The New Jersey workers’ compensation system has benefits for both employers and employees. For employees, the system is intended to provide some amount of lost wages and coverage for medical care costs for workers who are injured or become ill due to an occurrence in the workplace. For employers, the benefit is quite simple: they don’t get sued by employees in these situations, if the employee is covered under the workers’ compensation system.
However, understanding the employees’ side of the workers’ compensation system isn’t always that simple.
For example, even though the system is typically referred to as a no-fault system – meaning that the employee doesn’t have to prove that the employer was negligent in order to collect benefits – the fact is that sometimes employers will dispute workers’ compensation claims.
And, if you are injured at work, you have to make sure you follow all of the right steps to make sure your workers’ compensation claim is approved.
Don’t delay
Timing can mean everything to an injured worker in New Jersey. First and foremost, injured workers are required to report workplace injuries to their employers as soon as possible. From there, the process for a workers’ compensation claim to get approved can take time. And then, if the claim is disputed by the employer or eventually denied, it can take time to put your arguments together to try to win approval of your workers’ compensation claim.
If you have suffered a work-related injury or illness, be sure to get the right information about your path through the workers’ compensation system in New Jersey. It can seem complicated to those who have never been exposed to the system before.