Despite the recession, WC claims filed in New Jersey have been surprisingly steady. So why is New Jersey getting eight new comp judges, most of whom have never stepped foot in WC court?
New Jersey’s manufacturing, construction, farm, and trade employment has shrunk every year for the past two decades. The drop in claim petitions filed has followed this trend over the past two decades: from 53,637 new claim petitions filed in 1990 to only 35,566 new formal claim petitions filed in 2007.
Despite the worsening recession, 2009 saw about 35,000 new claims filed - which is in line with 2008’s filings. The gross number of filed claim petitions is likely to fall in 2009-2010, but this is more likely indicative of the general trend of job loss in high-risk industries like manufacturing and construction.
The big question is - with the population of new claims slowly but steadily declining year over year - and with that decline projected to continue, why did outgoing Governor Corzine appoint eight new WC judges?

The answer is: Politics as usual. Read More...

New Jersey lost 14,400 jobs in April and unemployment increased from 8.3% to 8.4%.
Only two sectors showed job growth: Government added 1,400 new jobs and 'Education and Health' (also government-spending-driven) added 900 new jobs.

New Jersey workers’ compensation law makes no distinction between seasonal employees and 50-year veterans in regards to entitlement to compensation for work-related injuries. Seasonal employee have the same rights and protections under our laws as do ‘permanent’ employees.

Seasonal workers hired by nation’s retailers in November 2006: 427,000

Seasonal workers hired by nation’s retailers in November 2007: 458,000

Seasonal workers hired by nation’s retailers in November 2008: 217,200

Source: ‘The Record,’ B-1, December 9, 2008.

FAQ: Is there a minimum number of weeks worked to receive WC benefits pay or is a seasonal employee entitled to compensation if he gets hurt on day one?

Answer: If an employee is hurt in the first minute he “punches in” he is entitled to exactly the same medical, wage replacement, and permanent disability benefits as if he had worked for the employer for 50 years.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average man working full-time logs 8.2 hours per day.

According to the same study, the average woman works 7.8 hours.

The average American spends 2.6 hours a day watching TV.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median weekly earnings of all full-time workers in the United States is $695.00 per week. In New Jersey, the maximum rate of temporary disability for 2008 is $742.00 per week.

We have blogged before on this topic (here and here)- the way the Feds and the State calculate ‘average weekly wage’ is different with the net effect that the NJ State Temporary Total disability rates are artificially high.

How high? Well the state of New Jersey just released figures showing a state average weekly wage of of $1,031.28. (Figures released August 22, 2008).

According to the Division of Workers’ Compensation, 197,006 workplace accidents were reported in 2007. This led to 34,556 new workers’ compensation claims being filed. In addition, 4,773 “re-opener” claims were filed.
These figures show almost no changes in the numbers of filed cases over the past year, but do reflect an increase in reported accidents year-over-year (approximately 20,000 more accidents reported in 2007).