Gig Workers Without a Safety Net

How the Platform Economy Is Reshaping Workers’ Compensation Claims

NJ Workers' Compensation Gets Advocate

Governor Sherrill's pick for Labor Commissioner signals stronger protections for injured workers.

New Jersey 2026 Rate Relief

Understanding the Latest Workers' Compensation Changes and Second Injury Fund Adjustments

The New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance has approved significant changes to workers' compensation rates effective January 1, 2026, bringing mixed news for employers across the Garden State. While overall rates are decreasing, the Second Injury Fund contribution has increased notably, impacting the bottom line.

Premature Satisfaction of a Third-Party Lien

The New Jersey Superior Court, Appellate Division, ruled that a third-party lien can remain unresolved until the workers’ compensation claim is adjudicated.

Not an Exception

In most instances, the sole remedy for a worker injured at work is Workers’ Compensation Act [WCA] benefits. Even if the employer fails to obtain workers’ compensation insurance, the employee remains limited to those remedies provided under the WCA.

Impacts of a Governmental Shutdown

The effects of a government shutdown on state workers' compensation systems and their integration with Social Security will vary depending on the specific circumstances of each state. However, some general trends can be expected.

The Honorable Maria Del Valle-Koch Appointed the New Chief Judge and Director

The Honorable Maria Del Valle-Koch will be the New Chief Judge and Director effective Monday, June 6, 2022. Outgoing Chief Judge and Director Russell Wojenko, Jr. announced Friday that Robert Asaro-Angelo, Commissioner of NJ Labor and Workforce Development, had made the appointment.

Reorganization of the NJ Division of Workers’ Compensation Announced

The NJ Division of Workers’ Compensation announced a significant reorganization. The changes are to be effective on January 1, 2022.

Searching for Vaccine in NJ

NJ Commissioner of Health Judith Persichilli COVID-19 provided a status report yesterday on the status of vaccine distribution in NJ. 

Leased Employment Has Its Consequences

An employee leased to another company [ER], ie. From a placement agency [PA], does not have the rights and benefits available to a regular employee. A recent case illustrates how the leased employee is prohibited from seeking an award for damages because of an accident at work.

Payment under section 20 invokes the exclusivity bar even if the employer is uninsured

A lump sum payment under Section 20 of the New Jersey Workers’ Compensation law is deemed to be an employee’s complete surrender of rights and therefore it is the exclusive remedy and bars a negligence action.

Technology - Efficiency - Uniform Procedure

For decades the NJ Workers' Compensation administrative law system has had to adapt to meet the social, political, economic and technological changes of a changing world. The well thought-out proposals by the NJ State Bar Association (NJSBA) are a starting point to the beginning of a new wave of discussion and change.

Chaos in Workers' Compensation - Raising Medicare's Eligibility Age to 67

A new issue for workers' compensation programs is  emerging as  the Republicans push forward on their legislative agenda to reform Medicare. Uncertainty over the impact of raising the eligibility age for Medicare from 65 to 67 may seriously and adversely impact the nation's network of fragile workers' compensation schemes. Furthermore, looming in the background is also the elimination of The Affordable Care Act and the consequence of a large pool of uninsured again seniors.

NJ Workers' Compensation Rates Increase in 2017 - Max $896.00

The NJ Workers' Compensation Rating and Inspection Bureau (NJCRIB) reported today 2017 rates effective January 1, 2017.

The Commissioner of Banking and Insurance (“Commissioner”) has approved a 3.0% decrease in rates and rating values applicable to New Jersey workers compensation and employers liability insurance effective January 1, 2017 on a new and renewal basis. The rating components of the decrease are summarized below.

Joint Employment: Workers' Compensation's New Frontier In The New Shared Economy

Last week the US National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) issued a decision that may have far reaching impact on how "joint employment" is interpreted in workers' compensation cases. Under the doctrine of "joint employment" an employee may be considered an employee of two employers and the ultimate responsibility maybe passed to franchisor under both, The Right to Control or The Nature of the Work, tests.

The Path to Federalization: US Supreme Court Again Validates the Affordable Care Act

The US Supreme Court again affirmed the validity of The Affordable Care Act. The Obamacare program, as it has been nicknamed, will continue to lead to a medical delivery program than eventually will have major repercussions on the antiquated and ineffective medical care system of the existing patch work of state workers' compensation insurance acts.

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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Renee C. Ricciardelli, NJ Judge of Compensation

The Honorable Renee Ricciardelli, Administrative Supervising Judge, Division of Workers’ Compensation, leads a seminar for workers’ compensation attorneys held as part of this year’s celebration of the 100th Anniversary for the New Jersey Division of Workers’ Compensation.
Photo: NJ DOL

Renee C. Ricciardelli, 65, of Columbus, passed away on Thursday, Dec. 11, 2014, at her home.

Born in Trenton, Renee was a lifelong Hamilton Township resident before moving to Columbus 10 years ago. Upon graduation from Temple University and the University of Richmond Law School, she became a tax counselor for the Department of Treasury. On Jan. 1, 1976, Renee was appointed by former mayor, John K. Rafferty, as the Hamilton Township municipal attorney and was the first woman in New Jersey to be appointed to this position.

On Feb. 1, 1985, Renee was appointed by Governor Thomas Kean as a workers' compensation judge for the NJ Department of Labor and Workforce Development. She advanced to administrative supervisory judge several years prior to her retirement in June 2014. She authored the Task Force on the Uninsured Employers Fund in 2003.

She was an original trustee of the Sayen House and Gardens in Hamilton Township and served for several years on the New Jersey Advisory Commission on the Status of Women. Renee was an avid sports fan, especially of the New York Yankees and the New York Giants. She attended several Olympics and could converse on any topic related to sports history.

She enjoyed traveling and took beautiful photos of the sites she visited. She was a lover of nature and animals and supported many charitable organizations dedicated to these causes.

Daughter of the late Valentina (DiGiuseppe) and Angelo M. Ricciardelli, she is survived by her brother and sister-in-law, Charles A. and Jean Ricciardelli of Washington's Crossing, PA; her sister and partner, Janice M. Ricciardelli and Ladd Graham of Pasadena, CA; her niece, Elizabeth Al Binali of Dubai, UAE; her nephews, Charles M. Ricciardelli of Washington, DC and David Ricciardelli of Yorba Linda, CA; her great-nephew, Iain Ricciardelli; her great-niece, Bria Ricciardelli, and several cousins.

A gathering of friends and family will be held on Thursday, Dec. 18, 2014, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Saul Colonial Home, 3795 Nottingham Way, Hamilton Square, NJ with Words of Remembrance being offered at 12 noon.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in Renee's memory to Wounded Warrior Project, 4899 Belfort Road, Suite 300, Jacksonville, FL 32256 (www.woundedwarriorproject.org) or to the Humane Society of the United States, 2100 L Street NW, Washington DC 20037 (www.humanesociety.org) www.saulfuneralhomes.com Saul Colonial Home 3795 Nottingham Way Hamilton Square, NJ 08690 (609) 587-0170 -

See more at: http://obits.nj.com/obituaries/trenton/obituary.aspxpid=173457505#sthash.4SO4ES65.dpuf

Big Data Offer New Strategy For Public Health Campaigns

Today's post was shared by Kaiser Health News and comes from kaiserhealthnews.org

Chicago health officials had a serious problem. The city had long been trying to attack breast cancer among minorities with a program offering uninsured women free mammograms at Roseland Hospital in the predominantly black South Side. But black women – who are far more likely than white women to die of breast cancer – weren’t getting screened. Because traditional public health outreach didn’t seem to be working, the city’s Department of Public Health decided to do something new: It turned to a Chicago-based data mining company, Civis Analytics, for help. Data mining, often employed by political teams and mass marketers, uses statistical analysis to find patterns within large data sets to project trends about individual behavior and demographics. Civis, a private company with offices in Chicago and Washington, D.C., was formed by members of the data analytics team from President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign. Back then, as campaign staffers, they used their skills to identify Obama voters for a get-out-the-vote effort. Later, after the company was formed, Civis employees worked with Enroll America, a nonprofit group, to find people to sign up for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act. When Civis teamed up with Chicago’s health department, it moved on to another health-related mission: to help the city refine its outreach for the breast cancer screening program by using its big-data tool box to identify uninsured women...

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Maine Rolls Back Health Coverage Even As Many States Expand It

Today's post was shared by Kaiser Health News and comes from www.kaiserhealthnews.org

NORTHPORT, Maine – By the time Laura Tasheiko discovered the lump in her left breast, it was larger than a grape. Tasheiko, 61, an artist who makes a living selling oil paintings of Maine’s snowy woods, lighthouses and rocky coastline, was terrified: She had no health insurance and little cash to spare. Laura Tasheiko, 61, sits in her home in Northport, Maine (Photo by Joel Page for USA TODAY). But that was nearly six years ago, and the state Medicaid program was generous then. Tasheiko was eligible because of her modest income, and MaineCare, as it is called, paid for all of her treatment, including the surgery, an $18,000 drug to treat nerve damage that made it impossible to hold a paintbrush, physical therapy and continuing checkups. But while much of America saw an expansion of coverage this year, low-income Maine residents like Tasheiko lost benefits. On Jan. 1, just as the Affordable Care Act was being rolled out nationwide, MaineCare terminated her coverage, leaving her and thousands of others without insurance. Maine Gov. Paul LePage’s decision to shrink Medicaid instead of expanding it was a radical departure from a decade-long effort to cover more people in this small rural state of farmers, lobstermen, craftsmen and other seasonal workers, which at least until recently, boasted one of the lowest rates of uninsured in the nation. Maine was the only state ­in New England, and...

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