Pennsylvania Food Merchants Association
Join
Menu
  • About Us
    • Become A Member >
      • Retail Membership
      • Associate Membership
    • Corporate Leadership Sponsors
    • Board of Directors
    • Contact Us >
      • Staff Directory
      • Directions
      • Lodging Information
    • Antitrust Statement
    • Partner Organizations
    • Work at PFMA
    • Members Only Login
  • Government Relations
    • Advocacy >
      • 2021 Pennsylvania Priorities
      • 2021 Federal Legislative Priorities
      • Philadelphia Issues
      • Pittsburgh Issues
      • 2020 Legislative Summary
      • Visiting the Capitol
    • Committees
    • GR Team
    • FoodPAC >
      • Contribute to FoodPAC
    • Resources/Training >
      • Member Resources
      • Emergency Planning >
        • COVID-19
      • Ramp Training
      • A Bag's Life
      • Helpful Links
  • News and Publications
    • Annual Reports
    • Spectrum Newsletter
    • Year-end Reports
    • News Releases
    • PFMA in the News
    • News Archive
    • Weather Alerts
    • Media Contacts
    • Vacation Scheduler
  • Events Calendar
    • 2021 Annual Conference
    • 2021 Fall Conference
  • Services
    • Retail Coupon Processing >
      • Program Highlights
      • How To Get Started
      • Request Information
      • Dealing with Mfg Deductions
      • Sample Coupon Policy
      • Counterfeit Coupon Alert
    • Retail Price Accuracy >
      • SCP Board of Advisors
      • Inspections
      • Publications
      • Request Information
      • Related Links
    • Endorsed Services
  • Ridge Scholarship
    • Ridge Scholarship Application
    • Ridge Scholars >
      • 2019 Ridge Scholars
      • 2018 Ridge Scholars
    • Contribute / Start a Scholarship
  • test

PA employers to save millions with signing of House Bill 1840

10/25/2018

0 Comments

 
Pennsylvania employers will save hundreds of millions in increased insurance costs under a new bill signed by Gov. Tom Wolf in October.

The Pennsylvania Food Merchants Association strongly supported House Bill 1840, which will bring the commonwealth’s workers’ compensation law into compliance with a recent state Supreme Court decision.

The decision centered around the use of so-called impairment rating evaluations, or IREs. Instituted in 1996, IREs allowed employers to cap benefits to injured workers

Last year, the state Supreme Court struck down the use of IREs. Employers were able to move employees from total disability to partial disability if an independent doctor assessed their disability at less than 50 percent total body impairment. Pennsylvania caps partial disability payments at 500 weeks, while total disability payments have no cap.

Without IREs, employers are seeing rising costs for workers’ compensation coverage and Wolf’s signing of HB 1840, sponsored by state Rep. Rob Kauffman, R-89, now restores those IREs.

“Pennsylvania’s Workers’ Compensation system is a costly requirement that employers across the state contribute to each year,” Rep. Kauffman said when introducing the bill. “In order to make sure the system is helping those injured on the job, while still keeping costs in check, I have authored legislation that would provide hundreds of millions of dollars in relief from Workers’ Compensation costs for Pennsylvania employers.  

“Based on a technicality, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court gutted a major cost savings provision last year that was originally enacted in the 1990s.  My bill restores that provision in a manner that complies with the court’s ruling. This legislation will protect workers and save employers and the state millions of dollars.”
 
The new law will provide fair compensation for workers and increase the burial benefits for victims of workplace fatalities from $3,000 to $7,000. However, the major component would reduce workers’ compensation costs for employers by hundreds of millions of dollars.
 
“This has been a major issue for Pennsylvania’s business community, which was being unfairly impacted by the court’s decision,” said Rep. Kauffman. “We need to work with our business community in order to retain and create more jobs here in the Commonwealth. By enacting pro-business legislation, we are also helping workers and the families they support.”
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    RSS Feed

The Pennsylvania Food Merchants Association. All Rights Reserved. © 2018
1029 Mumma Road, Wormleysburg, PA 17043
Phone: (717) 731-0600 • Toll-Free (800) 543-8207
Email: pfma@pfma.net
Website by WebLink International
MemberClicks | Member Management Software