Filing a Worker’s Compensation Claim in New Jersey:

New Jersey state law requires your employer to provide insurance coverage in the case of workplace injuries. Your employer and their insurance agency get to select the doctor who will provide and determine the extent of your medical care. Naturally, it is in their best interests to pay as little as possible to and they may dramatically underestimate the extent of your injuries, pain and suffering. This is why it is in your best interest to retain the services of Cherry Hill workers comp lawyers who will deal with the insurance companies and fight your case while you recover.

It is important to file a claim as soon as possible after the accident or injury. If your injury is occupational or due to repetitive bodily motion, like carpal tunnel, you need to notify your employer when you first notice the pain or your benefits may be significantly less.  If you need immediate medical attention, get that taken care of first.  But be aware that the state of New Jersey has strict time limits within which you can file a claim and insurance agencies often try to stall the process and paperwork. 

New Jersey Worker’s Compensation Benefits:
All necessary and reasonable medical treatment, prescriptions and hospitalization services related to the work injury are paid by the employer's insurance carrier or directly by the employer if they are self-insured.

The employer has the right to designate the authorized treating physician for all work related injuries. Only in the situations where the employer inappropriately refuses to provide medical treatment or if an emergency exists, may the injured worker choose the treating physician. In the case of the latter, the injured worker should notify the employer as soon as possible concerning the treatment being received.

If an injured worker is disabled for a period of more than seven days, he or she will be eligible to receive temporary total benefits at a rate of 70% their average weekly wage, not to exceed 75% of the Statewide Average Weekly Wage (SAWW) or fall below the minimum rate of 20% of the SAWW. These benefits are provided during the period when a worker is unable to work and is under active medical care.

Benefits are usually terminated when the worker is released to return to work in some capacity or if he or she has reached maximum medical improvement (MMI). MMI is a term that is used when additional treatment will no longer improve the medical condition of the injured worker. The worker, in some cases, may be left with either partial permanent injuries or total permanent injuries, details of which are addressed in the next two sections.

When a job related injury or illness results in a partial permanent disability, benefits are based upon a percentage of certain "scheduled" or "non-scheduled" losses. A "scheduled" loss is one involving arms, hands, fingers, legs, feet, toes, eyes, ears or teeth. A "non-scheduled" loss is one involving any area or system of the body not specifically identified in the schedule, such as the back, the heart, the lungs. These benefits are paid weekly and are due after the date temporary disability ends.

Sometimes when a work injury or illness prevents a worker from returning to any type of gainful employment, he or she may be entitled to receive permanent total disability benefits. These weekly benefits are provided initially for a period of 450 weeks. These benefits continue beyond the initial 450 weeks provided that the injured worker is able to show that he or she remains unable to earn wages.

Permanent Total Disability is also presumed when the worker has lost two major members or a combination of members of the body such as eyes, arms, hands, legs or feet. However, permanent total disability can also result from a combination of injuries that render the worker unemployable.

The Second Injury Fund (SIF), which is administered by the Division of Workers’ Compensation, makes benefit payments to injured workers who are totally and permanently disabled as a result of their last work-related injury combined with the workers’ pre-existing disabilities.

The Second Injury Fund was established to encourage employers to hire disabled workers. The employer only pays for the work related aspect of the total disability award.

Dependents of a worker who dies because of a work related injury or illness may be eligible to receive death benefits. The weekly benefits payments are 70% of the weekly wage of the deceased worker, not to exceed the maximum benefit amount established annually by the Commissioner of Labor.  The benefit amount is divided by the surviving dependents as determined by a judge after a hearing on extent of dependency.

A surviving spouse and natural children who were a part of decedent's household at the time of death are conclusively presumed to be dependents.

A surviving spouse and natural children who were not a part of the decedent's household at the time of death and all other alleged dependents (parents, grandparents, grandchildren, brothers, sisters, etc.) must prove actual dependency.

Children who are deemed to be dependents remain so until the age of 18 years or if a full-time student, until the age of 23 years.

If a child is physically or mentally disabled, he/she may be eligible for further benefits.

The employer or its insurance carrier is responsible to pay up to $3,500 in funeral expenses for a job-related death. These funds are payable to whomever is liable for the funeral bill, be it the estate or an individual.

New Jersey Worker’s Compensation Waiting Period:
The waiting period for compensation benefits after injury is 7 days. (Compensation of volunteer firemen, county five Marshalls, volunteer first aid or rescue squad workers, volunteer drivers of ambulance, forest five wardens or fighters, members of boards of education, and volunteer special reserve or auxiliary policeman are not subject to any waiting period.)

New Jersey Worker’s Compensation Contact Information:
Peter Calderone, Dir./Chief Judge
Department of Labor and Workforce Development
Division of Workers’ Compensation
P. O. Box 381
Trenton, NJ 08625-0381
 (609) 292-2515  (609) 292-2515

NOTICE: These questions and answers concern New Jersey law only, and should not be construed nor relied upon as reflecting the law in other States, nor as giving legal advice. You are warned that circumstances often vary greatly and that, due to changing decisions and law, the answers to these questions may change over time and not be current, and you should consult an attorney in any specific case, and NOT rely on these questions and answers as giving anything other than general information.