Somerville Workers Compensation Lawyer
Dedicated Somerville Workers Compensation Lawyer Protects the Rights and Interests of Employees Who Have Been Injured at Work in Somerset County and Across NJ
Were you hurt in an accident at work in Somerville, NJ? When you have suffered a work injury or occupational illness because of your job, the workers’ compensation system under New Jersey law may entitle you to receive medical and financial benefits that can assist you through your recovery. Although the law entitles workers to benefits for work-related injuries and illnesses, some employers and insurers will delay and deny their employees’ workers’ comp claims to avoid having to pay those benefits. If you are having difficulty getting workers’ comp benefits, let a Somerville workers compensation lawyer help.
For nearly 30 years, compensation attorney Daniel Santarsiero, Esq. at New Jersey Workers Compensation Lawyer of JFM Law has been fighting to secure a full financial recovery for injured workers across New Jersey. Dan is a dedicated lawyer who works tirelessly to hold employers and insurers accountable to provide workers’ comp benefits to employees who have been injured in the course of their duties. Our firm has a long track record of success representing our clients, having obtained critical benefits and sizable compensation awards.
After you have been injured on the job, reach out to a Somerville workers compensation lawyer from our firm for a free initial case evaluation to learn more about your rights and options for obtaining financial benefits for your recovery through workers’ compensation.
What Can You Be Compensated for Under Workers’ Compensation?
If you have sustained a work injury or occupational illness, workers’ compensation in New Jersey can provide you with various financial benefits that can assist you during your recovery. Available benefits under workers’ comp include:
- Medical benefits, which cover the cost of medical treatment and rehabilitation
- Temporary disability benefits, which provide partial replacement of lost wages when a worker cannot work their regular duties or hours while recovering from their work injury or occupational illness
- Permanent partial disability benefits, which provide financial payments based on a worker’s pre-injury wages, the affected body part or parts or type of disability, and the severity of their disability
- Permanent total disability benefits, which continue wage replacement after temporary disability benefits expire for as long as a worker remains unable to work in any form of gainful employment
- Death benefits, which provide financial payments to surviving dependents of a deceased worker, along with contributions toward funeral/burial expenses
Filing a Claim for Workers’ Comp Benefits
An injured worker can file a claim for workers’ compensation benefits by giving notice of their injury claim to their employer. Notice may be given orally or in writing to a supervisor or manager or any other person in an authority position with an employer. Under New Jersey’s workers’ compensation law, an injured worker is required to give notice to their employer within 14 days of suffering a work injury, but no later than 90 days after the injury to remain eligible for workers’ comp benefits.
When an employer is notified of a worker’s injury, the employer is required to file a first report of injury with the New Jersey Division of Workers’ Compensation. Employers or their workers’ compensation insurers must also either accept or deny a workers’ claim for benefits within 60 days of receipt of notice.
A worker whose employer does not file a report with the Division or denies workers’ compensation benefits must file a written claim petition with the Division. After filing a claim petition, a worker may choose to participate in mediation in an informal claim hearing overseen by a workers’ compensation judge or to proceed to a formal claim hearing to obtain a binding ruling by the compensation judge. A claim petition must be filed within two years of the date of the work injury, or two years following the last date that workers’ comp benefits were received for a work injury. A claim petition must also be filed to secure financial benefits for a worker’s permanent injury or disability.
About Somerville, NJ and the Workers’ Compensation Court in Somerset County
Somerville is a borough in Somerset County, New Jersey, and is also Somerset County’s county seat. Somerville was first formed in 1863 before being incorporated as a borough in 1909. When first settled in the colonial era, Somerville was a rural farming community but began rapidly developing in the mid-19th century with the introduction of railroad lines and water power from the Raritan River to drive industry. Somerville is host to one of the oldest competitive bicycle races in the country, which began in the early 1940s. Today, Somerville is a suburban community that has become a hub for boutique retail commerce and dining.
For a town of roughly 10,000 people, Somerville sees a considerable number of workers’ compensation claims. According to data published by the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, the state experienced approximately 92,400 non-fatal cases of work injuries and occupational illnesses in 2020. When a person living in Somerville is injured on the job or suffers from an occupational disease, and subsequently files a workers’ compensation claim, the case is held at the Lebanon Workers’ Compensation Court. The Lebanon Workers’ Compensation Court serves all of Somerset, Hunterdon, and the southern part of Warren County. The court is located in Hunterdon Hills Plaza at 1390 Route 22 West in Lebanon and can be reached by telephone at 908-236-8026. Our firm has successfully litigated at the Lebanon Workers’ Compensation Court for many years, producing favorable settlements for our clients.
What You Need To Know About New Jersey Workers’ Compensation
New Jersey Workers’ compensation law is notoriously convoluted, and employers and insurance companies will try to limit your benefits after an injury. These parties will try several methods to minimize the costs of compensation. For example, they may offer undervalued compensation that does not cover the actual costs of your medical bills and lost wages. They may also pressure you to return to work before you are completely healed from your injury. Further, if you have suffered an occupational injury that has occurred over time, they will deny responsibility. Therefore, the best decision you can make after suffering an injury at work is to retain a workers’ compensation attorney who understands the nuances of the law and the unscrupulous tactics used by employers. A lawyer will make sure your claim is filed properly and litigated to ensure maximum compensation. These cases are very detail-oriented and require an attorney to sift through layers of information to develop a strategy that maxes compensation for your injuries. This is why it is critical that you hire a dedicated Somerville workers compensation lawyer who you can trust.
How A Qualified Somerville Workers Comp Attorney Can Help With Your Work Injury Claim
The biggest mistake people make after getting injured at work is hiring the wrong attorney. To obtain full compensation for your medical costs and lost wages, you need an attorney who specializes in workers’ compensation cases. Here at New Jersey Workers Compensation Lawyer, our workers’ compensation specialist Dan Santarsiero, has been litigating workers’ compensation cases in New Jersey for over 25 years. Dan is reputed throughout New Jersey for obtaining results when others could not. In fact, many of the cases Dan litigates have come from clients who have hired lawyers who failed to grant adequate compensation for their injury. As the leading civil attorney in our firm, Dan has won multiple verdicts and settlements in excess of one million dollars. This accomplishment has afforded him a membership to the prestigious Million Dollar Advocates Forum. Additionally, Dan is amongst only 2% of attorneys that are recognized as Civil Trial Attorneys by the Supreme Court of New Jersey. Don’t make the mistake of hiring the wrong attorney, please call us at 866-916-3549 or fill out our convenient online contact form to speak to Dan about your case.
Contact Us for a Free Consultation to Speak with a Somerville Workers Compensation Lawyer about Your Injury Claim
If your employer or its workers’ compensation insurer has delayed or denied you benefits for a work injury or occupational illness, contact Daniel Santarsiero, Esq. at New Jersey Workers Compensation Lawyer today for a free, no-obligation consultation. We are ready to help you learn more about how our firm can assist you through the process of pursuing a workers’ comp claim against your employer.
Frequently Asked Questions about Workers’ Compensation in Somerville
How much does it cost to hire a workers’ compensation lawyer?
Can I collect additional compensation for my work injury outside of workers’ comp?
In New Jersey, most employers are required to purchase workers’ compensation insurance to satisfy their legal obligations to provide workers’ comp coverage for their employees. When an employer purchases workers’ compensation insurance, it is the insurance company that usually handles processing an injured employee workers’ comp claim and pays the benefits that the employee is entitled to. However, an employer has the option of being certified by the state to “self-insure” for workers’ compensation, meaning the employer has sufficient funds to cover its workers’ compensation liabilities.
Under state law, every employer with at least one employee is required to provide workers’ compensation coverage, although employers organized as sole proprietorships, partnerships, or limited liability companies whose only employees are the company’s owner(s), partners, or members are exempt from the obligation to provide coverage. In addition, employers in certain industries such as maritime or railroads, as well as federal employees, are subject to various federal workers’ compensation laws rather than New Jersey workers’ comp law.