One of the bigger “victories” by the PA workers’ compensation insurance industry against the injured workers in Pennsylvania is the Impairment Rating Evaluation (IRE) process. Under this process, after an injured worker has received 104 weeks of temporary total disability benefits, the insurance company can initiate an IRE, which can limit the period of time
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Direct Deposit for PA Workers’ Compensation Benefits Moves a Step Closer
As attorneys who represent injured workers across the great State of Pennsylvania, we are all too aware that our clients who rely on the US Postal Service for the delivery of their workers’ compensation checks can occasionally find their checks lost or delayed in transit. Since mortgage companies, landlords, car financers, grocery stores and other…
Torn Meniscus Is Significant Injury in PA Workers’ Comp
Knee injuries are common in Pennsylvania workers’ compensation. Over the years, we have had many clients with a torn meniscus in his or her knee. This is generally regarded as a minor injury by the insurance industry, a perception we have never understood.
Recently, Minnesota Vikings Quarterback J.J. McCarthy injured his knee. Further testing…
No Credit For Pension Benefits Against PA Workers’ Compensation Benefits Post-Retirement
The Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Act (“Act”) has several “offsets,” which provide a workers’ comp insurer with a credit for other types of benefits received by an injured worker, such as unemployment compensation, Social Security Retirement (“SSR”), severance and pension benefits. These offsets were created to avoid a perceived “double dipping” by an injured worker, getting…
When PA Workers’ Compensation Insurer Is Not Bound By Stipulation
When we litigate cases in the Pennsylvania workers’ compensation system, we often resolve such matters through a Stipulation of Facts. This agreement of the parties is then approved by a Workers’ Compensation Judge (WCJ) and has the same effect as any other decision of a WCJ. This kind of resolution often can resolve disputes quickly…
Notice of a Work Injury in PA Workers’ Compensation
No matter what kind of company one works for, as long as one is an “employee,” as defined in the Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Act (and not otherwise excluded by other laws, such as federal employees, military personnel, maritime workers and railroad workers), one is entitled to workers’ compensation benefits if an injury is suffered while…
PA Bureau of Workers’ Compensation Seminar Will Cause Brilliant & Neiman to be Closed May 30, 2024 and May 31, 2024
On May 30, 2024 and May 31, 2024, the annual Pennsylvania Bureau of Workers’ Compensation “Workers’ Compensation Conference” will take place in Hershey, PA. Here, attorneys, Workers’ Compensation Judges (WCJs), employer representatives, adjusters, risk management/safety employees and others who work in the world of workers’ comp across the entire State of PA, gather to discuss…
Attorneys for Injured Workers Can Get 20% of Medical Bills
The standard fee agreement in Pennsylvania workers’ compensation is 20% of the benefits obtained or awarded to an injured worker. PA Courts have found this amount to be reasonable, and it remains the standard charged. Historically, this pertained just to wage loss, or what we call “indemnity” benefits.
This was somewhat changed by a 2020…
PA Workers’ Compensation Judge has Ultimate Ability to Render Credibility Determinations
The Pennsylvania appellate courts have consistently determined that a Workers’ Compensation Judge (WCJ) is the final arbiter of credibility in a PA workers’ compensation case. Short of finding that a credibility determination by the WCJ is “arbitrary and capricious,” these determinations are to be accepted by the courts. This makes sense, since it is the…
Brilliant & Neiman LLC Celebrates Twenty Years of Helping Injured Workers
Twenty years ago today. The Incredibles was on the big screen. Friends and Frasier were both finishing up their long runs on network television (remember network television?). The Super Bowl that year featured the infamous “wardrobe malfunction.” And, Brilliant & Neiman LLC was formed to help injured workers’ with their Pennsylvania workers’ compensation cases.
It…