Injuries occurring in the course and scope of employment and related thereto are compensable under the Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Act. At Powell Law, one of our areas of practice revolves around workers’ compensation. Our attorneys, past and present, have represented Pennsylvania workers injured on the job for 110 years.
Under the Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Act (WCA), 
injured workers are entitled to indemnity for wage-losses. Benefits are generally equal to two-thirds of the weekly wage for a work-related injury. The injured employee’s average weekly wage is calculated using an employee’s gross wages over the 52 week period prior to the work injury. These 52 weeks are divided into four 13-week calendar quarter periods. The sum of the three highest 13-week periods divided by three yields equals the average weekly wage. If an injured employee has worked less than a full calendar quarter, wages are based upon the “expectations of the parties.”
The WCA provides for minimum and maximum adjustments, and the benefit rate is set using the annual maximum weekly compensation rate in place at the time of injury. Currently, the maximum compensation payable under the Workers’ Compensation Act is $978.00 per week for injuries occurring on and after Jan. 1, 2016. This rate is based upon the Department of Labor and Industry’s calculation of the Pennsylvania statewide average weekly wage.
The weekly compensation rate is 66 2/3 percent of an employee’s average weekly wage if the average weekly wage falls between $1,467.00 and $733.51. The weekly compensation rate is $489.00 if the employee’s average weekly wage falls between $733.50 and $543.33. The weekly rate is 90 percent of the employee’s average weekly wage if average weekly wages are $543.32 or less.
Powell Law’s decades of experience make it the clear and obvious choice for representation in workers’ compensation matters in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area. Consult an experienced Pennsylvania workers’ compensation attorney. Contact Powell Law at (570) 961-0777. The consultation is FREE!
