Biography
Anna V. Rio is a partner at Schmidt, Kirifides, Rassias, & Rio and has devoted her legal career exclusively to the practice of workers’ compensation law. For more than three decades, she has represented injured workers throughout Pennsylvania, guiding clients through every stage of the workers’ compensation process with a focus on preparation, precision, and results.
Anna handles the full scope of workers’ compensation matters, including new injury claims, denied benefits, wage loss disputes, medical treatment issues, utilization review, independent medical examinations, penalties, and settlements. She regularly appears before Workers’ Compensation Judges in counties throughout Pennsylvania and is widely respected for her command of trial level litigation and advocacy on behalf of injured workers.
In addition to her trial practice, Anna has significant appellate experience. She has appeared before the Workers’ Compensation Appeal Board and the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, where she argued and won the landmark case McLaughlin v. WCAB (St. Francis Country House), 808 A.2d 285 (Pa. Cmwlth. 2002). That decision remains an important precedent in Pennsylvania workers’ compensation law.
Anna is a Certified Workers’ Compensation Law Specialist, as authorized by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania and administered by the Pennsylvania Bar Association. She has also served in leadership roles within the legal community, including as Co Chair of the Philadelphia Bar Association’s Workers’ Compensation Executive Committee, a distinction reflecting the respect she has earned among judges and fellow practitioners in this specialized field.
Throughout her career, Anna has been known for her disciplined approach to litigation, deep knowledge of the Workers’ Compensation Act, and commitment to protecting the rights and benefits of injured workers.
Education
- Widener University School of Law, Wilmington, Delaware
- J.D. 1993
- Temple University
- B.A. 1990
Bar Admission
- Pennsylvania, 1993
- New Jersey, 1993
- U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Third Circuit
Certified Legal Specialties
- Workers’ Compensation Law — Certified Specialist, authorized by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania and administered by the Pennsylvania Bar Association
Current Employment Position
- Workers’ Compensation Partner, SKRR