Workers' Compensation for Morris and Sussex County Workers

If you live or work in Morris or Sussex County and are hurt on the job, your workers' compensation claim will most likely be heard in Mt. Arlington. The New Jersey Division of Workers' Compensation's Mt. Arlington district office, at 100 Valley Road, Bldg. #1, Suite 100, Mt. Arlington, NJ 07856, serves Sussex County, Morris County and the northern half of Warren County. Claims by workers in those counties are generally heard there, before a Judge of Compensation. Gray Law Group's office in Jefferson is a short drive away.

What happens at the Mt. Arlington office?

Mt. Arlington is not a courthouse in the usual sense. It is one of the Division's district offices, and the Division is part of the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, not the Superior Court. That has a few practical consequences:

• A Judge of Compensation decides the case. There is no jury. The judge hears the medical evidence and your testimony, sets the attorney's fee at the end, and approves or declines any settlement.
• The case moves by listings. After your lawyer files a claim petition and the carrier answers, the case is assigned and listed periodically. Many listings are short conferences about treatment, medical reports and negotiation.
• Urgent disputes can be heard quickly. If treatment is denied or temporary disability stops, a Motion for Medical and/or Temporary Disability Benefits asks the judge to step in on an expedited basis. See medical treatment and temporary disability.
• Settlements are approved on the record. You answer questions under oath about the injury and the agreement before the judge approves it. Our settlements page compares an Order Approving Settlement with a Section 20 settlement.

Who this office serves

The workers whose claims go to Mt. Arlington are as varied as the two counties. They include warehouse and delivery workers, construction and trades workers, nurses and home health aides, retail and restaurant staff, school and municipal employees, and people who work seasonally at lakes, ski areas and summer businesses. Public employees are generally covered by the same workers' compensation system as private-sector workers.

Volunteer firefighters and first aid and rescue squad members are covered for line-of-duty injuries under special provisions of the Workers' Compensation Act. Those claims raise their own questions, including how benefits are measured for a volunteer who also holds a paid job, so raise them early.

Many residents of both counties also commute out of the area. If you were hurt at a job in another part of the state, your case may be heard at a different district office, depending on the Division's venue rules.

The local practicalities

A claim heard close to home is easier in some ways, but a few local realities are worth planning for:

• Getting to the doctor. The carrier generally chooses the authorized treating doctors, and they are not always near where you live. If travel is a real problem, especially when the injury affects your ability to drive, raise it rather than missing appointments. A gap in treatment is one of the things carriers point to.
• Getting to Mt. Arlington. You will need to be there, or appear remotely if the Division permits, for testimony and settlement approval. Plan for it in the same way.
• Car crashes while working. Driving is part of many jobs in both counties. If another driver caused a crash while you were working, you may have a third-party claim alongside the comp case.

The steps, wherever you work

The process before a Mt. Arlington judge follows the same statewide rules as everywhere in New Jersey:

1. Report the injury to your employer right away, in writing if you can. Notice within 14 days avoids any argument about it. See deadlines.
2. Treat with authorized doctors and tell each one exactly how the injury happened.
3. Track your wage benefits. Temporary disability is generally 70 percent of your average weekly wage, within statewide limits.
4. If the carrier says no, a claim petition puts the dispute before the judge. See denied claims.
5. When treatment ends, any lasting impairment is measured and paid as permanent disability.

For the full picture, read our guide to how workers' compensation works in New Jersey.

Talking to a lawyer about your claim

Jonathan E. McMeen, Esq. handles the firm's workers' compensation matters. He is a trial attorney with more than 20 years of courtroom experience. There is no upfront fee in a New Jersey comp case: the Judge of Compensation sets the attorney's fee at the end, capped at 20 percent of the award.

Gray Law Group is at 727 Rt 15 N, Suite 200, Jefferson, NJ 07849. Call 973-240-7313 or request a consultation, and bring your accident report, letters from the carrier and your medical paperwork. You can read more on our workers' compensation overview.