Specific Loss Benefits Under PA Section 306(c): What Qualifies

A Separate Category of Benefits Many Workers Never Hear About

Most people think workers' compensation is only about wage-loss checks and medical bills. But Pennsylvania's Workers' Compensation Act contains a distinct category—specific loss benefits under Section 306(c)—that pays for the permanent loss of a body part or function, on top of (and sometimes instead of) ordinary disability benefits. Many injured workers never learn these benefits exist, and leave them unclaimed.

What Specific Loss Covers

Section 306(c) provides a set number of weeks of compensation for the permanent loss—or loss of use—of specific body parts and functions, including:

• Loss of a hand, arm, leg, foot, or fingers/toes
• Loss of hearing (one or both ears)
• Loss of vision in an eye
• Serious and permanent disfigurement of the head, face, or neck that is visible and unsightly

Each listed loss carries a predetermined number of weeks of benefits, plus a healing period. Because the schedule is fixed, these benefits can be paid even if you have returned to work.

Why This Matters After a Brain Injury

A traumatic brain injury frequently damages more than cognition. It can cause permanent vision loss or double vision, hearing loss, or facial disfigurement from the underlying trauma or surgery. Each of those consequences may support a separate specific loss award—value that is easy to overlook when everyone is focused on the head injury itself. "Loss of use" counts too: if an eye or ear no longer functions for practical purposes, it can qualify even if the body part is still physically present.

How Specific Loss Interacts With Other Benefits

• Specific loss benefits are generally paid in addition to medical coverage.
• The rules coordinating specific loss with total-disability benefits can be complex, and getting the sequence right affects the total you receive.
• Disfigurement awards are decided by the workers' compensation judge, who actually views the scarring.

How We Help

Identifying every compensable loss is exactly the kind of detail that changes the value of a case. Certified Workers' Compensation Specialist Michael Cardamone reviews brain-injury claims for vision, hearing, and disfigurement losses that insurers rarely volunteer. Where a third party caused the injury, we coordinate that claim with heavyweight personal injury colleagues so nothing is left on the table.

Find Out What You're Owed—Free

If your brain injury left you with lasting vision, hearing, or facial changes, you may have a specific loss claim you don't know about. Call (833) 898-4587—free, confidential, and no fee unless we win.