The PCRB is a non-profit corporation formed in 1915 in accordance with the insurance laws of Pennsylvania and is not affiliated with state government. The PCRB’s enabling statute specified that classification of employers, underwriting rules, policy forms, loss cost values and rating plans for workers compensation shall be proposed by a rating bureau situated within the state. The PCRB is subject to supervision and examination by the Pennsylvania Insurance Commissioner, who must approve its ability to compile loss costs on an equitable and impartial basis. The PCRB membership is comprised of all insurance carriers, including the State Workers’ Insurance Fund ("SWIF"), authorized to sell workers compensation insurance in Pennsylvania.
The PCRB is not to be confused with the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation, a division within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s Department of Labor and Industry. That agency is responsible for a number of statutorily designated activities, including the conduct of hearings in contested cases involving workers compensation claims and the enforcement of requirements for employers to secure payment of workers compensation benefits for their employees. Although both the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation and the PCRB are often referred to simply as "the Bureau," they are very different and distinct organizations.