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Showing posts sorted by relevance for query gingrich. Sort by date Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query gingrich. Sort by date Show all posts

Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Newt Gingrich Is Back: Now Wants To Protect Workers From Unions

Today's post is shared from washingtonpost.com/
On Election Day, voters didn’t just rebel against President Obama. There was another pattern in the candidates they chose: Across the country, they picked pols who explicitly supported individual employee rights.
This wasn’t just a canned part of every Republican’s platform. Govs. Scott Walker of Wisconsin and Rick Snyder of Michigan, for instance, both won reelection after pushing through significant employee-friendly reforms in their first terms. Even in deep-blue Illinois, Republican Bruce Rauner campaigned on a platform to give state employees the right to decide for themselves whether to join a union.

Pro-employee rights candidates now hold majorities in both the U.S. House and Senate, and it’s time for Congress to deliver the pro-employee agenda that has gained so much momentum in the states. Here’s how members can enhance employee rights in the workplace.

The best legislative vehicle for advancing those rights is the Employee Rights Act (ERA). Led by Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.), the ERA has 29 co-sponsors in the Senate and more than 100 in the House. It’s the most significant rewrite of the National Labor Relations Act in decades, with a twist: Instead of the gridlock that comes with trying to rig labor law to benefit either unions or employers, it focuses squarely on the rights of the employees. (All of the law’s provisions can be viewed at EmployeeRightsAct.com.)

Take...
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Related:
Sep 25, 2008
Gingrich is suggesting that employees be “self-insured” for injuries and illnesses and resulting disability freeing the employees of the need to contribute to insurance coverage or Social Security benefits at all. A recent article in ...
May 11, 2011
Common themes of a single payer medical system are emerging. History can repeat itself. The announcement by Newt Gingrich to run for the presidency in 2012, and the anticipated signing of the Vermont Single Payer ...
Dec 07, 2011
The NY Times reports today that presidential hopeful, Newt Gingrich is taking the lead in the Iowa state Caucus poles. Over the past years, during his absence from Washington politics, Gingrich has been involved in lobbying ...
Nov 22, 2011
Newt Gingrich's poll numbers are soaring for the US Presidential nomination. He has announced that he will offer radical proposals including the elimination of child labor laws. For decades child labor laws and penalties have ...

Saturday, November 12, 2011

The Gingrich Revival and The Future of Workers' Compensation

Newt Gingrich's sudden rise in popularity this week for the Republican nomination for the US presidency has yet again raised the concern as to whether the workers' compensation program will become extinct. Mr. Gingrich has long sought the withdrawal of any employer contributions to workers' compensation.


"We have to rethink and redesign the public policies we created for people with disabilities, for workers' compensation, and for long-term living. Policies and systems that made perfect sense in an industrial era make no sense in the information age. The paternalistic solutions of the twentieth century are actually roadblocks to hope and opportunity in the twenty-first century.
Century Contract with America By Newt Gingrich


Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Gingrich: Workers' Compensation is History

The NY Times reports today that presidential hopeful, Newt Gingrich is taking the lead in the Iowa state Caucus poles. Over the past years, during his absence from Washington politics, Gingrich has been involved in lobbying for change in the nation's medical delivery system. 

His statement before the National Governor's Conference in 2010 reflects that he will definitely advocate for the abolishment of the patchwork of State workers' compensation laws:

"Replace litigation-focused workers compensation with a rehabilitation and capabilities focused program that maximizes the speed of helping people medically, and focuses on retraining and focusing on what they can do rather than on what they can't do."


Read more about his increase in popularity:
In Iowa, Gingrich Is Gaining Favor, New Poll Shows
"Newt Gingrich enters the final four weeks of campaigning before the Iowa caucuses with Republican voters in the state viewing him as more prepared to be president than Mitt Romney, more attuned to their concerns and just as capable of defeating President Obama, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News Poll." read more.......

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Gingrich Calls Present Workers' Compensation System Dangerous


Entitlement programs were a hot issue in the Iowa Caucuses, and the nation's workers' compensation system has become an ancillary target. In the final hours of the Iowa debate,  Newt Gingrich called the present workers' compensation system as "very dangerous." 

Whoever the winner of tonight's contest is on the Republican side, that person will ultimately carry forth the Republican agenda to review the nation's disability program including both workers' compensation and disability. 


Click here for the NY Times story on the results of the Iowa Caucuses

Monday, February 27, 2012

Enter Jeb Bush: Gingrich on Work Comp Now an Issue

Ann Coulter at the 2004 Republican National Co...Image via Wikipedia
Ann Coulter at the 2004 Republican National Convention
The Republican presidential primary is now moving workers' compensation up on the issue ladder. Today, Ann Coulter, a conservative columnist on the Fox New Channel,  attacked Newt Gingrich  on his proposal to employ child janitors and opposition to a workers' compensation system and also attacked Jeb Bush on his pro-immigration policy.

Coulter, who is supporting Mitt Romney,  remarked that the candidates should stop "appealing to people's fear and emotions." She commented that the nomination of Jeb Bush would be an embarrassment to the Republican party and is pro-amnesty for illegal aliens policy was not conservative enough.

On the other hand, she failed to mention that Mitt Romney planned to cut benefits to the disabled. So the choices are pretty poor for injured workers. Whether the Republicans  directly or indirectly attack benefits for injured workers, it is quiet apparent that workers' compensation will be a prominent issue for the 2012 presidential campaign.


Friday, February 6, 2015

Republican Lawmakers Set To Unveil Health Law Replacement Plan

Health care is a known unknown in the future of workers' compensation. If the Scott Walker's Wisconsin plan to dismantle workers' compensation is implemented, will that lead to more uninsured workers, or a merger into a universal health care program? Will it be a step backward to the 1994 Contract With America and the Newt Gingrich plan to eliminate workers' altogether? The debate continues as the 2016 national election cycle continues to frame the issues. Today's post was shared by Kaiser Health News and comes from kaiserhealthnews.org


House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton declined to give details on the plan. Some Republicans are pushing tax credits and deductions for health care, and others are pushing the idea of "portable" health coverage -- the ability to take your insurance from job to job.

The Associated Press: GOP Lawmakers Ready A Plan To Replace Obama Health Care Law
A Republican House committee chairman says he and two GOP senators are preparing to release a plan for replacing President Barack Obama's health care law. House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton declined to discuss details Tuesday, but said the proposal will give Republicans a proposal that they can stand behind. The Michigan Republican said he, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch of Utah and Sen. Richard Burr of North Carolina will unveil their proposal Thursday. (2/3)

The Fiscal Times: New GOP Congress Develops Alternate Health Plans
House lawmakers are planning to vote for a 60th time today to repeal the president’s health care law – a vote that’s legislatively pointless but politically symbolic. Many of the 47 GOP freshmen who were elected last November won at least in part because their constituents were anti-Obamacare. (Ehley, 2/3)

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Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Common Themes, The Green Mountain System & Newt Gingrich

Common themes of a single payer medical system are emerging. History can repeat itself. The announcement by Newt Gingrich to run for the presidency in 2012, and the anticipated signing of the Vermont Single Payer medical care legislation, may set the stage for "the perfect storm" to gather impetus for a system that brings workers' compensation care into a unified system.

As the Vermont legislation goes to Governor Peter Shumlin for signing in a couple of weeks, the eyes of the nation will switch focus to the debate in Washington and the presidential race of 2012. Congress and the new administration will be required to focus on the issue of waivers that will be effective in 2014. 

Newt Gingrich had advocated in the past to move the cost occupational medical care onto the backs of employees. He would relieve employers from contributing to workers' compensation medical care and Medicare.

Workers' Compensation is a summary and remedial system that affords injured workers medical care to cure and relieve medical conditions that result from occupational exposures and accidents. In most instances employees find it necessary and prudent to retain the professional assistance of an attorney to assist them in obtaining medical treatment for work related accidents and occupational exposures.

For over 3 decades the Law Offices of Jon L. Gelman  1.973.696.7900  jon@gelmans.com have been representing injured workers and their families who have suffered occupational accidents and illnesses.

Related articles

Friday, May 13, 2011

Common Themes, The Green Mountain System & Newt Gingrich


Editors note: This is a re-post of yesterday's blog. Google had a systemwide issue and during their maintenance they did not restore this post.

Common themes of a single payer medical system are emerging. History can repeat itself. The announcement by NewtGingrich to run for the presidency in 2012, and the anticipated signing of the Vermont Single Payer medical care legislation, may set the stage for "the perfect storm" to gather impetus for a system that brings workers' compensation care into a unified system.

As the Vermont legislation goes to Governor Peter Shumlin for signing in a couple of weeks, the eyes of the nation will switch focus to the debate in Washington and the presidential race of 2012. Congress and the new administration will be required to focus on the issue of waivers that will be effective in 2014. 

Newt Gingrich had advocated in the past to move the cost occupational medical care onto the backs of employees. He would relieve employers from contributing to workers' compensation medical care and Medicare.

Workers' Compensation is a summary and remedial system that affords injured workers medical care to cure and relieve medical conditions that result from occupational exposures and accidents. In most instances employees find it necessary and prudent to retain the professional assistance of an attorney to assist them in obtaining medical treatment for work related accidents and occupational exposures.

For over 3 decades the Law Offices of Jon L. Gelman  1.973.696.7900  jon@gelmans.com have been representing injured workers and their families who have suffered occupational accidents and illnesses.


Related articles

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Corporate Empathy: A Race To The Bottom Of The Ladder

As the Republican Presidential primary race heats up, the candidates start to get tied, the debate becomes ever so more heated and raw, and the true colors of reality starts to show. Where the race will lead us and the movement to improve the nation's system of medical benefit delivery to injured workers' is really anyone's best guess. As of now the temperature of the debate and the emotion being generated portends poorly for the benefit of workers as the corporate mentality reflects no empathy for workers and the race to the bottom of the ladder continues.


For more read the NY Times Editorial today"The Corporate Candidates."
"Mr. Romney claims his background as a businessman provides him with an understanding of the economy and the ability to fix it. His opponents — particularly Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum, Ron Paul and Rick Perry — say their political experience provides the same advantage. In truth, none have offered anything but tired or extremist economic prescriptions, providing little evidence that they can relate to those at the middle or bottom of the ladder."

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Merit-Based Workers Compensation: The Romney-Gingrich Plan

The Republican presidential primary battle has inadequately defined the debate guidelines for the future of workers' compensation in the US. While both leading Republican candidates are throwing darts at each other on many points, the basic philosophy of both Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich is to extinguish the so-called "entitlement society." They claim Barack Obama, "the food stamp president," has accelerated the problem. 


Of course, missing from the debate is that fact that the US has changed, in tandem, with the rest of the world. The nation's manufacturing sector left the auditorium, and with it went jobs and premiums for supporting a viable workers' compensation system. What it left was a legacy of industrial illness and disease that is fatally affecting the nation's medical delivery system and burdening the taxpayers of our nation.


If the political debate is to become credible, the medical treatment delivery system must be addressed rather than just throwing around meaningless political rhetoric. While the safety net is slowing deteriorating, there remains still an opportunity to re-design and advance a credible workers' compensation system. If the debate continues along the present path, the opportunity will be lost and the nation will loose.


See The Republican Myth Of Obama’s “Entitlement Society” By Robert Reich
"But they have cause and effect backwards. The reason for the rise in food stamps, unemployment insurance, and other safety-net programs is Americans got clobbered in 2008 with the worst economic catastrophe since the Great Depression. They and their families have needed whatever helping hands they could get."
.....
For over 3 decades the Law Offices of Jon L. Gelman  1.973.696.7900  jon@gelmans.com have been representing injured workers and their families who have suffered occupational accidents and illnesses. 

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Gingrich Calls for More Child Labor, Calls Laws "Stupid"

Newt Gingrich's poll numbers are soaring for the US Presidential nomination. He has announced that he will offer radical proposals including the elimination of child labor laws. For decades child labor laws and penalties have been integrated into state workers' compensation acts acting as a safety deterrent to accidents.

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Newt Gingrich’s New Strategy for Workers’ Compensation


In a plan reminiscent of his earlier ideas, the former Speaker of the House is back again advocating an expanded Regan Administration economic plan which would shift the burden from employers and onto the employees. In an effort to eliminate litigation costs Newt Gingrich has proposed a plan that would eliminate employer contributions to employee benefits entirely.

He is suggesting that employees maintain their own economic funds to cover their own needs including medical care and presumably workers’ compensation type benefits. Gingrich is suggesting that employees be “self-insured” for injuries and illnesses and resulting disability freeing the employees of the need to contribute to insurance coverage or Social Security benefits at all.

A recent article in The American Spectator highlights Newt Gingrich’s thoughts concerning the shift of responsibility from the employer to the employee. This builds upon his previous suggestion which was to just eliminate workers’ compensation altogether.

Monday, November 28, 2011

Fallout From The Failure of Super Committee May Cascade Into Workers Compensation Medical Delivery

USA Today Poll

The failure the Congressional Super Committee to reach an agreement on debit reform may result in a major readjustment of the Medicare premium system. That change, will possibly be a merger of the two ends of the political spectrum and result in a Newt Gingrich type privatization of the funding of medical delivery. 



Similarly, and consistent with the Gingrich plan, the soaring medical costs of workers' compensation will need to be addressed. Lacking a more creative innovation from the workers' compensation arena, the changes may result in the peeling off of medical benefits from the workers' compensation menu and making it an a la carte item with deductibles as side dishes.

Read the article  Support Builds for a Plan to Rein In Medicare Costs by Robert Pear (nytimes.com)


"WASHINGTON — Though it reached no agreement, the special Congressional committee on deficit reduction built a case for major structural changes in Medicare that would limit the government’s open-ended financial commitment to the program, lawmakers and health policy experts say."

Sunday, November 14, 2010

USPS May Declare Bankruptcy Citing High Workers Compensation Costs

A small United States Postal Service truck see...
The Washington Post reported Saturday that the US Postal Service (USPS) may declare bankruptcy and cited high combined benefit costs as a major cause for its financial instability.  The quasi-governmental agency is running into problems it claims because of its requirement to to pre-fund $5.4 billion to a retiree health benefit fund and pay $2.5 billion to the federal workers' compensation fund.

The USPS's troubles mirror that difficulties stangulating the nation's network of state workers' systems caused by the inability to fund soaring medical costs enhanced by complications caused by duplicate administrative costs engulfed by a multiplicity of collateral programs. In contested claims injured workers are shifted to other benefit programs to pay for medical costs. Those secondary programs ultimately seek reimbursement from the primary benefit program, workers' compensation coverage, and literally clog up administrative dockets and create greatly enhanced processing costs and monumental delays.

While the USPS will seek assistance from the Republican majority in
US Congress, it is uncertain what financial aid will be forthcoming, or whether Congress will take a deeper look at the nation's workers' compensation entirely. The last time the Republican's dominated Congress proposals were suggested by the former Speaker, Newt Gingrich, to over haul the national system entirely.

The medical component is now in critical condition. It remains uncertain if it will addressed in the next congressional term, or whether it will be the can that is kicked down the road to be dealt with in the future. The growing trend remains, that Federalization of the medical delivery component is the probable  solution to both the USPS's compensation difficulties as well as the the nation's.

...
For over 3 decades the Law Offices of Jon L. Gelman 1.973.696.7900jon@gelmans.com have been representing injured workers and their families who have suffered work related accident and injuries.

Monday, November 25, 2013

The Affordable Care Act, brought to you by ……… the Republicans!

Many might now welcome a Nixon ticket.
Today's post comes from guest author Jay Causey, from Causey Law Firm.

     Looking for information in the media that is supportive of the nation’s transition to the Affordable Care Act (ACA), aka “Obamacare?”  At the moment Republican and right wing noise is drowning out much of the lower–decibel cheerleading by the Administration on why this is a good thing.
In 1974, Pres. Richard Nixon proposed what is essentially the 2010 healthcare act – all but the smallest employers would provide medical insurance to their employees or pay a penalty, expansion of Medicaid would insure the poor, and subsidies would be provided to low–income citizens and small employers.
     In a recent op-ed piece, former Secretary of Labor under President Clinton and leading economic expert, now at the University of California, Berkeley, Robert Reich summed up the history of the origin of “Obamacare,” pointing out the irony of the right wing’s fuss over it.
     In 1974, Pres. Richard Nixon proposed what is essentially the 2010 healthcare act – all but the smallest employers would provide medical insurance to their employees or pay a penalty, expansion of Medicaid would insure the poor, and subsidies would be provided to low–income citizens and small employers. While private insurers liked this plan, Democrats favored a system more like Social Security and Medicare, so there was no consensus.
     Fast-forward to 1989, and the right–leaning Heritage Foundation proposed a plan that would mandate all households obtaining adequate insurance. This plan worked its way into several bills introduced by Republicans in 1993, supported by Senators Hatch (R–Utah) and Grassley (R–Iowa), along with subsequent Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich, all now vocal opponents of the ACA.
     When in 2004 Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney made the original Nixon plan the law in his state, with the same mandate to buy private insurance, he said, “we got the idea of an individual mandate from Newt Gingrich, and he got it from the Heritage Foundation.”
     Health insurance companies, now retooling their policies around the individual mandate, are jubilant about the possibilities of long–term membership growth through the insurance exchanges. These giant corporations have traditionally supported conservative and Republican politics.
     So as Reich notes – – why are Republican spending so much energy trying to sabotage the ACA, and act they designed and about which a huge sector of their patrons are wildly enthusiastic? The answer: it is the singular achievement of the Obama Administration, the head of which is still considered by a large segment of the right to Illegitimately occupy the White House.
     Reich goes on to observe that had the Democrats prevailed on the idea of a system built on the Social Security and Medicare model – – cheaper, simpler, and more widely accepted by the citizenry – – Republicans would nevertheless be making the same noise.

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Workers' Compensation Jeopardy: Romney and Medical Costs

Mitt Romney
Planned changes by Mitt Romney to Medicare and Medicaid will have a dire effect on the regulations of the future cost of workers’ compensation medical treatment. Proposed changes to the Federal program will indirectly impact the patchwork of workers' compensation programs by removing federally mandated fee regulation embraced under Obamacare.
Directly or indirectly, most workers' compensation programs have medical treatment and pharmaceutical pricing costs that are geared to Federal payment schedules regulated by the Medicare and Medicaid systems. Additionally, the Medicare Secondary Payer Act mandates reimbursement to the Federal, and State administered, and in many instances the Federal costs are less than the customary payments under workers’ compensation systems. Therefore the Federal programs, even if conditionally paid, result in lower payments eventually by employers and workers' compensattion insurance companies who in term are required to reimburse the Federal agency.
Additionally, the elimination of the Federal controls, that put a lid on the cost of benefits, would adversely affect the workers' compensation programs by creating havoc by eliminating the certainty of reduced costs, especially where future costs are concerned, ie. catastrophic care scenarios and latent diseases, ie. asbestosis.
Paul Krugman (NYTimes) points out, “But one thing is clear: If he [Romney] wins, Medicaid — which now covers more than 50 million Americans, and which President Obama would expand further as part of his health reform — will face savage cuts. Estimates suggest that a Romney victory would deny health insurance to about 45 million people who would have coverage if he lost, with two-thirds of that difference due to the assault on Medicaid.”
The Romney agenda to dismantle the present medical benefit program will only further jeopardize the economic stability of the nation’s workers’ compensation system. 
....
Jon L.Gelman of Wayne NJ is the author NJ Workers’ Compensation Law (West-Thompson) and co-author of the national treatise, Modern Workers’ Compensation Law (West-Thompson). 
Read More About Romney and Medical Care
Oct 07, 2012
The Chemical Lobby, and those who advocate of their behalf for less regulation, including presidential candidate Mitt Romney are now advocating for less regulation and the elimination of the semi-annual publication The ...
Dec 26, 2011
"Romney and his aides have designed his rhetoric to define pretty much all spending on entitlements, including provisions for the injured, unemployed, sick, disabled or elderly as benefits to the poor who, Romney implies, are ...
Feb 01, 2012
While both leading Republican candidates are throwing darts at each other on many points, the basic philosophy of both Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich is to extinguish the so-called "entitlement society." They claim Barack ...
Sep 04, 2012
Mr. Eastwood is a former businessman and, according to Republican nominee Mitt Romney, that is an essential qualification for President. So maybe that's why Eastwood was given such a prominent role before Romney ...

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

It is Time To Do The Right Thing



A recent decision by the NJ Courts illustrates the weaknesses of the present workers' compensation system when dealing with occupational exposures. The social remedial system called workers' compensation was designed before recognition of the compensability occupational illnesses. 


The initial system was to furnish benefits without fault and in a summary and remedial fashion to injured workers. For the most part, that system worked from 1911 until the 1950's when the legacy of asbestos, used in World War II to insulate ships, came back to haunt the American worker by the manifestation of latent asbestos diseases including mesothelioma, a rare and fatal cancer.


Recently a NJ court denied the compensability of an asbestos related condition based upon the claimant's own knowledge of the causal relationship of an asbestos related medical condition and his own occupational exposure. Additional the court held that medical expert testimony was not required to support a motion to dismiss for the failure to meet the requirement of the statute of limitations.


In the 1970's the US Department of Labor was concerned with the same weaknesses and unavailability of benefits. The US DOL commissioned the Environmental Sciences Center at the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine under the leadership of the late Irving J. Selikoff, MD to study and analyze the problem. The weaknesses of the system, even though less dramatic than present, led to the conclusion that the workers' compensation systems just didn't work for occupational disease conditions. Additionally, costs for medical treatment of asbestos related conditions were being shifted at an estimated $10 Billion dollars, at that time, to the Medicare system.


Dr. Selikoff studied two major cohorts in analyzing the inadequacies of the  workers' compensation system. One group were insulators, and another group were 933 former plant workers at The Union Asbestos and Rubber Company of Paterson NJ who worked in war production between 1942 and 1944. Strikingly, the dormant medical conditions caused by the occupational exposure to asbestos fiber, and the latent condition of the disease for decades, caused major problems in filing claims. Those included the statute of limitation and diagnosis by medical professionals. Some professional were Grade B readers certified by The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and even those experts in the field were challenged in Court. 


The report, that was submitted to the US Congress, concluded that the failure of the workers' compensation system to provide benefits to many who were exposed to asbestos, and the inadequate benefits to others. Their low rates were based on extremely low wages at the time of exposure. For these and other reasons, the report concluded, that the workers' compensation had failed to adequately provide treatment and other benefits. Since workers' compensation was not meeting the needs, claimants flocked to the tort system in epidemic proportion resulting in "the longest running tort" in American judicial history, "asbestos litigation." That litigation continues to this day. Even scores of companies that have reorganized under bankruptcy to avoid liability exposure are now providing benefits under a claims procedure.


While the NJ Court's decision may have been on point with regard to the Rules adopted to govern workers' compensation cases, it is time to revisit whether the Rules are too strict and defeat the social and remedial goals of the system that was envisioned by the creators in 1911. On a global scale, the failure of the workers' compensation to provide benefits results in the inequitable shift of responsibility to the general taxpayer. 


To meet the needs of those exposed occupationally, Congress needs to act now upon a global and unified solution. One path to the goal of correcting inequities of the system is to advance a system of universal medical care.  The US government must do the right thing. The medical delivery system for occupational diseases must come under a national universal medical care program. Additionally Congress must meet its moral and social responsibility and finally ban asbestos use in the US once and for all.


Read the decision: Russo v. Hoboken Board of Education, A-1861-10T4 (App. Div. November 29, 2011)

"...the WCJ found that he knew asbestos could cause lung disease and other medical problems as early as "the 70s." She noted that Russo "made complaints about the exposures to harmful substances . . . while still teaching." The WCJ further found that Russo "was well aware of the potential harmful effects of asbestos exposure," and she rejected his claim that the petition was not time-barred "because he was never informed by any of his treating physicians that his cancer was related to this exposure."

...
For over 3 decades the Law Offices of Jon L. Gelman  1.973.696.7900  jon@gelmans.com have been representing injured workers and their families who have suffered occupational accidents and illnesses.