Pennsylvania Courts understand fair compensation for work place injuries

Jun 27, 2017 -- Posted by : admin

Ruling on workers' comp opens up benefits to injured workers in Pennsylvania

Thousands of injured workers statewide could receive more benefits after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court struck down a key part of the workers’ compensation law that has governed how the state assesses workplace injuries for the past 20 years.

The 6-1 ruling, issued last week, was a surprising and significant shakeup of the law, which distributes payments to workers as they recover from injuries sustained while on the job. It also brought a favorable outcome for a 54-year-old Westmoreland County woman who badly hurt her knee when she slipped and fell at work 10 years ago.

“This is the most significant workers’ compensation ruling in Pennsylvania in the past 30 years,” said Thomas C. Baumann, a Pittsburgh workers’ compensation attorney who brought a case on behalf of Mary Ann Protz, who was employed as an hall monitor for the Derry Area School District, in 2011.

“It could open the door for thousands of severely injured workers to receive benefits more accurately aligned with the extent of their injuries,” he said.

The court’s decision eliminated the practice of using the American Medical Association guidelines to place a cap on benefits paid out to severely injured workers.

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