Voluntary Retirement Ends Disability Benefit

The Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court affirmed its ruling in Weis that workers' compensation disability benefits end with voluntary retirement from the workforce. Claimant Richard Pries appealed from the order of the Workers' Compensation Appeal Board suspending his disability benefits and asked the Commonwealth Court to reverse its 2005 decision in the County of Allegheny v. Workers' Compensation Appeals Board (Weis) case. Pries worked as a service technician with Verizon Pennsylvania since 1972. He sustained work-related back injuries in late 1989 and a total disability when he reinjured ...