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Ailing employees have had to wait years to have their cases resolved. Employers have been allowed to escape paying
claims. Workers' Comp judges have gotten their jobs because of their politics, not their legal qualifications.
That disgraceful situation should begin to change now that Gov. Jon Corzine has signed a package of bills designed to
implement valid and overdue reform of the Workers' Comp system. It's important, however, to note that more can be done
to improve the system.
Under the new laws, comp judges will have sorely needed powers to enforce payment orders against foot-dragging employers.
Failure by employers to provide comp coverage will be a criminal offense, making it more likely that businesses will not
shirk their responsibilities. And businesses and labor will have a say on the insurance industry-dominated panel that
sets workers' comp policy rates.
Most important, employers will have to act quickly on medical claims filed by workers whose doctors say treatment is
needed immediately to keep an injury or condition from worsening.
But the governor and lawmakers must realize that these steps, though welcome, don't finish the business of reform.
Corzine must work with the state bar association so that candidates for the compensation court receive the same bar
scrutiny long given Superior Court judge nominees.
Bar association review assures that the Superior Court gets the best candidates, and bar review will do the same for the
compensation bench. Politics isn't completely eliminated from the mix, but the process assures that candidates can do
the job, no matter what their party. Workers, and employers, too, deserve no less.
Corzine and lawmakers also should support the proposal by Sen. Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester) to hire an ombudsman to
help injured workers navigate the compensation system. The ombudsman would save time and money in the many cases in
which the compensation system's requirements are hard for an average worker to understand but shouldn't require hiring
an attorney.
New Jersey created the Workers' Compensation system nearly 100 years ago so workers and employers could avoid the delays
and expense of litigating injury claims. But over the years, the comp system has fallen victim to the very ills it was
meant to cure.
The governor and lawmakers have made a good start at cutting unnecessary delays and expense in the Workers' Compensation
system. They should work this fall to finish the job.
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New Jersey's $1.8 billion-a-year Workers' Compensation system hasn't worked properly for many people who've been injured
on the job.