Employer Can Be Penalized for UEGF's Belated Payment of Benefits

In a case of first impression, the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court on Monday ruled that an employer can be subjected to a penalty for failing to provide the prompt payment of benefits to an injured worker, even if the award was paid by the Uninsured Employers Guaranty Fund. CMR Construction of Texas didn’t have comp insurance for its Pennsylvania employees, so it was treated as an uninsured employer when its employee got hurt while working in Mercersburg. The UEGF began paying benefits to Keith Begley in its stead. Begley had fallen from a roof — suffering a ruptured aorta, ...