When first responders and prison workers are injured in the course of their duties, the law provides them additional benefits beyond what Workers’ Compensation would usually pay. These are the core aspects of Act 534 and Act 632, but knowing exactly who is protected means looking at the law.
Pennsylvania’s Heart and Lung Act covers many workers, but Act 534/632 looped additional workers into coverage. These rules primarily cover Bureau of Corrections and Department of Justice employees at state corrections facilities, including staff who fight fires in these facilities. However, these rules only cover workers with temporary disabilities; total disabilities would be claimed under regular Workers’ Comp instead.
Get help with your claim by calling Cardamone Law’s Certified Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Lawyers at (267) 651-7945 today.
What is Act 534/632?
The Heart and Lung Act was the original act, passed as Act 193 of 1935. This was later expanded with Act 632 of 1959, which had some of the same coverages but for additional corrections workers, then Act 534 of 1961 expanded the coverage even further. Because of this, we often discuss Heart and Lung Act coverage and Act 534/632 together.
The Heart and Lung Act gave additional benefits to temporarily injured first responders, such that they can get their whole wage paid instead of the 2/3 that Workers’ Comp usually pays. Acts 632 and 534 did the same for additional workers.
Who Does Act 534 and Act 632 Cover?
The text of Act 632, as modified by Act 534, explicitly lists certain jobs. However, it is also important to note what categories of worker injury count for coverage and how family members can benefit.
Affected Workers
Recall that the Heart and Lung Act already includes many workers under coverage. Because of this, Act 534/632 only adds more workers to similar coverage. If you are not on this list, you may be on the Heart and Lung Act’s list of covered workers instead.
The added workers are
- State penal/correctional institution employees
- State mental hospitals employees
- Youth Development Center employees
- County Boards of Assistance employees
- Department of Public Welfare volunteer firefighters.
Temporary Injuries
Only workers with temporary injuries are covered under these extra benefits. If your injury is totally disabling and you will never return to work at your full salary again, then you might qualify only for Workers’ Comp and not for Act 534/632 benefits.
Widows and Children
Act 534/632 also includes benefits at half the worker’s original salary to their widow and children if the worker dies within a year of their injuries. These are potentially lower than the benefits under Workers’ Comp, so talk to our Philadelphia Workers’ Compensation lawyers about which set of benefits is best for your family after a deadly injury.
What Injuries Are Covered Under Act 534/632
Certain injuries are specified in the act based on which specific job you were injured while performing.
Temporary Injuries
As mentioned, Act 534/632 only covers temporary injuries. Permanent injuries do not get the additional wage-loss benefits from these laws.
Listed Injuries
Any of these injuries “in the course of” employment qualify for these listed workers:
- Corrections workers get coverage for injuries from inmates
- County Boards of Assistance workers are covered if injured by public assistance recipients
- Department of Public Welfare firefighters injured while firefighting are covered.
Keep in mind that many injuries are also covered under the Heart and Lung Act for corrections workers, other jail/prison guards, and other first responders. These cover any injuries in the course of their “duties,” not just injuries from inmates, etc.
Other Coverages
Even if these Act 534/632 benefits do not specifically cover your injury, Workers’ Comp still usually will. Benefits under Workers’ Comp pay 2/3 of your lost wages for any work-related injury. This has broader coverage than the Heart and Lung Act’s requirement that injuries be in the course of your “duties” or Act 534/632’s coverage for specific injuries.
FAQs for Injured Corrections Workers Filing Under Act 534/632
Which Act Do I File Under?
Your Workers’ Comp lawyers will know exactly how to file your case. The benefits are essentially the same under this bundle of acts, and it can be difficult to know exactly what citation to refer to – but that isn’t something you need to worry about if you work with a lawyer.
What Added Benefits Do I Get?
Injured employees usually get these three benefits from Workers’ Comp:
- Medical benefits
- Wage-loss benefits at 2/3 their pre-injury average weekly wage (subject to caps and floors) when they cannot work at all and 2/3 of the difference in pre- and post-injury wages when they can work to some extent.
- Specific loss benefits for permanent amputations and other permanent losses, at 2/3 of their pre-injury average weekly wage for a number of weeks (subject to caps and floors).
The Act 534/632 benefits cover medical bills and give you your full wage instead of just 2/3, but only for temporary disabilities.
How Do I Get These Benefits?
When you bring your case to our lawyers, we will help you go through the process of filing notice of injury with your employer and getting these benefits.
What if I Don’t Qualify Under Act 543/632?
It is possible that you might qualify under the Heart and Lung Act instead of Act 534/632. Talk to a lawyer about getting benefits through that law for firefighters, law enforcement, and other first responders.
If you do not qualify under any of these acts, you may still be eligible for any work-related injury under Workers’ Compensation.
What if I Have a Permanent Injury?
Only workers with temporary disabilities are covered. If you have a permanent injury, it might only disable you temporarily, so you would still qualify. For example, some injuries cause serious scarring or require the partial removal of internal organs, but after recovering, you may be able to return to work at full capacity, even if the injury is not “fully healed.”
If you have a permanent disability and will not return to work at full capacity, you should likely seek benefits under Workers’ Compensation instead of Act 534/632.
Call Our Workers’ Compensation Lawyers in Pennsylvania Today
If you were hurt working at a prison or other correctional facility, call Cardamone Law’s Delaware County, PA Workers’ Compensation lawyers to learn more about your eligibility for expanded benefits. Call (267) 651-7945.
