77 Pa. Stat. § 1406

Current through Pa Acts 2024-53, 2024-56 through 2024-111

Section 1406 - Compensation; total, partial disability; earning power; loss of members; amputation; surgical and medical services; refusal by employe; artificial limb or eye; training; medicine and supplies; death

The following schedule of compensation is hereby established subject to the limitations of section 301 :

(a) For total disability sixty-six and two-thirds per centum of the wages of the disabled employe as defined in section three hundred and nine, beginning after the seventh day of total disability, and payable for the duration of total disability, but the compensation shall not be more than sixty dollars per week nor less than thirty-five dollars per week. If at the time when disability begins, the employe receives wages of thirty-five dollars per week or less, then he shall receive ninety per centum of the wages per week as compensation, but in no event less than twenty-two dollars per week. Nothing in this clause shall require payment of compensation after disability shall cease.

(b) For disability partial in character (except the particular cases mentioned in clause (c)) sixty-six and two-thirds per centum of the difference between the wages of the disabled employe, as defined in section three hundred and nine, and the earning power of the employe thereafter; but such compensation shall not be more than forty-five dollars per week. This compensation shall be paid during the period of such partial disability except as provided in clause (e) of this section, but not more than three hundred and fifty weeks. Should total disability be followed by partial disability, the period of three hundred and fifty weeks shall not be reduced by the number of weeks during which compensation was paid for total disability. The term "earning power," as used in this section, shall in no case be less than the weekly amount which the employe receives after disability begins, and in those cases in which the employe works fewer than five days per week for reasons not connected with or arising out of the disability resulting from the injury shall not be less than five times his actual daily wage as fixed by the day, hour, or by the output of the employe, and in no instance shall an employe receiving compensation under this section receive more in compensation and wages combined than a fellow employe in employment similar to that in which the injured employe was engaged at the time of disability.

(c) For all disability resulting from loss or loss of the use of members resulting from occupational disease, the compensation shall be exclusively as follows:

For the loss of a hand, sixty-six and two-thirds per centum of wages during one hundred and seventy-five weeks.

For the loss of a forearm, sixty-six and two-thirds per centum of wages during one hundred and ninety-five weeks.

For the loss of an arm, sixty-six and two-thirds per centum of wages during two hundred and fifteen weeks.

For the loss of a foot, sixty-six and two-thirds per centum of wages during one hundred and fifty weeks.

For the loss of a lower leg, sixty-six and two-thirds per centum of wages during one hundred and eighty weeks.

For the loss of a leg, sixty-six and two-thirds per centum of wages during two hundred and fifteen weeks.

For the loss of an eye, sixty-six and two-thirds per centum of wages during one hundred and fifty weeks.

For the complete loss of hearing in both ears, sixty-six and two-thirds per centum of wages during one hundred and eighty weeks.

For the loss of a thumb, sixty-six and two-thirds per centum of wages during sixty weeks.

For the loss of a first finger, commonly called index finger, sixty-six and two-thirds per centum of wages during thirty-five weeks.

For the loss of a second finger, sixty-six and two-thirds per centum of wages during thirty weeks.

For the loss of a third finger, sixty-six and two-thirds per centum of wages during twenty weeks.

For the loss of a fourth finger, commonly called little finger, sixty-six and two-thirds per centum of wages during fifteen weeks.

The loss of the first phalange of the thumb shall be considered the loss of the thumb. The loss of a substantial part of the first phalange of the thumb shall be considered the loss of one-half of the thumb.

The loss of any substantial part of the first phalange of a finger, or an amputation immediately below the first phalange for the purpose of providing an optimum surgical result shall be considered the loss of one-half of the finger. Any greater loss shall be considered the loss of the entire finger.

The loss of one-half of the thumb or a finger shall be compensated at the same rate as for the loss of a thumb or finger, but for one-half of the period provided for the loss of a thumb or finger.

For the loss of, or permanent loss of the use of, any two or more such members, not constituting total disability, sixty-six and two-thirds per centum of wages during the aggregate of the periods specified for each.

For the loss of a great toe, sixty-six and two-thirds per centum of wages during forty weeks.

For the loss of any other toe, sixty-six and two-thirds per centum of wages during sixteen weeks.

The loss of the first phalange of the great toe, or of any toe, shall be considered equivalent to the loss of one-half of such great toe, or other toe, and shall be compensated at the same rate as for the loss of a great toe, or other toe, but for one-half of the period provided for the loss of a great toe or other toe.

The loss of more than one phalange of a great toe, or any toe, shall be considered equivalent to the loss of the entire great toe or other toe.

For the loss of, or permanent loss of the use of, any two or more such members, not constituting total disability, sixty-six and two-thirds per centum of wages during the aggregate of the periods specified for each.

Unless the board shall otherwise determine, the loss of both hands or both arms or both feet or both legs or both eyes shall constitute total disability, to be compensated according to the provisions of clause (a).

Amputation at the wrist shall be considered as the equivalent of the loss of a hand, and amputation at the ankle shall be considered as the equivalent of the loss of a foot. Amputation between the wrist and the elbow shall be considered as the loss of a forearm, and amputation between the ankle and the knee shall be considered as the loss of a lower leg. Amputation at or above the elbow shall be considered as the loss of an arm, and amputation at or above the knee shall be considered as the loss of a leg. Permanent loss of the use of a hand, arm, foot, leg, eye, finger or thumb, great toe or other toe, shall be considered as the equivalent of the loss of such hand, arm, foot, leg, eye, finger or thumb, great toe or other toe.

In addition to the payments hereinbefore provided for disabilities of the classes specified, any period of disability necessary and required as a healing period shall be compensated in accordance with the provisions of this subsection. The healing period shall end (I) when the claimant returns to employment without impairment in earnings, or (II) on the last day of the period specified in the following table, whichever is the earlier:

For the loss of a hand, twenty weeks.

For the loss of a forearm, twenty weeks.

For the loss of an arm, twenty weeks.

For the loss of a foot, twenty-five weeks.

For the loss of the lower leg, twenty-five weeks.

For the loss of a leg, twenty-five weeks.

For the loss of an eye, ten weeks.

For the loss of hearing, ten weeks.

For the loss of a thumb or any part thereof, ten weeks.

For the loss of any other finger or any part thereof, six weeks.

For the loss of a great toe or any part thereof, twelve weeks.

For the loss of any other toe or any part thereof, six weeks.

This compensation shall not be more than sixty dollars per week nor less than thirty-five dollars per week: Provided, That if at the time of disability the employe receives wages of thirty-five dollars per week or less, then he shall receive ninety per centum of such wages per week as compensation, but in no event less than twenty-two dollars per week. When an employe works during the healing period, his wages and earning power shall be as defined in this act, and he shall not receive more in wages and compensation combined than his wages at the time of disability as defined in section 309. Where any such injury or injuries shall require an amputation at a time after the end of the healing period hereinbefore provided, the employe shall be entitled to receive compensation for the second healing period, and in the case of a second injury or amputation to the same limb prior to the expiration of the first healing period, a new healing period shall commence for the period hereinbefore provided and no further compensation shall be payable for the first healing period.

(d) Where at the time of disability, the employe incurs other disabilities, separate from those which result in permanent disabilities enumerated in clause (c) of this section, the number of weeks for which compensation is specified for the permanent disabilities shall begin at the end of the period of temporary total disability which results from the other separate disability, but in that event the employe shall not receive compensation provided in clause (c) of this section for the specific healing period. In the event the employe incurs two or more permanent disabilities of the above enumerated classes compensable under clause (c) of this section, he shall be compensated for the largest single healing period rather than the aggregate of the healing periods.

(e) No compensation shall be allowed for the first seven days after disability begins, except as provided in this clause (e) and clause (f) of this section. If the period of disability lasts more than six weeks after disability begins, the employe shall also receive compensation for the first seven days of disability.

(f) During the first six months after disability begins, the employer shall furnish reasonable surgical and medical services, medicines, and supplies, as and when needed, unless the employe refuses to allow them to be furnished by the employer. The cost of such services, medicines, and supplies, shall not exceed seven hundred fifty dollars. If the employer shall, upon application made to him, refuse to furnish such services, medicines, and supplies, the employe may procure same and shall receive from the employer the reasonable cost thereof within the above limitations. In addition to the above service, medicines, and supplies, hospital treatment, services, and supplies and orthopedic appliances and prostheses, shall be furnished by the employer for the said period of six months. The board may order further medical, surgical and hospital services if it is established that further care will result in restoring the disabled employe's earning power to a substantial degree. In each order the board shall specify the maximum period and the maximum costs of the treatment designed for the employe's rehabilitation. The cost of such hospital treatment, service, and supplies, shall not in any case exceed the prevailing charge in the hospital for like services to other individuals. If the employe shall refuse reasonable surgical, medical, and hospital services, medicines, and supplies, tendered to him by his employer, he shall forfeit all rights to compensation for disability or any increase in his disability shown to have resulted from such refusal. Whenever an employe shall have suffered the loss of a limb, part of a limb, or an eye, the employer shall furnish to the employe in addition to the aforementioned surgical and medical services, services rendered by duly licensed practitioners of the healing arts, medicines and supplies, or artificial limb or eye or other prostheses of a type and kind recommended by the doctor attending such employe in connection with such injury as well as such training as may be required in the proper use of such prostheses. The provisions of this section shall apply to occupational diseases where no loss of earning power occurs.

(g) Should the employe die from some other cause than the occupational disease, the liability for compensation shall cease.

77 P.S. § 1406

1939, June 21, P.L. 566, No. 284, § 306. Amended 1945, May 18, P.L. 661, § 1; 1949, May 14, P.L. 1379, § 2; 1952, Jan. 2, P.L. (1951) 1811, § 1; 1953, Aug. 24, P.L. 1389, § 2; 1956, Feb. 28, P.L.(1955) 1095, § 1; 1959, Dec. 1, P.L. 1678, § 1, effective in 60 days; 1961, Sept. 30, P.L. 1768, § 2; 1965, Nov. 10, P.L. 695, § 5; 1968, Dec. 9, P.L. 1150, No. 362, § 1.