New Jersey Increases Amount of Workers’ Compensation for Hand and Foot Injuries

Pennsauken, NJ (Law Firm Newswire) July 02, 2020 – Governor Phil Murphy signed into law a bill that increases workers’ compensation in New Jersey for hand and foot injuries.

New Jersey legislators debated the hand and foot bill for a decade. Former Gov. Chris Christie vetoed the bill in 2011. The bill, which took effect immediately, increases benefits for a worker who loses the function of all or part of a hand or foot in an accident at work.

New Jersey law compensates an injured worker for the loss of the function of a body part, such as a hand or foot, with the payment of benefits for several weeks. Previously, New Jersey compensated the loss of the function of one percent of the hand at 2.45 weeks. The new law compensates such an injury at 2.6 weeks until the award reaches 25 percent. Before the new law, New Jersey paid the loss of the function of one percent of the foot at 2.3 weeks. The new law compensates the same foot injury at 2.5 weeks for each percentage of loss of function until the award reaches 25 percent.

What happens when the award hits the 25 percent threshold? The new law pays each percentage of loss of function to the hand at three weeks and each percentage of loss of function to the foot at 2.85 weeks. The new law results in two schedules – one for the loss of function under 25 percent and one for the loss of function of 25 percent or more.

The new law increases the compensation for finger injuries. The law increases the compensation to 80 from 75 weeks for the loss of a thumb, to 60 from 50 weeks for the loss of an index finger, to 50 from 40 weeks for the loss of a second finger, to 40 from 30 weeks for the loss of a third finger, and to 30 from 20 weeks for the loss of a little finger.

Workers, like construction workers and machine operators, suffer foot and hand injuries each year at New Jersey workplaces. To learn more about injured workers’ rights, talk to a workers’ compensation lawyer at Petrillo and Goldberg at 856.249.9295.

Learn more at http://www.petrilloandgoldberg.com/ Petrillo & Goldberg Law 6951 North Park Drive Pennsauken, NJ 08109 1333 Race Street Philadelphia, PA 19107 70 South Broad Street Woodbury, NJ 08096 Phone: 856-486-4343 Fax: 856:486-7979