition to intervene in a…
• Court Overturns Verdict for Worker, Finding Defendant Immune as Statutory Employer
  February 7, 2023
  The Pennsylvania Superior Court relieved a general contractor of liability for a $5,6 million jury verdict in favor of an injured worker, finding the contractor was the worker’s statutory employer. The…
• Fee Review Hearing Office Lacks Authority to Order Reimbursement of Overpayments
  February 3, 2023
  The Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania ruled that the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation Fee Review Hearing Office does not have the statutory authority to order reimbursement for overpayment of medical services. Case: Philadelphia…
• Split Court Says Pharmacy's Requests for Fee Review Weren't Premarture
  January 3, 2023
  A divided Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania ruled that a pharmacy’s application for fee review were not prematurely filed, even though the carrier contested the causal relatedness of the medication furnished…
• Employer Can't Offset Payments Through Credit Against Benefits for Later Injury
  December 19, 2022
  The Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania ruled that an employer cannot offset an overpayment of workers' compensation benefits paid for one work-related injury through a credit against an award of benefits…
• Youth Detention Counselor Not Entitled to Comp Litigation Costs
  December 12, 2022
  A Pennsylvania man injured while trying to break up a fight at a state juvenile detention center where he worked is not entitled to reimbursement for workers’ compensation litigation costs,…
• Misclassification Task Force Issues Final Report, Recommendations for Lawmakers
  December 6, 2022
  Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry Secretary Jennifer Berrier announced that the Joint Task Force on Misclassification of Employees submitted its final report to the General Assembly, including 15 unanimous…
• Home Depot Asks High Court to Find Exclusivity Bars Negligence Claim for Dog Bite
  December 1, 2022
  The exclusive remedy of workers’ compensation should preclude a Home Depot worker who was bitten by a customer’s dog from pursuing a negligence claim for allegedly failing to identify the…

Additional Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Resources

• Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Resources