WORKERS’ COMPENSATION
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR & INDUSTRY
BUREAU OF WORKERS’ COMPENSATION AND THE INJURED WORKER
www.dli.pa.gov
This brochure is a general guide for injured workers on the Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Act for work injuries and illnesses occurring on or after
June 24, 1996. This is general information only and does not represent official interpretations of the law. Injured workers are encouraged to discuss
questions and concerns regarding the workers’ compensation law and the additional options with legal counsel.
What is workers’ compensation?
If you sustain a job injury or a work-related illness, the Pennsylvania How do I get the benefits?
Workers’ Compensation Act, or Act provides payment for your
Prompt reporting is the key. Report any injury or work-related illness to
medical expenses and, in the event you are unable to work, wage-loss
your employer or supervisor immediately. You must tell your employer
compensation benefits until you’re able to go back to work. Additionally,
that you were injured in the course of employment and inform your
death benefits for work-related deaths are paid to your dependent
employer of the date and place of injury. Failure to notify the employer
survivors.
can result in the delay or denial of benefits. Once you have lost a day,
shift or turn of work, your employer is required to report your injury to
Benefits are paid by private insurance companies (also includes third-
the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation by filing a first report of injury.
party administrators) or the State Workers’ Insurance Fund (a state-run
workers’ compensation insurance carrier) or by self-insured employers.
The employer may choose to either accept or deny the claim. If your
claim is denied, you have the right to file a claim petition with the bureau
Are you covered?
for a hearing before a WC judge.
Nearly every Pennsylvania worker is covered by the Act. Employers must
provide workers’ compensation coverage for all of their employees, What are the benefits?
including seasonal and part-time workers. Nonprofit corporations,
The law provides several types of workers’ compensation benefits:
unincorporated businesses and even employers with only one employee
must comply with the Act’s requirements.
Payments For Lost Wages
Some employees are covered by other compensation laws, including Wage-loss benefits are available if it is determined that you are totally
federal civilian employees, railroad workers, longshoremen, shipyard disabled and unable to work or partially disabled and receiving wages less
and harbor workers. Others who may not be covered include volunteer than your pre-injury earnings. Please see the Total and Partial Disability
workers, agricultural laborers, casual employees, domestics and Benefits Status section for further information as to disability status.
employees who have been granted a personal religious exemption from
the Act. Certain types of executive officers of corporations may elect Death Benefits
exemption from the Act. A worker should seek further information if If the injury results in death, surviving dependents may be entitled to
there is any doubt as to coverage. benefits.
If you learn that your employer does not have insurance or is not self- Specific Loss Benefits
insured for workers’ compensation, you may be eligible for benefits from
the Uninsured Employer Guaranty Fund. For details, see our website If you have lost the permanent use of all or part of your thumb, finger,
(www.dli.pa.gov) or call the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation, toll free, hand, arm, leg, foot, toe, sight, hearing or have a serious and permanent
at 800-482-2383 or locally and outside Pennsylvania at 717-772-4447. disfigurement on your head, face or neck, you may be entitled to a
specific loss award.
What is covered?
Medical Care
If your work causes an injury, illness or disease, you may be entitled
to WC. No compensation shall be paid when an injury or death is Employers are responsible for advising workers of their rights and duties
intentionally self-inflicted, or is caused by an employee’s violation of the under Section 306(f.1)(1)(i) of the Act. The written notice of these rights
law including, but not limited to, the illegal use of drugs. An injury or and duties is to be provided to the employee at the time of injury or as
death caused by intoxication also may not be covered. soon after the injury as is practicable.
When am I covered? In the event of a work-related illness or injury, you are entitled, if covered
under the Act, to the payment of related reasonable surgical and medical
Coverage begins on the date of hire. Medical benefits are payable from services rendered by a physician or other health care provider.
the first day of injury; payment of lost wages is addressed on Page 3.
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Medicine, supplies, hospital treatment and services, orthopedic appliances Occupational Disease
and prostheses are also covered for as long as they are needed. (To assure
Occupational diseases under the Act are covered if caused by or aggravated
payment of medical services, see the Choice of Doctor section.) Even if you
by employment. Your disability must occur within 300 weeks of your last
have lost no time from work, health care costs for a work-related injury or
employment in an occupation where you were exposed to the hazard.
illness are payable at the fee schedule rate. However, an employee may not
be charged the difference between the health care provider’s charge and
For certain lung diseases, you must have worked in an occupation with a
the amount paid by the employer or its insurance carrier. In other words,
silica, coal or asbestos hazard for at least two years in Pennsylvania during
there can be no balance billing to you.
the 10 years prior to your disability.
If you seek medical treatment outside Pennsylvania, you may be subject to
Total and Partial Disability Benefits Status
the risk of balance billing by the medical provider. You should discuss this
with your medical provider prior to initiating treatment. Total Disability Benefits Status
Applies to injured workers for a period during which they are considered
Choice of Health Care Provider totally disabled and unable to work. After 104 weeks of such status, the
You are free to choose your own health care provider to treat your work employer/insurer can require a medical examination to determine if the
injury unless the employer accepts your claim and has posted in your employee is at least 35 percent impaired based upon his/her work injury
workplace a list of six or more physicians or health care providers. You according to American Medical Association standards. If the 35 percent
are required to visit a provider on the list for initial treatment. You are to threshold is not met, the employee’s status can change to partial disability.
continue treatment with that provider or another on the list for a period of
90 days following the first visit. You may see any provider on the list; your Partial Disability Benefits Status
employer may not require or direct you to any specific provider on the list. This benefit status is for a maximum of 500 weeks. If, while on partial
disability status, you obtain a qualified impairment-rating physician’s
If a listed provider prescribes invasive surgery, you are entitled to a determination of impairment that is equal to or greater than 35 percent,
second opinion that will be paid for by your employer/insurer. Treatment you may file a petition for reinstatement of total disability status.
recommended as a result of the second opinion must be provided by a
listed provider for 90 days. Partial disability of up to 500 weeks of benefits are paid if you can, or do,
return to work at a lower paying job within work-related restrictions or you
If during the 90-day period you visit a provider(s) not on the list, your are found not totally disabled.
employer or your employer’s insurance carrier may refuse to pay for such
treatment. After the 90 days, and in situations where your employer has no How much are the payments for lost wages?
posted list or an improper list, you may seek treatment with any physician
or other health care provider you select. You must notify your employer Wage-loss benefits are equal to approximately two-thirds of your average
of the provider you have selected. During treatment, the employer or the weekly wage, up to a weekly maximum. WC wage-loss benefits can be
employer’s insurance carrier is entitled to receive monthly reports from offset for 50 percent of Social Security (old age) benefits, the employer-
your physician or provider. paid portion of a retirement pension, severance pay, unemployment
compensation or other earnings the employee receives. The law does not
Injured workers should be advised that your health care providers may allow for a cost-of-living increase.
need information concerning your claim. Some of this information may
be contained in correspondence you receive from your insurance carrier, There are several different ways to calculate the average weekly wage
and you may want to provide copies of letters or forms to your health care under the Act. The minimum compensation rate is the lower of 90 percent
provider. of the workers’ average weekly wage or 50 percent of the statewide
average weekly wage.
Once you begin receiving WC benefits, the employer/insurer has the right
to ask you to see a doctor of their choice for examination. If you refuse, the Reporting Wages and Other Benefits Received
employer is entitled to request an order from the WC judge requiring you Under the Act, any worker who has filed a petition for total or partial
to attend an examination. Failure to then attend may result in a suspension disability benefits or who is receiving such benefits is required to report,
of your benefits. in writing to the insurer, any information that is relevant in determining
entitlement to, or amount of, compensation including, but not limited to,
information regarding the receipt of wages from another employer or from
self-employment. The worker is obligated to cooperate with the carrier
in an investigation of employment, self-employment, wages and physical
condition.
Workers’ Compensation & the Injured Worker is published by the Dept. of Labor & Industry,
Bureau of Workers’ Compensation, 651 Boas Street, 8th Floor, Harrisburg, Pa 17121-0750
Employer Information Claims Information Services Hearing Impaired Email
Services toll-free inside PA: 800.482.2383 PA Relay 7-1-1 ra-li-bwc-helpline@pa.gov
717.772.3702 local & outside PA: 717.772.4447
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Insurance Fraud is a Crime What if there is a problem?
The above-mentioned reports and other WC forms must be honestly If you think you haven’t received benefits that you are due, contact
completed to avoid violating PA fraud provisions. your employer or your employer’s insurance carrier. The insurance carrier
is allowed 21 days from your notice to the employer of your disability to
When are wage-loss payments made? decide to accept or deny your claim or to make payments of temporary
You must be disabled more than seven calendar days (including weekends) compensation for up to 90 days.
before WC payments for disability are payable. Benefits for time lost from
work are payable on the eighth day after injury. Once you have been off Cooperative communication with your insurance carrier and employer
work 14 days, you receive retroactive payment for the first seven days. is recommended. If the problem is not resolved, it may be necessary for
you to file a petition with the Office of Adjudication. Forms can either
If you report the injury promptly, miss more than seven days of work and be obtained online at www.dli.pa.gov or through the Claims Information
your claim is accepted by the insurance carrier, you should receive your Helplineat 800-482-2383. The Office of Adjudication is responsible for
first compensation check within 21 days of your absence from work. After resolving disputes by assigning petitions to WC judges who decide each
that, you will receive a check on a regular basis. case after holding hearings on the issues.
Payments of temporary compensation may be made by your employer or Time Limits
the insurance carrier for up to 90 days, even if your claim is not accepted by Unless an employer has knowledge of the injury or the employee gives
your employer or its insurance carrier. If your employer or the company’s notice to the employer within 21 days of the injury, no compensation is
insurance carrier advises you that it will not continue your temporary due until notice is given. Notice must be given no later than 120 days after
compensation checks past 90 days, or if they deny your claim, you have the the injury for compensation to be allowed. If your request for WC benefits
right to file a claim petition with the Office of Adjudication for a hearing if is denied by your employer or your employer’s insurance carrier, you have
you believe you are entitled to benefits. three years from the date of injury to file a claim petition.
Offer of Employment In occupational disease cases, injury/disability must occur within 300
If, after you begin to receive benefits, your employer has evidence to prove weeks from the date of last employment in an occupation in which you had
that employment is available to you, within your medical restrictions and in exposure to a hazard, and a petition must be filed no later than three years
your local area, you may receive an offer of employment. from the date of injury/disability.
If you decline the job offer, the employer may then petition a WC judge Failure to file a petition on a timely basis may result in forfeiture of your
to either reduce or stop your wage-loss benefits based upon that job. The right to benefits.
insurer/employer must continue to pay benefits during the hearing process
unless the judge orders otherwise. If your benefits were terminated, you may file a petition to reinstate WC
benefits within three years after the date of your most recent WC check.
In open hearings, the judge will hear and receive medical evidence, both
from you and your insurer/employer, on the availability of the work and If your benefits were suspended, you may file a petition to have benefits
your ability to do it, before rendering a decision. reinstated. This petition must be filed within 500 weeks from the date of
suspension.
When Wage-Loss Payments Stop
Payment of medical benefits by your employer does not mean that your
Wage-loss benefits can be stopped by an employer/ insurer that has claim has been accepted or reopened.
evidence that you have returned to work at wages equal to or more than
your earnings level prior to the injury and after providing a timely notice of Alternative Dispute Resolution
that fact. If you are receiving temporary compensation benefits during the
90 days following the report of injury, the insurance carrier/employer may In alternative dispute resolution, a WC judge helps the parties settle the
case by talking through their differences. Alternative dispute resolution
notify you they are stopping benefits because they are not accepting the
claim of a work-related injury. may take the form of mediation, settlement conference or informal
conference.
Other reasons that benefits may be stopped include, but are not limited to:
a WC judge stopped benefits after a hearing; the employee signs either a If either you or your employer files a petition with the Office of
supplemental agreement or an agreement to stop workers’ compensation Adjudication, the WC judge will schedule mediation unless a judge
(commonly referred to as a final receipt); the 500-week determines it would be futile. If the case does not settle at this mediation,
period of partial disability status expires. the parties may resume mediation or a settlement conference later in
the proceedings. The parties may also request mediation or a settlement
conference later in the proceedings if the judge had previously found
mediation to be futile.
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You may also request an informal conference to try to resolve your issues. General Information
If you are not represented by an attorney at an informal conference, your If you require a special accommodation to participate in a hearing due to a
employer is not entitled to be represented either. Informal conference physical impairment, or need a sign language interpreter or an interpreter
forms are available online at www.dli.pa.gov or through the Bureau of for your own language other than English, without cost, request one
Workers’ Compensation Claims Information Helpline at 800-482-2383. online at www.dli.pa.gov or contact the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation
Helpline and describe the accommodation:
Do I need an attorney?
You may represent yourself in WC proceedings, but a non-attorney Email: ra-li-bwc-helpline@pa.gov
cannot represent you. However, you should be aware that WC litigation is
complex, and your employer or your employer’s insurance carrier will be Helpline voice telephone numbers:
represented by an experienced attorney. If you hire an attorney, you should toll free in Pennsylvania: 800-482-2383
discuss fee and cost arrangements. The fee agreement must be approved local and outside Pennsylvania: 717-772-4447
by a WC judge or the Workers’ Compensation Appeal Board. Your local bar
association, or the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s Lawyer Referral Service Only people with hearing loss:
at 800-692-7375, can help you find an attorney. PA Relay 7-1-1
Appeals You may also ask your employer or supervisor for information on WC or
contact your employer’s WC insurance carrier, your union or an attorney.
WC judge decisions can be appealed to the Workers’ Compensation Appeal
Board and then to Commonwealth Court. You will be informed of appeal
The WC Act is available on the department website at www.dli.pa.gov.
rights upon receiving the WC judge’s decision.
Other Benefits
If the injury is a very serious one where you won’t be able to work for a
year or more you may be eligible for additional disability benefits from
Social Security. For information, visit the Social Security Administration’s
website at www.socialsecurity.gov or contact your nearest Social Security
Administration office.
Auxiliary aids and services are available upon request to individuals with disabilities.
Equal Opportunity Employer/Program
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