Court Opinion

ID: 9951867
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2024-03-19 14:11:34.558722+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T14:43:38.402825
License: Public Domain

IN THE COMMONWEALTH COURT OF PENNSYLVANIA

Darren Hoffman,                             :
                                 Petitioner :
                                            :
             v.                             : No. 359 C.D. 2023
                                            : Submitted: February 6, 2024
City of Philadelphia                        :
(Workers’ Compensation                      :
Appeal Board),                              :
                                 Respondent :

BEFORE:           HONORABLE PATRICIA A. McCULLOUGH, Judge
                  HONORABLE ELLEN CEISLER, Judge
                  HONORABLE STACY WALLACE, Judge

OPINION NOT REPORTED

MEMORANDUM OPINION
BY JUDGE WALLACE                                            FILED: March 19, 2024

        Darren Hoffman (Claimant) petitions for review of the March 20, 2023 order
of the Workers’ Compensation Appeal Board (Board) affirming the Workers’
Compensation Judge’s (WCJ) decision to grant the City of Philadelphia’s
(Employer) petition to modify Claimant’s total disability benefits to partial disability
based on an impairment rating evaluation (IRE) performed pursuant to Section
306(a.3) of the Workers’ Compensation Act,1 added by the Act of October 24, 2018,
P.L. 714, No. 111, 77 P.S. § 511.3, which is commonly known as Act 111 of 2018
(Act 111).        Claimant argues Act 111 violates the Remedies Clause of the

1
    Act of June 2, 1915, P.L. 736, as amended, 77 P.S. §§ 1-1041.4, 2501-2710.
Pennsylvania Constitution and creates an unconstitutional delegation of legislative
authority. Upon review, we affirm.
                              I.      Background & Analysis
        The parties do not dispute the facts of this case. “On November 9, 2016,
Claimant sustained a work-related injury to his right thumb and right upper extremity
in the course of his employment with [Employer].” Reproduced Record (R.R.) at
40a. On October 14, 2021, Lynn Yang, M.D. (Dr. Yang), who is board certified in
physical medicine and rehabilitation, conducted an examination of Claimant. Id. at
21a. Dr. Yang opined that Claimant had a whole-person impairment rating of 10%
based on the American Medical Association’s Guides to the Evaluation of
Permanent Impairment (AMA Guides), Sixth Edition. Id. at 21a-22a.
        Based on Dr. Yang’s determination, Employer filed a modification petition.
After a hearing, at which Claimant did not present any evidence in opposition to
Employer’s modification petition but preserved constitutional challenges to Act 111,
the WCJ modified Claimant’s total disability benefits to partial disability. R.R. at
22a-24a. Claimant appealed to the Board, and the Board affirmed the WCJ’s
decision. See id. at 38a-44a.
        Claimant now appeals to this Court. On appeal, Claimant argues the Board
erred because: (1) retroactive application of Act 111 to work injuries that occurred
before Act 111’s effective date violates the Remedies Clause2 of the Pennsylvania

2
   Article I, section 11 of the Pennsylvania Constitution, known as the Remedies Clause, states, in
relevant part:

        All courts shall be open; and every man for an injury done him in his lands, goods,
        person or reputation shall have remedy by due course of law, and right and justice
        administered without sale, denial or delay.

Pa. Const. art. I, § 11.

                                                2
Constitution, and (2) Act 111 constitutes an unconstitutional delegation of legislative
authority. See Petitioner’s Br. at 4.
      Claimant’s arguments on appeal have already been reviewed and rejected by
this Court in precedential decisions. See e.g., Pierson v. Workers’ Comp. Appeal
Bd. (Consol Pa. Coal Co. LLC), 252 A.3d 1169, 1180 (Pa. Cmwlth.), appeal denied,
261 A.3d 378 (Pa. 2021) (Act 111 does not violate the Remedies Clause of the
Pennsylvania Constitution or constitute unconstitutional delegation of legislative
authority); Pa. AFL-CIO v. Commonwealth, 219 A.3d 306 (Pa. Cmwlth. 2019), aff’d
per curiam, (Pa., No. 88 MAP 2019, filed August 18, 2020) (Act 111 does not
constitute an unlawful delegation of legislative authority). Accordingly, we follow
our precedential decisions and reject Claimant’s arguments on appeal.
                                  II.   Conclusion
      For the reasons set forth above, we affirm the Board’s order.

                                              ______________________________
                                              STACY WALLACE, Judge

                                          3
        IN THE COMMONWEALTH COURT OF PENNSYLVANIA

Darren Hoffman,                     :
                         Petitioner :
                                    :
         v.                         : No. 359 C.D. 2023
                                    :
City of Philadelphia                :
(Workers’ Compensation              :
Appeal Board),                      :
                         Respondent :

                               ORDER

     AND NOW, this 19th day of March 2024, the Workers’ Compensation
Appeal Board’s March 20, 2023 order is AFFIRMED.

                                    ______________________________
                                    STACY WALLACE, Judge