When a worker in Pennsylvania is injured or becomes ill due to something at his or her work place, in some cases the worker may decide to seek workers' compensation benefits. The benefits available and the duration of those benefits varies depending on the severity of the injury or illness the worker suffered. Currently, those workers in the Pittsburgh area have two options for how to obtain the benefits-direct deposit or debit card.
Those who currently receive the benefits via a debit card should be on the lookout for a new one. This is because the state of Pennsylvania recently changed the servicer of those cards. Rather than Xerox, the cards will now be issued by JP Morgan Chase. Currently approximately150,000 individuals in the state have the debit cards serviced by Xerox. In addition to workers receiving workers' compensation benefits, other holders include those receiving unemployment benefits.
The change appears to be a positive one in that users of the card will encounter fewer card fees. For instance, they no longer will be charges for moving money from one account to another. In addition, holders of the gold MasterCard can expect:
- Free transactions from MasterCard accepting businesses
- No charges for using ATMs that are in-network
- A larger ATM network
- The ability to use the card to pay bills online without incurring additional charges
Because most individuals who are receiving these benefits are likely depending on them to survive, any savings is likely welcomed. As anyone who has been in that situation is probably aware, every little bit helps.
Source: Timesonline, "Unemployed to save money with new state debit card contract," Mark Shade, Jan. 24, 2013