Q: Does an employer have to pay an employee back to work from WC for time missed for follow up appointments ?
In PA, if an employee has a worker's comp claim (accepted) and is released back to work but requires follow up appointments or therapy, does the EMPLOYER need to pay them for their missed time or are they able to make them use any paid time off (vacation, sick time, PTO, etc.)? And if not, does WC pay them for their time missed?
A: This is not a simple yes or no question. To the extent that medical treatment can be scheduled outside of working hours, the injured worker has an obligation to do so. If the treatment is not available outside of working hours, the injured worker still has an obligation to schedule the appointments to minimize missed time as much as possible. If the injured worker lives up to their obligation, they have a claim for lost time for actual time missed to be paid through workers' compensation; however, expect a fight on this point so be prepared to have to file a petition to receive the lost time.
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