A federal workplace safety investigation has again found workers at an Amazon fulfillment center exposed to ergonomic hazards, this time at a Logan Township facility.
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Wednesday, August 9, 2023
Tuesday, August 8, 2023
The Long Legacy of COVID-19 Disability
The legacy of the COVID-19 pandemic persists. There exists a continuing need for long-term treatment and disability. While state benefit systems such as workers’ compensation have made an admirable attempt in many jurisdictions to provide benefits, a significant gap and non-uniform delivery of benefits continue to exist among jurisdictions. Federal efforts are expanding to provide necessary research and treatment protocol resources.
Friday, July 28, 2023
President Biden Announces New Actions to Protect Workers from Extreme Heat
Millions of American workers are currently experiencing the effects of extreme heat, which is growing in intensity, frequency, and duration due to the climate crisis. President Biden requests the Department of Labor to issue Hazard Alerts for Heat and take other actions to protect workers from extreme heat.
Friday, July 21, 2023
Medical Fees Increased and Expanded
NJ Governor Murphy has signed legislation that establishes parity in workers’ compensation fees between evaluating physicians of claimants for a written opinion regarding the need for medical treatment or providing an estimation of permanent disability.
Friday, July 14, 2023
State of New Jersey Failed to Address Deficiencies in $96 Million Workers’ Compensation Program
A report released today by the Office of the State Comptroller (OSC) finds that the agency that manages workers’ compensation claims filed by state employees failed to remedy deficiencies identified three years ago. As a result, the State faces a greater risk of preventable workplace injuries, spurious claims, and wasted tax dollars.
Wednesday, July 12, 2023
NJ Enforces Laws Against Worker Exploitation
Wednesday, June 28, 2023
Plaintiff’s Third-Party Observers May Attend Defense Medical Examinations [DME]
A Defense Medical Examination [DME] is an adversarial proceeding. The NJ Supreme Court has ruled that a trial judge should review any objections made by the defense counsel to prohibit the attendance of a neutral third-party observer [TPO]. While the case arises from a personal injury claim, the Court’s ruling will have applicability to matters before the N.J. Division of Workers’ Compensation [NJDWC]. The NJDWC has not yet promulgated any rules concerning TPOs at DMEs.
Tuesday, June 13, 2023
Defining Disability in the Era of COVID
The definition of “disability” can be complicated in various occupational statutes. In a Law Against Discrimination [LAD] N.J.S.A. 10:5-1 to -50 claim alleging the “perception of COVID” as a disability, the NJ Appellate Court declined to accept the plaintiff's claim. Guzman v. M. Teixeira International, Inc., NJ: Appellate Div. 2023.
Monday, May 15, 2023
Is ChatGPT Ready to Write Workers’ Compensation Decisions?
Artificial intelligence (AI) programs have become an exciting new Internet phenomenon. Initially launched to generate graphics, the programs have rapidly emerged as Internet research's most significant development of the last twenty years.
Wednesday, April 5, 2023
The case for increased counsel fees
Long overdue legislation has been introduced in the NJ Assembly to increase workers' compensation counsel's fees for petitioner's/claimant's attorneys. The workers' compensation law field has historically been considered a legal specialty that needs to be improved in the quality of representation available to injured workers. It has hindered the ability of injured workers to seek adequate recoveries in the administrative law system.
Tuesday, February 7, 2023
Available Workers' Compensation Law 2023 Update
Jon Gelman’s* newly revised and updated treatise on Workers’ Compensation Law is now available from Thomson Reuters®. The treatise is the most complete and research-integrated work on NJ Workers’ Compensation law.
Monday, December 26, 2022
Counsel Fee of $123,415 Deemed Excessive by the Appellate Division
The NJ Appellate Court reversed and remanded a claim where the Judge of Compensation awarded a counsel fee to the claimant’s attorney $123,415. The reviewing tribunal deemed the fees based on a permanency award, a motion for medical and temporary benefits, and a motion for enforcement inconsistent with the reasonable method in determining fees.
Wednesday, November 30, 2022
Federal Employees May File a Claim for Work-Related COVID-19
The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, which President Biden signed on March 11, 2021, makes it much easier for federal workers diagnosed with COVID-19 to establish coverage under the Federal Employees’ Compensation Act. To establish a COVID-19 claim, you simply need to establish that you are a “covered employee,” meaning that:
Wednesday, November 2, 2022
The Exclusivity Rule Does Not Bar Claims of a Minor
A minor may elect to file a negligence action against an employer and not be prohibited by the Exclusivity Rule that typically bars employee claims against their employers.
Monday, October 31, 2022
Judge Erred in Finding a Conflict in Representation
Tuesday, October 25, 2022
Time to Boot Up a Computer Held to be Working
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the district court’s summary judgment in favor of defendant Customer Connexx LLC and remanded for further proceedings in a collective action brought under the Fair Labor Standards Act by call center workers.
Thursday, October 20, 2022
Paterson NJ Employers Face $518K in OSHA Fines
The U.S. Department of Labor has issued citations to three New Jersey contractors who willfully exposed employees to potentially lethal dangers by allowing them to work near energized power lines at a Paterson worksite.
Friday, October 14, 2022
NJ Issues Stop-Work Orders for Lack of Workers’ Compensation Insurance
Enforce continues at a rapid pace in New Jersey for failure to comply with the state’s labor laws. The New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development (NJDOL) issued stop-work orders to contractor HESP Solar L.L.C. of Montvale and subcontractor Patriot Iron Works of Gaithersburg, Maryland, who were working on a project at Belleville High School.
Friday, October 7, 2022
New Fee Rules for Obtaining Medical Records
A new law has been enacted that amends the current law concerning the fees that may be charged for copies of medical and billing records by hospitals and by health care professionals licensed by the Board of Medical Examiners. Obtaining medical records in Workers’ Compensation actions is a standard claim and litigation procedure.
Friday, August 26, 2022
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.