IN THE COMMONWEALTH COURT OF PENNSYLVANIA

Philadelphia Eagles, LLC, :

Petitioner :

: No. 1103 C.D. 2015

v. :

: Submitted: December 11, 2015

Workers’ Compensation Appeal :

Board (Harris), :

Respondent :

BEFORE: HONORABLE DAN PELLEGRINI, President Judge1

HONORABLE PATRICIA A. McCULLOUGH, Judge

HONORABLE JAMES GARDNER COLINS, Senior Judge

OPINION NOT REPORTED

MEMORANDUM OPINION 

BY JUDGE McCULLOUGH FILED: May 6, 2016

The Philadelphia Eagles, LLC (Employer) petition for review from the 

June 1, 2015 order of the Workers’ Compensation Appeal Board (Board), which 

affirmed a Workers’ Compensation Judge’s (WCJ) decision denying Employer’s 

petition to modify Antoine Harris’s (Claimant) compensation benefits for failing to 

comply with section 306(b) of the Workers’ Compensation Act (Act).2

 

1

This case was assigned to the opinion writer on or before December 31, 2015, when 

President Judge Pellegrini assumed the status of senior judge.

2 Act of June 2, 1915, P.L. 736, as amended, 77 P.S. §512. 
2

Facts and Procedural History

The underlying facts are undisputed. On August 13, 2010, Claimant was 

injured during the course of his employment as a professional football player. By 

order dated December 12, 2011, a WCJ adopted the parties’ stipulation of facts, 

acknowledging that Claimant had sustained a compensable injury to his right foot and 

awarded him total disability benefits at a rate of $845.00 per week. On May 12, 

2012, Employer filed a petition to modify compensation benefits, alleging that 

Claimant possessed an earning power of at least $1,000.00 per week based on a labor 

market assessment. Claimant filed an answer denying the material allegations of 

Employer’s petition and alleging that work is available with Employer which had not 

been offered to him pursuant to section 306(b) of the Act. The matter was assigned 

to a WCJ and a series of hearings were held. 

Michael Smychynsky, Employer’s vocational expert, testified that he

performed a labor market analysis in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and, based on the 

information he obtained, opined that Claimant had an expected earning capacity of 

$1,000.00 per week. Smychynsky stated that he reviewed a work-release report

issued by James Beskin, M.D., issued Claimant a Notice of Ability to Return to 

Work, and contacted Employer to inquire whether it had any employment available 

that fit within the scope of the work release. Smychynsky testified that he was 

referred to Eric Rousch, Employer’s Human Resources Coordinator, who executed an 

affidavit indicating that Employer did not have a specific job vacancy available for 

Claimant. (Reproduced Record (R.R.) at 9a-10a, 12a-14a.)

Smychynsky stated that he conducted a vocational interview with 

Claimant on March 16, 2012. During the interview, Smychynsky learned that 

Claimant maintained his permanent address in Lawrenceville, Georgia, and that he 
3

had graduated from the University of Louisville with a degree in mass 

communication. Smychynsky also learned that Claimant wanted to use his degree for 

sports broadcasting or some other sports-related activity; however, Smychynsky 

noted that Claimant had no internships, post-graduate education, or training in sports 

broadcasting. Smychynsky explained that the only experience Claimant had other 

than playing professional football was charity work in Columbus, Ohio, where he 

operated a sports camp during the summer for approximately three-hundred children. 

(R.R. at 17a-20a.)

Smychynsky testified that he performed a labor market survey and 

identified eighteen jobs in the Philadelphia area that he believed would be 

vocationally appropriate for Claimant. Smychynsky noted that the employers he 

contacted were willing to provide Claimant with training and employment due to the 

fact that he possessed a college degree. He stated that he completed job analyses for 

five positions3and provided them to Dr. Beskin to determine whether the positions 

were physically suitable for Claimant. Smychynsky confirmed that Dr. Beskin 

approved the proposed jobs as physically suitable for Claimant. (R.R. at 21a-29a.) 

Smychynsky opined that the eighteen jobs he identified were within 

Claimant’s physical capabilities because most of the positions were sedentary and his 

understanding of Dr. Beskin’s work release was that Claimant could engage in 

virtually any position except for one which would require running, push-off skills, or

quick changes of direction. He stated that the identified jobs were within Claimant’s 

 

3

Smychynsky explained that the job analyses he provided to Dr. Beskin for review were: a 

dispatcher position with the University of Pennsylvania; a communications officer position with 

Philadelphia Community College; a communications officer position with Swarthmore College; a 

sales position with Access Security Corporation; and a sales representative position with Global 

Sports Publications. (R.R. at 26a.) 
4

vocational capabilities because they are entry level positions that do not require 

previous experience and many of the positions prefer or require a college degree. 

(R.R. at 29a-31a.)

Smychynsky reviewed positions available with Employer and testified

that they were not suitable for Claimant because most of the jobs were intern 

positions requiring the applicant to be within one year of graduation. He noted that 

Employer had a database manager position and a lead designer position available but 

opined that they were not suitable for Claimant because Employer requested a degree 

in quantitative business discipline and graphic design respectively, which Claimant 

did not possess. Smychynsky confirmed that Employer had a digital services 

coordinator position available but noted that it requested two to three years of digital 

or web-based experience. Similarly, Smychynsky stated that Employer had an ecommerce coordinator position available; however, it also required one to three years 

of specific experience. (R.R. at 31a-35a.)

Smychynsky testified that Employer had other jobs available, including 

a part-time event staff position, but noted that they required residence in the 

Philadelphia area. Smychynsky acknowledged that all the positions he identified in 

his labor market survey would require Claimant to reside in the Philadelphia region. 

Smychynsky explained that Employer did not have any positions available in 

Lawrenceville, Georgia, where Claimant maintains his permanent residence, and

concluded that Employer’s available positions were not suitable for Claimant because 

he did not meet the preferred requirements. He confirmed that Employer did not 

make any job offers to Claimant. (R.R. at 31a-35a, 46a-47a.)

Dr. Beskin, a board certified orthopedic surgeon specializing in foot and 

ankle orthopedics, testified that he performed an independent medical examination 
5

(IME) of Claimant on January 16, 2012, opined that he had reached maximum 

medical improvement from his injuries, and stated that no significant ongoing care 

would be needed. Dr. Beskin explained that Claimant suffered a non-contact injury 

when he was running, made a cut, and felt a sudden, acute pain in his foot. He noted 

that Employer’s team physician diagnosed Claimant with an injury to the Lisfranc 

portion of his ligament and, subsequently, a foot and ankle specialist recommended 

surgery, which was performed. (R.R. at 155a-60a.) 

Dr. Beskin testified that there were no apparent complications from the 

surgery and that Claimant’s recovery was fairly routine; however, he noted that 

Claimant complained of persistent pain or aching in the area of the injury and felt that 

the activities required in professional football exacerbated his symptoms. Dr. Beskin

opined that Claimant would never be able to play professional football again, but 

explained that Claimant had reached maximum medical improvement status as of the 

date he performed the IME because no additional intervention would change the 

outcome of Claimant’s condition and testified that he would place no restrictions on 

Claimant’s ability to walk or climb stairs. Dr. Beskin further testified that 

Smychynsky provided him with five job analyses forms, that he reviewed all of the 

jobs set forth in the earning capacity assessment, and that he approved Claimant for 

the jobs because the symptoms Claimant described were related to high-energy 

situations such as running and cutting and none of the jobs required those types of 

activities. Dr. Beskin also opined that Claimant was physically able to perform the 

positions that were available with Employer. (R.R. at 161a, 165a-71a.)

Claimant testified that he was injured in 2010, has resided in 

Lawrenceville, Georgia, since 2009, and obtained a bachelor’s degree in 

communications from the University of Louisville in 2004. Claimant stated that the
6

only job he had while in high school was at a hardware store performing manual 

labor for a single summer. Claimant also stated that he did not perform any work 

after he graduated from high school and before starting college but noted that he did 

assist his former basketball coach with a sports camp for a weekend during that 

period. Claimant further testified that the only job he performed during his college

years was as a security guard for Churchill Downs for one week during a single

summer. (R.R. at 205a-10a.)

Claimant further testified that he played for both the Tennessee Titans 

and Atlanta Falcons before signing with Employer in 2010. He stated that, during the 

period before signing with Employer, he did not perform any professional work 

outside of football. Claimant noted that he operates a nonprofit football camp for 

kids in Ohio but clarified that it is a volunteer activity and not a job. He testified that 

he created a limited liability company and received a grant from the National Football 

League to operate his camp. Claimant explained that his camp was a one-day 

summer camp, that it ran from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and that he operated the camp

for two years. He further explained that he obtained insurance for over three-hundred 

kids; negotiated and procured equipment and facilities, such as venues and hotel 

rooms; marketed the camp, including designing logos and generating radio and social 

media advertisements; recruited volunteers and paid staff members; created a 

secondary plan; obtained sponsorships for food, beverages, clothing, and prizes; 

obtained and negotiated talent, i.e., celebrity coaches; and performed event planning, 

including booking and coordinating flights, hotels, dinners, and various functions. 

(R.R. at 210a-15a.)

Claimant also testified that he has real estate experience; specifically, he 

stated that he purchased a property for his parents in Ohio but noted that he does not 
7

charge them to reside there. He also stated that he purchased a property in Atlanta for 

rental purposes but clarified that he has never had any tenants. Claimant further 

testified that he has not performed any other business ventures, held any job for any 

employer, or completed any unpaid internships since his injury in 2010. However, he 

indicated that he has performed volunteer work on two occasions since his 2010 

injury and added that he is currently pursuing a license to sell insurance. (R.R. at 

215a-20a.) 

Claimant confirmed that he resided in temporary housing during his 

tenure with Employer and never actually relocated to Philadelphia. He stated that he 

never looked for work in Philadelphia after his injury in 2010 but noted that he may 

have stayed in Philadelphia if there was an opportunity to do so. Claimant testified 

that he wears orthotics in his shoes, occasionally experiences pain if he is on his feet 

for a long period of time, and has performed physical therapy for strengthening and 

conditioning the muscles in his foot. He acknowledged that he felt some 

improvement in his foot and that his condition has not changed since the IME. (R.R. 

at 221a-27a.)

Claimant testified that he does not receive and has not applied for any 

benefits other than workers’ compensation. He stated that he has not done any selfemployment activities and has not applied for any jobs other than the insurance 

program since 2010 because he does not have adequate experience. Claimant 

confirmed that he reviewed the job analyses forms Smychynsky provided to Dr. 

Breskin and opined that he would likely be able to perform them without issue. He 

acknowledged that he never applied for a job with Employer since his injury in 2010 

and testified that Employer did not make any job offers to him or advise him of any 
8

available openings. He further testified that he would consider moving to 

Philadelphia if he was offered a good job. (R.R. at 228a-33a, 238a-39a.) 

Kristie Pappal (Pappal) testified that she has been Employer’s Director 

of Human Resources for approximately six years and is responsible for overseeing 

Employer’s hiring. She stated that Employer is a very high profile organization that 

receives resumes and inquires year-round regardless of whether a position is available 

and testified that, on average, a posted position receives over one-thousand 

applications. Pappal explained that Employer can be very selective in its hiring 

because it receives a high number of applicants for every position, previous customer 

service experience is a baseline for an applicant’s consideration, and workers’ 

compensation claimants receive no hiring preference. (R.R. at 246a-48a, 254a.)

Pappal further testified that Employer compiled a list of jobs that were 

available during the period between January 25, 2012, and May 12, 2012. She

reviewed the positions and stated that the only applicants that are considered for 

Employer’s internship positions are current college or graduate school students or 

students who have graduated in the past twelve months and that Claimant would not 

be eligible for any internship positions. Pappal also stated that Employer does not 

currently have, nor has it ever had, positions available in the Lawrenceville, Georgia,

or Atlanta, Georgia, areas. (R.R. at 248a-49a.)

Pappal explained that Claimant was not qualified for any of Employer’s 

available positions because he did not have the preferred level of experience. 

Specifically, Pappal stated that Claimant was not qualified because: he did not have 

previous experience using online catalogues or using online analytics to process 

merchandise orders preferred for an e-commerce merchandise coordinator position; 

he did not have previous producing and editing experience necessary for a position as 
9

an Eagles Television Network producer; he did not have experience handling large 

scale event logistics preferred for a position as an events coordinator; and he did not 

have the customer service experience necessary for a sales associate or game-day 

staff position. Pappal testified that previous experience is the most important factor 

for Employer when considering applicants and confirmed that Employer never 

contacted Claimant to advise him of any potential job openings. (R.R. at 250a-52a, 

262a, 264a.)

By decision and order circulated October 25, 2013, the WCJ denied 

Employer’s petition for modification of compensation benefits. The WCJ found 

Smychynsky and Pappal’s testimony indicating that Claimant was not qualified for a

marketing coordinator position unpersuasive and not credible. (WCJ’s Finding of 

Fact No. 9a.) Specifically, the WCJ noted that Pappal’s testimony regarding 

Claimant’s lack of experience handling large scale event logistics was factually 

wrong; Pappal incorrectly concluded that Claimant does not possess a college degree; 

and the marketing coordinator job description was not attached to Smychynsky’s 

deposition. Accordingly, he determined that Claimant had the educational and 

vocational capacity to perform the marketing coordinator position and concluded that 

Employer failed to comply with section 306(b)(2) of the Act because it did not notify 

or consider Claimant for the marketing coordinator position and, therefore, could not 

rely on the labor market survey.

Employer appealed the WCJ’s decision to the Board, arguing that: the 

WCJ’s findings were not supported by sufficient, competent evidence because 

Employer was only obligated to offer Claimant an available position within reach of 

the Claimant’s current residence; the WCJ failed to apply relevant regulations 

providing that an employer’s obligation to offer a specific job vacancy is applied 
10

consistent with the employer’s usual business practice; the WCJ erred in using his 

opinion as a basis to find that Claimant was qualified for the marketing coordinator 

position in the absence of expert testimony; and the WCJ erred when he issued a 

decision without identifying and explaining why he rejected certain evidence. 

The Board affirmed the WCJ, reasoning that, although the language in 

Motor Coils MFG/WABTEC v. Workers’ Compensation Appeal Board (Bish), 853 

A.2d 1082 (Pa. Cmwlth. 2004), indicates that the offered job must be within reach of 

the claimant’s residence, a literal application of the language ignores the purpose of 

the decision, i.e., to ensure a claimant is offered a position that he is capable of 

performing. The Board conceded that the WCJ may have exceeded his authority 

when he determined that Claimant was capable of performing the marketing 

coordinator position; however, it determined that he ultimately came to the correct 

conclusion. The Board noted that Employer bears the burden to prove the 

unavailability of a position when Claimant raises the availability of a suitable job and, 

because a WCJ is free to accept or reject the testimony of any witness and rejected 

Employer’s witnesses’ testimony, it reasoned that Employer failed to meet its burden 

to prove that Claimant could not perform the marketing coordinator position. 

On appeal to this Court,4Employer argues that the WCJ erred in 

rejecting its uncontroverted evidence that Claimant was not qualified to fill its 

specific job vacancy pursuant to its usual business practices. Employer also argues 

that the WCJ erred when he determined that Employer did not comply with section 

306(b) of the Act because it did not offer Claimant a job in Pennsylvania. 

 

4 Our standard of review in workers’ compensation appeals is limited to determining 

whether an error of law was committed, constitutional rights were violated, or whether necessary 

findings of fact are supported by substantial evidence. Fruehauf Trailer Corporation v. Workers’ 

Compensation Appeal Board (Barnhart), 784 A.2d 874, 876 n.2 (Pa. Cmwlth. 2001). 
11

Discussion

An employer seeking to modify a claimant’s compensation benefits must 

either: 

(1) offer to the claimant a specific job that it has available, 

which the claimant is capable of performing, or (2) establish 

“earning power” through expert opinion evidence including 

job listings with employment agencies, agencies of the 

Department of Labor and Industry, and advertisement in a 

claimant’s usual area of employment. 

Reichert v. Workers’ Compensation Appeal Board (Dollar Tree Stores/Dollar 

Express and Specialty Risk Services, Inc.), 80 A.3d 824, 829 (Pa. Cmwlth. 2013) 

(citation omitted). 

Pursuant to the Act:

“Earning power” shall be determined by the work the 

employe is capable of performing and shall be based upon 

expert opinion evidence which includes job listings with 

agencies of the department, private job placement agencies 

and advertisements in the usual employment area. . . . If the 

employe does not live in this Commonwealth, then the 

usual employment area where the injury occurred shall 

apply. If the employer has a specific job vacancy the 

employe is capable of performing, the employer shall offer 

such job to the employe. . . . 

77 P.S. §512 (emphasis added). 

Additionally, section 123.301 of the regulations of the Bureau of 

Workers’ Compensation (Bureau) provides that:

(a) For claims for injuries suffered on or after June 24, 

1996, if a specific job vacancy exists within the usual 

employment area within this Commonwealth with the liable 

employer, which the employee is capable of performing, the 

employer shall offer that job to the employee prior to 
12

seeking a modification or suspension of benefits based on 

earning power.

* * *

(c) The employer’s duty under subsections (a) and (b) may 

be satisfied if the employer demonstrates facts which may 

include the following:

* * *

(4) No job vacancy exists within the usual 

employment area. 

* * *

(e) The employer’s duty under subsections (a) and (b) does 

not require the employer to hold a job open for a minimum 

of 30 days. Job offers shall be made consistent with the 

employer’s usual business practice. . . .

34 Pa. Code §123.301(a)-(e) (emphasis added). 

Employer argues that the WCJ erred when he failed to apply Employer’s 

usual business practices in assessing Pappal’s determination that Claimant was not 

qualified for any of its specific job vacancies that were available during the relevant 

period. 

Section 123.301(e) of the Bureau’s regulations requires that job offers 

are made “consistent with the employer’s usual business practice.” Here, Pappal 

testified that Employer is a high profile organization, receives over one-thousand 

applications for any posted position, and is very selective when making hiring 

decisions. Pappal also testified that customer service is a necessary prerequisite for 

any applicant’s consideration and that Claimant was not qualified for an events 

coordinator position because he did not have experience handling large scale event 

logistics. Moreover, Smychynsky testified that Claimant did not meet any of the 
13

requirements for Employer’s available positions because he lacked necessary 

experience and did not reside in the Philadelphia area. However, the WCJ disagreed 

and concluded that Claimant was qualified for a marketing coordinator position with 

Employer. He rejected Employer’s contrary testimony as not credible because: 

Pappal’s testimony regarding Claimant’s inexperience handling large-scale events 

was factually wrong; Pappal incorrectly concluded that Claimant does not possess a 

college degree; and the marketing coordinator job description was not attached to 

Smychynsky’s deposition. 

It is well settled that the WCJ “has complete fact-finding discretion as to 

the credibility of witnesses and evidentiary weight, and such findings will not be 

disturbed if supported by substantial evidence.” Harding v. Workers’ Compensation 

Appeal Board (Arrowhead Industrial), 706 A.2d 896, 899-900 (Pa. Cmwlth. 1998). 

A WCJ’s “finding can only be reversed if not supported by substantial, competent 

evidence or if arbitrary and capricious.”5 Pritchett v. Workers’ Compensation Appeal 

Board (Stout), 713 A.2d 1214, 1217 (Pa. Cmwlth. 1998). Indeed, we have previously 

held that a court may overturn a WCJ’s credibility determination “only if it is 

arbitrary and capricious or so fundamentally dependent on a misapprehension of 

material facts, or so otherwise flawed, as to render it irrational.” Casne v. Workers’ 

Compensation Appeal Board (Stat Couriers, Inc.), 962 A.2d 14, 19 (Pa. Cmwlth. 

2008). This Court has stated that “[t]he meaning of arbitrary includes ‘founded on 

prejudice or preference rather than on reason or fact.’” Id. at 19 n.5 (citation 

omitted). Our Supreme Court has held that a capricious disregard of evidence exists 

 

5

“Substantial evidence has been defined as such relevant evidence as a reasonable mind 

might accept as adequate to support a conclusion.” Bethenergy Mines, Inc. v. Workmen’s 

Compensation Appeal Board (Skirpan), 612 A.2d 434, 436 (Pa. 1992) (citation omitted). 
14

“when there is a willful and deliberate disregard of competent testimony and relevant 

evidence which one of ordinary intelligence could not possibly have avoided in 

reaching a result.” Station Square Gaming L.P v. Pa. Gaming Control Board, 927 

A.2d 232, 237 (Pa. 2007). Similarly, section 422(a) of the Act provides that 

“[u]ncontroverted evidence may not be rejected for no reason or for an irrational 

reason.” 77 P.S. §834. 

As to the finding that Claimant did not have a college degree, it is clear 

that Pappal did not testify that Claimant did not possess a college degree. Rather, she 

expressly stated that Claimant did have a college degree.6 

As to the WCJ’s finding that Employer’s testimony was not credible, 

specifically, that Smychynsky’s expert testimony was deficient because a job 

description for the marketing coordinator position was not attached to his deposition, 

the basis for this finding is erroneous. Although the job description was not attached 

to Smychynsky’s deposition, the marketing coordinator position was included in the 

list of jobs that he was asked to review. (R.R. at 45a, 49a-50a, 69a.) 

Regarding the WCJ’s finding that Pappal’s testimony was factually 

wrong because he determined that Claimant had sufficient experience handling largescale events such that he was capable of performing the marketing coordinator 

 

6 Q: [Claimant] does have a degree, correct?

 A: Again, based on his deposition, yes. If I saw his resume, I would not know that he has a 

degree. 

(R.R. at 259a-60a.)

Q: Let’s look further down [the] page at the qualifications. He does have a Bachelor’s 

degree, does he not?

 A: Based on his deposition, I understand that. Looking at a resume I would not know that. 

(R.R. at 260a-61a.) 
15

position, the Board correctly acknowledged that this analysis was improper because 

the WCJ exceeded his authority when he made his determination solely based on 

Claimant’s testimony and resume. See also 77 P.S. §512(2) (“‘Earning power’ shall 

be determined by the work the employe is capable of performing and shall be based 

upon expert opinion evidence . . . .”). It is undisputed that Claimant operated a oneday summer camp on two occasions for approximately three-hundred kids. However, 

this evidence is not sufficient expert evidence to serve as a basis for determining what 

work Claimant is capable of performing. Although the Board affirmed the WCJ on 

other grounds because it determined that credibility determinations are solely the 

WCJ’s prerogative, we articulated above why those findings were unsupported by the 

record and, consequently, arbitrary and capricious.

Accordingly, the Board’s order is reversed. The matter is remanded to 

the Board with specific instructions to remand to the WCJ to determine whether 

Claimant was qualified for any available positions with Employer based on an 

accurate reading of the record.

7

 

________________________________

PATRICIA A. McCULLOUGH, Judge

 

7 Based on the foregoing disposition, we will not address Employer’s additional argument 

that the WCJ erred when he determined that Employer did not comply with section 306(b) of the 

Act because it did not offer Claimant a job in Pennsylvania. 
IN THE COMMONWEALTH COURT OF PENNSYLVANIA

Philadelphia Eagles, LLC, :

Petitioner :

: No. 1103 C.D. 2015

v. :

:

Workers’ Compensation Appeal :

Board (Harris), :

Respondent :

ORDER

AND NOW, this 6

th day of May, 2016, the June 1, 2015 order of the 

Workers’ Compensation Appeal Board (Board) is reversed. The matter is 

remanded to the Board with specific instructions to remand to the Workers’ 

Compensation Judge for further findings consistent with this opinion. 

Jurisdiction relinquished. 

________________________________

PATRICIA A. McCULLOUGH, Judge
IN THE COMMONWEALTH COURT OF PENNSYLVANIA

Philadelphia Eagles, LLC, :

Petitioner :

:

v. : No. 1103 C.D. 2015

: Submitted: December 11, 2015

Workers’ Compensation Appeal :

Board (Harris), :

Respondent :

BEFORE: HONORABLE DAN PELLEGRINI, President Judge

HONORABLE PATRICIA A. McCULLOUGH, Judge

HONORABLE JAMES GARDNER COLINS, Senior Judge

OPINION NOT REPORTED

DISSENTING OPINION BY

PRESIDENT JUDGE PELLEGRINI FILED: May 6, 2016

The issue in this case is whether the Employer satisfied its burden to 

modify Antoine Harris’s (Claimant) compensation benefits based on a labor market 

survey conducted in accordance with Section 306(b) of the Workers’ Compensation 

Act (Act).1This provision allows an employer to modify compensation benefits 

based on a labor market survey that, considering the employee’s residual productive 

skill, education, age and work experience, determines what type of substantial gainful 

employment exists in the usual employment area and, based on that survey,

determines the claimant’s earning power and modifies compensation accordingly. 

 

1 Act of June 2, 1915, P.L. 736, as amended, 77 P.S. §512.
DRP - 2

Section 306(b)(2) of the Act, though, provides that “[i]f the employer has a specific 

job vacancy the employe is capable of performing, the employer shall offer such job 

to the employe.” If it does not, benefits may not be modified. I respectfully dissent 

because the majority has incorrectly found that an employee-claimant has to have the 

qualification exactly listed on the employer’s job description, not just that he must be 

capable of performing such a job.

In this case, the Workers’ Compensation Judge (WCJ) accepted 

Philadelphia Eagles, LLC’s (Employer) labor market survey that would allow for 

Claimant’s employment in various positions, including a marketing coordinator 

position, with a starting wage of approximately $1,000 per week. The WCJ rejected, 

however, the testimony of Employer’s Director of Human Resources that Claimant 

did not meet the requirements of the posted positions, including that of a “ticket 

taker” or a “tour guide,” because he had no customer service experience. Based on 

the positions that Employer’s labor market survey found that Claimant was capable of 

performing, the WCJ found that Claimant was capable of performing the market 

coordinator position and the WCJ denied Employer’s request to modify benefits.

The majority reverses the WCJ’s decision because it finds the WCJ’s 

rejection of Employer’s Director of Human Resources and the person who conducted 

the labor market survey testimonies to the extent that Claimant was not capable of 

performing the job to be unpersuasive and not credible and was arbitrary, capricious 

and unsupported by the record. It so found because the WCJ based his credibility 

findings on the fact that the Director of Human Resources testified that Claimant did 

not have a college degree when she, in fact, testified that Claimant did have a college 
DRP - 3

degree; that the person that conducted the labor market survey was deficient because 

a job description for the marketing coordinator position was not attached to his 

deposition when the marketing coordinator position was included in the list of jobs 

that he was asked to review; and the WCJ’s finding that the Director of Human 

Resources’ testimony was wrong because Claimant had experience handling largescale events.

The WCJ did make an error in finding that Employer’s Director of 

Human Resources testified that Claimant did not have a college degree. However, 

the WCJ’s finding that the person who conducted the labor market survey did not 

review the marketing coordinator position because it was not attached to his 

deposition is not so clear. Simply because it was included in the list of jobs he was 

asked to review does not mean that he did, especially when Employer’s Director of 

Human Resources did not discuss the marketing coordinator positon in her testimony 

even though she specifically mentioned other positions. This is a matter for the WCJ 

to determine, not this court. As to whether he had experience handling large-scale 

events, it is undisputed that Claimant operated a one-day summer camp on two 

occasions for approximately 300 children. Whether that was sufficient experience is 

for the factfinder, in this case, the WCJ, to make.

None of the above is crucial, though, to the outcome because the fatal 

flaw in the majority’s position is its assumption that if a claimant does not meet the 

exact description contained in the employer’s job listing, an employer is not required 

to offer the job to the employee-claimant. That is not what the law provides. Under 

Section 306(b)(2) of the Act, a claimant is not required to be the best qualified person 
DRP - 4

for the position and to meet all the requirements in the job posting; all that this 

provision requires is that the employee-claimant be offered an available position that 

“the employe is capable of performing.” In finding of fact #9a, the WCJ found that 

“the position of Philadelphia Eagles marketing coordinator was vacant and available 

... and that [Claimant] had the educational and vocational capacity to perform this 

position.”

2

There is substantial competent evidence to support that finding, given 

that the person who conducted the labor market survey found that Claimant is capable 

of being a market coordinator, as well as evidence that he has organized events.

 

2

The majority seems to take the position that an employer is free to be as selective as it 

wants to in filling the position. In making that argument, it relies on Section 123.301(e) of the 

Bureau of Workers’ Compensation’s regulations which provides:

The employer’s duty under subsections (a) and (b) does not require 

the employer to hold a job open for a minimum of 30 days. Job offers 

shall be made consistent with the employer’s usual business practice. 

If the making of job offers is controlled by the provisions of a 

collective bargaining agreement, the offer shall be made consistent 

with those provisions.

34 Pa. Code §123.301(e).

As can be seen, this goes to how long “job offers” have to be held open; it does not give

carte blanche to an employer to add “squishy” job requirements that are freely waivable, only 

acting as a shield to avoid its obligations under the Act and other laws. All that Section 306(b)(2) 

of the Act requires is that the person be “capable” of performing the job. Even if we were to accept 

the majority’s interpretation of the regulations, “the power of an administrative agency to prescribe 

rules and regulations under a statute is not the power to make law, but only the power to adopt 

regulations to carry into effect the will of the Legislature as expressed by the statute.” Volunteer 

Firemen’s Relief Association of the City of Reading v. Minehart, 227 A.2d 632, 635-636 (Pa. 1967).

When an agency adopts regulations at variance with the statute, the regulations, and not the statute, 

fall by the wayside. See Xerox Corporation v. City of Pittsburgh, 327 A.2d 206 (Pa. Cmwlth.

1974); George A. Fuller Co. v. City of Pittsburgh, 327 A.2d 191 (Pa. Cmwlth. 1974).
DRP - 5

Moreover, neither the person who conducted the labor market survey nor the Director 

of Human Resources ever testified that Claimant was incapable of performing any of 

the positions – including the “ticket taker” position. Those positions had a salary 

range well above Claimant’s presumed earning power of $1,000 a week. This does 

not show that the job required someone with more qualifications, only that they 

wanted someone that had more experience than Claimant.

Accordingly, for the foregoing reasons, I respectfully dissent.

____________________________________

DAN PELLEGRINI, Senior Judge