The Pennsylvania Workers' Compensation Act compensates for your medical expenses and — if you are unable to work — wage-loss payments until you are able to return to work if you experience a job-related accident or sickness. In addition, your dependent survivors receive death benefits for fatalities at work.
Private insurance providers (including third-party administrators), the State Workers' Insurance Fund (a state-run workers' compensation insurance carrier), or self-insured employers pay benefits.
It is crucial to protect your Pennsylvania employees from injury in the workplace. In fact, practically every business with employees in the United States needs workers' compensation insurance.
However, certain companies in Pennsylvania are exempted from providing workers' compensation insurance. These exemptions from workers' comp include:
Pennsylvania workers' compensation insurance benefits both you and your employees. It gives benefits to your employees if they become unwell or injured due to their work. It can also give payouts to the beneficiaries of an employee who dies for work-related reasons.
If an employee suffers from a work-related accident or illness, they must notify you within 120 days. Then, you can file a claim with your insurance provider.
Workers' compensation insurance in Pennsylvania covers:
Workers' compensation in Pennsylvania provides a number of benefits to employees who have sustained a work-related injury or illness, such as:
| Health Care Expenses | This includes surgery, physician visits, medication, medical equipment, and laboratory tests |
| Ongoing Care Expenses | For services such as physical therapy and rehabilitation |
| Partial Disability Payments | For personnel who cannot work at full capacity |
| Death Benefits | For an employee's family, if he or she dies within 300 weeks of a work-related injury or sickness |
| Total Disability Payments | For employees who are completely unable to return to work |
| Permanent Injury Payments | May serve as a compensation for a lost body part |
After experiencing a work-related injury or illness, your employees can receive a weekly compensation to cover their medical expenses and missed wages under the PA Bureau of Workers' Compensation. Workers' compensation permits you to pay benefits to your employees while shielding you from legal action.
Your employees are covered by workers' compensation for the duration of their employment. This means that coverage begins on the employee's first day of employment, regardless of their previous physical condition.
Work-related injuries can occur anytime and anywhere, regardless of how careful or experienced a worker is. The impact of such injuries goes beyond the severe effects they have on a worker’s health and lifestyle. Its possible effects on business operations include reduced productivity, lower profitability, decreased morale, damaged reputation, and, in the worst-case scenario, closure.
Workers’ compensation helps alleviate financial and mental stress associated with work-related injuries. However, the flow of a workers’ compensation claim in Pennsylvania could be tricky or unfamiliar to most. The process of applying for the benefit could be confusing, too.
Nevertheless, workers’ compensation insurance is required by Pennsylvania law. It’s worth putting time and effort into finding comprehensive insurance for your business as a means of support and protection in case of workplace injuries, illnesses, and fatalities.
Here are some relevant statistics related to workers’ comp in Pennsylvania:
Here are some frequently asked questions regarding workers’ compensation in Pennsylvania:
The Bureau of Workers’ Compensation provides a detailed guide to workers’ compensation.
Employees must inform their employer about the injury within 21 days of the incident so that the latter can provide the contact details of their workers’ comp insurance carrier. There is no compensation for injuries or illnesses reported 120 or more days after the incident, with the exception of progressive diseases.
Employees are granted coverage for any work-related injuries and illnesses starting on their first day on the job, regardless of the employee’s pre-existing physical condition. The claim amount varies depending on the employee’s wage and the total coverage that the employer applied for.
Wage loss benefits are calculated based on the injured employee’s average weekly wage. It is generally two-thirds of how much they were earning before the work-related injury or illness. However, the policy might include a maximum benefit rate, so highly-paid employees might receive less than two-thirds of their average weekly rate. In some cases, there is a fixed rate.
According to Pennsylvania law, workers’ compensation insurance is mandatory in most cases. These are the only exemptions for the coverage:
Employers can get workers’ compensation coverage through an insurance carrier. Alternatively, they can secure coverage from the State Workers’ Insurance Fund.
