On September 14, 2020, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed into law Senate Bill 2380 (S2380), automatically entitling any essential worker who tests positive for COVID-19, to workers’ compensation benefits.

All “essential employees” are automatically entitled to workers’ compensation benefits under this new law, so long as the infected individuals were working outside their home at the time of the infection.

The law provides for a broad definition of “essential employees” which was previously only reserved for First Responders.  These protections have now been extended to workers in the fields of public safety, health care, transportation, hospitality, and retail industries.  Significantly, this also extends to any other employee defined as an “essential employee” in a state of emergency declaration.

Some examples of essential employees include: First Responders, Police Officers, Fire Fighters, Medical Personnel, Nursing Home Employees, Grocery Store Workers, Convenience Store Clerks, Teachers, Farming Equipment Clerks. If you have been diagnosed with COVID-19 and were designated an essential worker under any of Governor Murphy’s Orders, Contact GMS Law to discuss your entitlement to compensation.