Healthcare Crisis Threatens Workers' Compensation

The American healthcare system is approaching a breaking point that will have profound implications for employers and workers' compensation insurers. As healthcare costs spiral out of control and insurance becomes increasingly unaffordable, a growing number of workers are entering the workplace with untreated medical conditions that will significantly amplify the severity and cost of work-related injuries.

Workers' Compensation Breakdown

Professor Michael C. Duff's law review article "Reverberations of Magna Carta – Work Injuries, Inkblots, and Restitution" presents a scathing indictment of America's workers' compensation system. His central argument: workers have been "unconstitutionally undercompensated" for over a century, creating what amounts to a constitutional crisis hiding in plain sight.

NJ Workers' Compensation: Broken Medical Promises

Like the broader US system, workers' compensation in New Jersey promises to protect employees injured on the job by ensuring timely and adequate medical care. However, this promise often feels broken when navigating the system's realities, particularly concerning medical benefits. Injured workers frequently encounter significant hurdles, especially when seeking medical treatment for both routine conditions and those requiring immediate attention.

Legal Help Boosts Workers' Compensation Benefits

A recent study about the impact of legal representation on workers' compensation benefits found that having an attorney representing an injured worker increases benefits. 

NJ Mandates Access to Periodic Cancer Screenings for Firefighters

NJ Governor Murphy signed legislation that mandates access to periodic cancer screening examinations for firefighters who are not enrolled in the State Health Benefits Program (SHBP), but who are eligible for enrollment in the SHBP by public employment.

OSHA: America Airlines Fined for Retaliating Against Worker Who Reported Hazardous Fumes in Cabin

Federal safety and health investigators have determined that one of the nation's largest airlines retaliated against flight attendants who reported worker illnesses caused by toxic fumes entering aircraft cabins.

NJ Sues Several Companies for Environmental Pollution

Acting Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and Commissioner of Environmental Protection (DEP) Shawn M. LaTourette announced today the filing of seven new environmental enforcement actions across the state.

New Laws in NJ Are a Step to Reduce Gun Violence in the Workplace

Gun violence in the workplace continues to be a significant occupational hazard. Whether it occurs on the work premises or carriers over to an off-premises location, gun violence remains a continuing risk associated with a job,

Jury awards $650K in damages for Massachusetts contractor’s unlawful retaliation against injured immigrant worker

A federal jury in the District of Massachusetts has found that a Massachusetts employer and his company retaliated against an employee who reported an on-the-job injury. The jury awarded $650,000 in damages – $600,000 in punitive damages and $50,000 in compensatory damages – as a result.

OSHA Sues Texas Company Over Whistleblower Firing

As the coronavirus began to spread rapidly across the nation in March 2020, an employee of one of the world’s largest manufacturers of light, medium, and heavy-duty trucks told a supervisor of their concerns about exposure to the virus at the Denton facility.

OSHA Cites Dental Practice for Coronavirus Retaliation

The U.S. Department of Labor has taken legal action against two North Texas dentists on behalf of a dental hygienist and a dental assistant who were not reinstated after expressing concerns about what coronavirus safety measures would be in place when the practice reopened in spring 2020.

Cannabis Legislation Enacted in NJ

Today the NJ Legislature approved, and Governor Phil Murphy signed sweeping legislation to legalize the sale of recreational marijuana. Today's action follows the legislative enactment of medical marijuana laws in NJ and case law approving medical marijuana for the treatment of work-related injuries.

Is the workers' compensation system ready for the COVID-19 [coronavirus] virus? Live Updates

It seems that every decade a new pandemic emerges on the world scene, and complacency continues to exist in the workers’ compensation arena to meet the emerging challenges of infectious disease.

NJ Files Lawsuits Against Two Waterfront Sites for Contamination

As part of the State of New Jersey’s continuing commitment to protect public health and restore natural resources degraded by those who refuse accountability, Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal and Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Commissioner Catherine R. McCabe today announced the filing of two lawsuits to compel the clean-up of contamination and recover Natural Resource Damages (NRDs).

NJ COVID Presumption Bill Sent to Gov. Pat Murphy to Sign - Update 3

Legislation (A3999) that would make it easier for employees on the frontline of the coronavirus fight to get work-related benefits is now advancing to NJ Governor Pat Murphy for signature. NJ has been an epicenter of the COVID-19 crisis and suffered some of the highest incidents of COVID illness and death in the US. NJ was initially caught off guard as the COVID virus entered the state from Europe through the major NJ/NY Airports undetected. 

COVID Presumption Bill Stalled in the NJ Assembly - Action Urged

Legislation (A3999) that would make it easier for employees on the frontline of the coronavirus fight to get work-related benefits is now stalled in the NJ Assembly.

Pandemic Heroes Compensation Act of 2020

Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, the Chairwoman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, will hold a remote hearingt o examine the health and economic burdens shouldered by essential workers and their loved ones during the coronavirus pandemic.

Congressional Committee Examines Pandemic Heroes Compensation Act

This week, Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, the Chairwoman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, held a hearing examining the ways in which H.R. 6909, the Pandemic Heroes Compensation Act of 2020, would help essential workers and their families who have suffered the health and economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

NJ Cannabis Legal Protections Advance for Workers’ Compensation Medical Treatment

The NJ Assembly Financial Institutions and Insurance Committee reported favorably and with committee amendments Assembly Bill No. 377.  As amended, this bill creates certain protections for insurers and insurance producers engaging in the business of insurance in connection with cannabis-related businesses.

Governor Murphy Signs Legislation to Dramatically Reform New Jersey's Medical Marijuana Program, Expand Patient Access

Governor Phil Murphy on July 2, 2019 signed the Jake Honig Compassionate Use Medical Cannabis Act to dramatically reform New Jersey’s Medicinal Marijuana Program (MMP) and expand patient access to medical marijuana.