Medical Records Fees Reshape Claims

The cost of obtaining medical records in New Jersey workers’ compensation cases has been significantly restructured. Senate Bill 2253—signed into law by Governor Phil Murphy as P.L. 2022, c. 114, effective September 22, 2022—slashed the permissible fees that hospitals and licensed health care professionals may charge for copies of medical and billing records. Three years on, a January 5, 2026, regulatory amendment to N.J.A.C. 8:43G-15.3 has updated hospital licensing standards to bring administrative rules into full alignment with the statute, closing a gap that had persisted since 2011.

Hemp, Medicare, and Workers' Compensation

A federal district court in the District of Columbia has dismissed a challenge to a novel Medicare hemp-access program, ruling that the plaintiffs lacked standing to sue. The decision in Smart Approaches to Marijuana v. Kennedy (D.D.C. May 22, 2026) has significant implications for healthcare providers, insurers, and workers' compensation practitioners navigating the rapidly evolving landscape of cannabis-related medical treatment.

Ebola: A Global Workers' Peril

A deadly new chapter in the decades-long struggle against Ebola has arrived. On May 16, 2026, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), its highest level of alarm, as the Bundibugyo virus (BVD) rapidly spread across northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and crossed the border into Uganda. With no approved vaccine and no targeted therapeutics, this rapidly spreading, often fatal hemorrhagic fever poses an urgent, underappreciated threat to workers around the globe, particularly those in healthcare settings.

SIF, PEOs, and Ethics

On May 13, 2026, the New Jersey workers' compensation bar gathered for the annual May Day Seminar, a three-hour intensive legal education covering some of the most pressing and financially consequential issues in the practice. The topics: the Second Injury Fund (SIF) credit debate, the chaos of PEO coverage litigation, and the ethics landmines embedded in the insurer/employer/attorney triangle. What follows is a practitioner's guide to the issues presented, the law as it now stands, and what you need to do about it.

SSDI in Freefall

The Social Security Administration's (SSA) Disability Insurance (SSDI) program has undergone a dramatic transformation over the past decade. New data from SSA's Office of the Chief Actuary reveal a steep and sustained decline in disabled-worker beneficiary rolls, a trend with profound consequences not only for disabled workers but also for the workers' compensation system that frequently intersects with SSDI benefits.

Badges Don't Make Employees

Sanger v. Next Level Business Services — A Cautionary Tale for Gig-Economy Workers

Flames That Forged Justice

 The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire and the Birth of American Labor Rights

Undocumented Workers Win Pay Case

Lopez v. Marmic LLC is a landmark New Jersey Supreme Court decision handed down on March 19, 2026, and it sends a clear message to employers: hiring someone without work authorization does not give you a free pass to skip paying them.

Glyphosate: Workers at Risk

The collision of a presidential executive order, a $7.25 billion proposed settlement, and decades of occupational health research has placed glyphosate-based herbicides at the center of one of the most consequential legal and workplace safety debates in American history. For employers, insurers, and the millions of workers who handle these chemicals daily, the stakes have never been higher.

Chemical Glove Selection is Critical

How Proper Hand Protection Impacts Workers' Compensation Benefits

When Workers' Comp Isn't Enough

A Recent Case Highlights the Critical Differences Between Workers' Compensation and Social Security Disability

PTSD Protection for First Responders

NJ Governor Murphy Signs Landmark Legislation Integrating Mental Health Protections with Workers' Compensation System

Are Generic Drugs Equally Safe?

Understanding Quality, Safety, and Cost in Workers' Compensation Cases

White House Asbestos Transparency

ADAO Fights for Transparency on East Wing Demolition Hazards

Essential Workers Face Long COVID

Long COVID: Understanding Vulnerabilities for Workers and Legal Protections

Disability Trends Signal Crucial Shift

The 2024 Social Security Disability Insurance Report Reveals Important Changes for Injured Workers and Their Families 

Teachers Are Essential Workers

New Jersey Supreme Court affirms Workers' Compensation protections for educators who contracted COVID-19.

Special Employee or Not? Court Decides

A New Jersey appellate court recently overturned a legal malpractice ruling by clarifying when police officers on "extra duty" assignments become "special employees" under workers' compensation law. The October 2025 decision in Dutcher v. Stathis provides important guidance for determining employment status.

Amazon's Misclassification Strips Workers' Safety Net

When a back injury should mean temporary disability benefits, but instead means choosing between rent and recovery—that's the hidden cost of worker misclassification. New Jersey's recent lawsuit against Amazon exposes how labeling employees as independent contractors strips away critical workers' compensation protections, leaving injured workers financially vulnerable during their most precarious moments.

PTSD Officer's Disability Claim Denied

In a decision that highlights the complex intersection of severe mental trauma and disability law, the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey recently affirmed the denial of Social Security disability benefits to a former police officer suffering from Post Tramatic Stress Disorder [PTSD] after someone put a contract on his life.