In a recent decision the Commonwealth Court was faced with deciding whether a workers compensation insurance company was required to partially reimburse an injured worker for the purchase price of a new home. The worker was injured on the job after falling from a roof and becoming a paraplegic. At the time, he lived with his brother in an older home that needed to be renovated to accommodate his disabilities. The worker obtained a quote setting the cost of the renovations of the older home at about $119,000. Instead, he later purchased a newer home for $220,000 which, except for constructing a shower in his master bedroom, accommodated his disabilities. He filed a petition asking that the insurance company contribute $119,000 toward the new home purchase price because had he not moved and would have had to dish out $119,000 to renovate the old home. Although the court said some renovation costs are reimbursable to a person like this worker, requiring the insurance company to reimburse him $119,000 simply was not reasonable. There are many instances, however, where an insurance company is required to pay for some medically necessary home renovations. When and how much should be paid depend on the facts of each case.
