Monkeypox in the Workplace

Monkeypox is not merely a sexual or geographic disease it is an infectious disease that can cause many workers to be exposed. It is a contagious disease that is transmitted by body contact. Infectious diseases are compensable under most workers’ compensation acts.

Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Claims

Drinking water at Camp Lejune, North Carolina, was contaminated by toxic substances, and it is estimated that over one million military personnel, their families, and civilians who lived and worked near Camp Lejune training facility between August 1, 1953, and December 31, 1987, may have been exposed to hazardous substances.

Burn Pit Legislation Signed into Law

President Biden signed legislation that will provide medical benefits from the Veterans Administration to service members exposed to toxic burn pits while deployed overseas in recent conflicts. The President signed the Sargent First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act. It embodies some of the goals we strived to achieve in the decades-long burn pit litigation project.

Republican Senators Block Final Passage of The Bipartisan Toxic Exposure Bill That Would Assist Veterans

In a stunning reversal the much-anticipated legislation that would aid veterans exposed to toxic burn pits, and water contamination at Camp Lejune and other war sites was blocked by a unified group of 25 Republican Senators. The widely bipartisan Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act of 2022 previously passed the senate 84-14.

"Unmasking COVID" in 2022, Where Are We Now?

A panel of infectious disease experts and public health specialists of the Veterans Administration who have been involved in the national COVID response discuss strategies to contain the spread of the Omicron variant and stay safe.

The Toxic Legacy of Ford Motor Company

The State of New Jersey is suing Ford Motor Company [FMC] for environmental pollution due to dumping its toxic waste in Ringwood, New Jersey. FMC operated a huge assembly plant in Mahwah, New Jersey, from 1955 through June 1980. 

Burn Pit Benefits: The US Senate Passed The Pact Act

The burn pit benefit bill now heads back to the US House of Representatives before going to President Biden’s desk to be signed into law; The PACT Act is named in honor of Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson of Ohio.

COVID-19 on the Brain: Neurological Symptoms Persist in Majority of Long-Haulers

A new study offers scientific evidence supporting permanent neurological disability flowing from an occupational COVID-19 condition. Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine are conducting a longitudinal study to track neurological symptoms in COVID-19 “long-haulers.”

Central New Jersey facility to pay $273K, take corrective actions to resolve COVID-related respirator violations

OSHA finds employers failed to ensure safe respirator use while testing hundreds daily.

COVID-19 Public Health Emergency Lifted - Terminating The Rebuttable Presumption

At his final COVID-19 press briefing, NJ Governor Phil Murphy announced the signing of Executive Order No. 292, which lifts the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency. The order effectively ends the liberalized span of time that established a rebuttable presumption in favor of the employee as to the causal relationship between employment and COVID-19 on March 7, 2022.

Legislation Would Improve Access To Resources And Education For People Living With Long COVID

Long-COVID, Post Acute COVID Syndrome. [PASC] is a compensable illness that many workers now suffer from and seek workers’ compensation benefits. The medical condition affects approximately one-third of those who have contracted COVID. It is a  costly and incapacitating condition that lingers long after the acute stage of SARS-CoV-2 passes. 

President Biden Supports Burn Pits Exposure Benefits for Veterans

Veterans who suffer from medical conditions following exposure to toxic burn pit hazards and chemicals received support from President Biden last night. President's State of the Union Address included strong presidential support for health care benefits and wartime disability compensation. A burn pit is used to burn solid waste in open-air without equipment.

NJ COVID-19 vaccination mandate for, among others, the State's corrections officers, upheld.

NJ COVID-19 vaccination mandate for, among others, the State's corrections officers, upheld. The App Div court held that the Civilian Defense and Disaster Control Act, N.J.S.A. App. A:9-33 to -63, empowered the Governor to issue the order and that the order's vaccination mandate was rationally and adequately tailored to the problem posed. #NJExOrder283 #COVID #VaccineMandate

NJ vaccine mandate imposed for Health Care Workers and others

NJ Governor Phil Murphy signed Executive Order No. 283, requiring covered workers at health care facilities and high-risk congregate settings to be up to date with their COVID-19 vaccinations, including having received a booster dose. All covered workers will be required to be vaccinated by the dates set forth in the Order and will no longer be permitted to submit to testing as an alternative to vaccination, except for the purposes of providing accommodation for individuals exempt from vaccination as set forth in the covered setting’s vaccination policy. This requirement aims to strengthen protections against the spread of COVID-19 and the highly transmissible Omicron variant to vulnerable populations across the state.

CMS Health Care Workers Vaccination Deadline March 15, 2022

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued guidance that the full vaccination compliance deadline is March 15, 2022, for all health care workers subject to the Omnibus Health Care Staff Vaccination rule.

Governor Murphy Reinstates Public Health Emergency Triggering Presumptions of Compensability

Governor Phil Murphy today reinstated a Public Health Emergency, effective immediately, in order to ensure that the State is able to respond to the continued threat of COVID-19 and the rapidly spreading Omicron variant. The declaration of a public health emergency by statute triggers the workers’ compensation compensability presumptions for essential workers.

Telehealth Extended for Two Years in New Jersey

Governor Murphy yesterday signed legislation (S-2559-12/21/2021 Approved P.L.2021, c.310) that extends for the next two years the requirement adopted at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic that health benefits plans reimburse health care providers for telehealth and telemedicine services at the same rate as in-person services, with limited exceptions. 

OMG, Omicron!

A panel of infectious disease experts and public health specialists of the Veterans Administration who have been involved in the national COVID response discuss strategies to contain the spread of the Omicron variant and stay safe.

CMS Announces 2022 Workers' Compensation Recovery Threshold to Remain at $750.00

Computation of Annual Recovery Thresholds for Certain Liability Insurance, No-Fault Insurance, and Workers' Compensation Settlements, Judgments, Awards, or Other Payments for 2022 were announced this week.

Appellate Court Upholds the Biden Administration Vaccine Mandate for Florida Health Care Workers

Over the last several months, the Biden ministration has targeted over 100 million workers for mandatory vaccination or, in the alternative regular Covid testing. The three groups are Federal contractors, Health Care Workers, and companies employing 100 or more workers [OSHA Temporary Emergency Standard].