Court Opinion

ID: 9884117
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-10-06 02:39:03.12852+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:37:47.853989
License: Public Domain

*85Justice SAYLOR,
concurring.
I join the majority opinion, except for its indication that, with the 1996 amendments to Section 306(b) of the Workers’ Compensation Act, 77 P.S. § 512, the General Assembly “replaced” this Court’s approach under Kachinski v. WCAB (Vepco Const. Co.), 516 Pa. 240, 532 A.2d 374 (1987). See Majority Opinion, at 1292.1 find this assertion to be confusing, since this Court has continued to apply and refine Kachinski, most recently in Lewis v. WCAB (Giles & Ransome, Inc.), 591 Pa. 490, 919 A.2d 922 (2007). Moreover, the Commonwealth Court has maintained that an employer may establish job availability, alternatively, through the use of a labor market survey as prescribed in Section 306(b) or via the Kachinski method entailing, inter alia, identification of an available job within the claimant’s capabilities. See, e.g., Rebeor v. WCAB (Eckerd), 976 A.2d 655, 659 (Pa.Cmwlth.2009). Thus, while the majority’s characterization is consistent with the opening passage of Section 306(b)(2), 77 P.S. § 512(2) (providing that “ ‘[ejarning 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”), it suggests a substantial shift in actual practice as reflected in prevailing decisional law. Accordingly, I would leave the issue of whether the Section 306(b) amendments replaced Kachinski to a case in which the question is squarely before the Court.
Justice BAER and Justice TODD join this concurring opinion.