1Claimants only — never insurers
We represent injured employees — not insurance companies or employers. That side-of-the-v choice shapes how we file petitions, challenge IME cutoffs, and prepare hearings before a Judge of Compensation.
NJ Workers' Compensation
Workers Compensation Lawyer in New Jersey
Hurt on the job? Our New Jersey workers compensation attorneys help you recover medical treatment, lost wages, and permanent disability benefits. Free consultation.
- Exclusive representation for injured workers — never employers or insurers
- 30 years before the NJ Division of Workers Compensation
- Denied or delayed claim? We fight to reinstate your benefits
- Serving injured employees statewide from North Haledon, NJ
Ken Kaplan, Esq.Super Lawyers · North Haledon, NJ
$24M+
Recovered for clients
30
Years Experience
1,000+
Cases Handled
$24M+
Recovered for Clients
Free
Consultation
Why Choose Us
Why injured New Jersey workers hire Kaplan & Kaplan
When a workplace injury disrupts your life, you need a New Jersey workers compensation attorney who works this docket every day — not a general practice firm that treats the Division as a sideline. Law Offices of Kaplan & Kaplan, P.C. represents injured workers and plaintiffs only. We explain what the law actually pays, what it does not, and what to file next.
1
2Advocacy at every stage of the claim
From the first notice through Claim Petitions, Motions for Medical and Temporary Benefits, and permanency hearings, we stand beside you. We gather treating records, answer IME reports, and put stalled care in front of a judge when the carrier will not move.
3Free consultation
Consultations are free so you can understand your rights, deadlines, and fee structure before you decide to hire us.
4Personal Support When You Need It Most
Workers comp cases can take months or years. Our team keeps you informed, helps coordinate medical appointments, and answers your questions so you can focus on healing.
Experience
We've Helped Injured Workers Across New Jersey
If you were hurt on the job in New Jersey, workers compensation can pay medical care and wage replacement without proving your employer was at fault. Kaplan & Kaplan represents injured employees only — never insurers — from North Haledon, statewide. Free consultation. Call (973) 694-8100.
Since 1996, Kaplan & Kaplan has represented factory workers, nurses, construction laborers, warehouse employees, office workers, and drivers throughout New Jersey — from Passaic and Bergen counties statewide.
Our clients come to us after falls, repetitive stress injuries, machinery accidents, exposure claims, and injuries aggravated by work. Many are facing denied claims, delayed medical treatment, or pressure to return to work before they are ready. We step in, protect their rights, and pursue the benefits they earned.
Ken Kaplan, Esq. — selected to New Jersey Super Lawyers 2024–2026 — leads a firm built with Bernard Kaplan, who spent decades representing injured workers. That same claimant-only standard drives every petition we file today.
Whether your injury happened on a loading dock in Passaic County, a hospital floor in Essex County, a scaffold in Bergen County, or a delivery route across North Jersey, the Division process is statewide — and so is our representation. We explain hearings, IMEs, and permanency in plain English so you are not guessing what the carrier's next letter means.
Prior results discussed on this site, including recovered-benefit figures, do not guarantee a similar outcome. Every petition depends on medical proof, work connection, and the law. What does not change is our side of the case: injured workers and plaintiffs only.
Industries we represent
- ✓Healthcare & hospital workers
- ✓Construction, carpenters & iron workers
- ✓Warehouse, logistics & delivery drivers
- ✓Office, computer & administrative staff
- ✓Manufacturing & factory employees
- ✓Retail, hospitality & food service
- ✓Transportation & livery workers
- ✓Public sector & municipal employees
Overview
What Is Workers Compensation in New Jersey?
Workers compensation is a no-fault insurance program required for nearly all New Jersey employers. When you are hurt or become ill because of your job, this system is designed to provide medical treatment and wage-replacement benefits without you having to prove your employer was negligent.
In exchange, workers compensation is generally your exclusive remedy against your employer for job-related injuries — meaning you typically cannot sue your employer in civil court for the same injury. However, if a third party (such as a contractor, property owner, or equipment manufacturer) contributed to your accident, you may have additional claims beyond workers comp.
Coverage begins from the moment you are hired. Benefits can include payment for authorized medical care, temporary disability while you cannot work, permanent disability for lasting impairment, and death/dependency benefits for surviving family members in tragic cases.
Claims are administered through the New Jersey Division of Workers Compensation. When a carrier accepts a claim, you still may fight over authorized doctors, surgery approvals, and how long temporary disability continues. When a carrier denies the claim, a Claim Petition puts the dispute before a Judge of Compensation. No-fault does not mean no disputes.
Occupational diseases and repetitive trauma — hearing loss, carpal tunnel, pulmonary claims, and gradual back injuries — are covered when work is a material cause under New Jersey standards. Traumatic accidents are easier for adjusters to picture; gradual injuries still deserve the same benefits when the medicine and work history line up.
If you are comparing systems, remember that workers compensation generally does not pay pain and suffering. That is why a third-party personal injury claim can matter when someone other than your employer shared fault. We evaluate both paths in the same consultation.
Trusted NJ workers compensation representation
Your Rights
Your Rights as an Employee Under NJ Law
New Jersey law protects injured workers — but carriers still delay care, push unsafe light duty, and undervalue permanency. Knowing these rights helps you act quickly and avoid mistakes that can hurt your claim.
Right to Report Without Retaliation
You have the right to report a work injury and file a workers compensation claim. NJ law prohibits employers from firing or punishing you for exercising that right.
Right to Medical Treatment
You are entitled to necessary and reasonable medical care for your work injury. Your employer or their insurance carrier must provide treatment — though they may initially direct you to an employer-authorized physician.
Right to Wage-Replacement Benefits
If your injury prevents you from working, you may receive temporary total disability benefits — generally 70% of your average weekly wage, subject to state minimums and maximums set each year.
Right to Challenge Denials
If your claim is denied or benefits are cut off, you can file a formal petition with the NJ Division of Workers Compensation and request a hearing before a judge of compensation.
Right to Legal Representation
You may hire a workers compensation lawyer in New Jersey at any stage. Attorney fees in workers comp cases are typically set by the court and paid from awarded benefits — not out of your pocket upfront.
Right to Permanent Disability Awards
After treatment ends or you reach maximum medical improvement, you may be entitled to a permanent partial or total disability award based on the lasting impact of your injury.
Benefits
Types of Workers Comp Benefits Available in New Jersey
Every case is different, but most injured workers in NJ may be eligible for one or more of the following benefit categories:
Medical Benefits
Covers hospital visits, surgery, physical therapy, prescriptions, medical devices, and other authorized treatment related to your work injury.
Temporary Total Disability (TTD)
Wage replacement while you are unable to work and under active medical care. Paid weekly after a waiting period, up to statutory maximums.
Temporary Partial Disability (TPD)
May apply when you return to work at reduced hours or lighter duty and earn less than before the injury.
Permanent Partial Disability (PPD)
Compensation for permanent impairment after treatment ends — based on medical evidence, functional loss, and NJ scheduled loss guidelines.
Permanent Total Disability (PTD)
For workers who cannot return to any gainful employment due to the work injury. Can provide ongoing weekly benefits.
Death & Dependency Benefits
Funeral expenses and ongoing support for qualifying dependents when a worker dies from a job-related injury or illness.
Free Consultation
Speak With a Workers' Comp Lawyer Today
Get answers about your NJ claim in a free consultation.
Injuries
Common Workplace Injuries in New Jersey
Our firm handles the full range of work-related injuries seen across NJ industries:
- 1Back and neck injuries from lifting, falls, or repetitive strain
- 2Knee, shoulder, and rotator cuff tears
- 3Fractures and crush injuries on construction or warehouse sites
- 4Carpal tunnel and repetitive motion disorders
- 5Occupational hearing loss and vision injuries
- 6Burns, lacerations, and amputations from machinery
- 7Work-related aggravation of pre-existing conditions
- 8Stress-related and cardiac claims (case-specific)
- 9Exposure to toxic substances or hazardous materials
Causes
What are the common causes of workplace injuries and deaths in New Jersey?
According to OSHA and BLS data, the leading causes of serious workplace injuries nationwide — and in New Jersey's manufacturing, healthcare, logistics, and construction sectors — include falls, being struck by objects, machinery incidents, overexertion, and transportation accidents.
Employers have a duty to maintain safe workplaces under NJ workers compensation and OSHA standards. When safety rules are ignored, injuries happen — but fault usually does not determine your eligibility for benefits. What matters is that the injury arose out of and in the course of your employment.
If negligence by a third party contributed to your accident, we evaluate whether a separate personal injury claim may provide additional compensation beyond workers comp benefits.
Construction falls from scaffolds and roofs, warehouse struck-by incidents, hospital patient-handling injuries, and delivery crashes are recurring North Jersey fact patterns. Repetitive lifting and machine pacing create gradual injuries that carriers often label 'degenerative' until treating records prove otherwise.
Fatal accidents raise dependency benefits and, when a third party is involved, wrongful-death claims. Families should not assume the employer's workers compensation coverage is the only recovery path. Early investigation preserves cameras, OSHA files, and vehicle data while crews and evidence are still available.
Our Process
How can a New Jersey workers compensation lawyer help after a job injury?
A New Jersey workers compensation lawyer levels the field against adjusters and defense counsel who handle these files every day. We translate medical restrictions into benefit demands, file motions when care or checks stop, and prepare you for IMEs and hearings so a single defense narrative does not define your case. We also watch for claims the carrier will not volunteer: permanent partial disability after MMI, temporary partial when light duty cuts your wages, dependency benefits after a workplace death, and civil third-party actions when a non-employer shared fault.
1
Free Case Evaluation
We review how your injury happened, what treatment you have received, and whether your claim was accepted or denied — at no cost. You leave knowing which deadlines matter and what to do next.
2
Claim Filing & Documentation
We help file or formalize your claim, gather medical records, and ensure deadlines are met so your rights stay protected. Incomplete employer reports are fixed before they harden into the carrier's version of events.
3
Medical & Benefit Advocacy
We push for authorized treatment, challenge improper denials, and fight cut-offs of temporary disability payments. Motions for Medical and Temporary Benefits put stalled care in front of a judge.
4
Hearings & Settlements
We represent you before NJ compensation judges, negotiate lump-sum settlements when appropriate, and maximize permanent disability awards — including SSDI offset language review before you sign.
How insurers try to reduce your benefits
- • Improperly reporting your wage rate to lower weekly benefits
- • Changing employment status from full-time to part-time
- • Questioning whether your injury is work-related or pre-existing
- • Pressuring an early return to work before you are medically ready
Explore our practice areas or contact us for a free consultation with a workers compensation lawyer in New Jersey.
Guides
Workers compensation guides — start here
These short pages go deeper than this hub. Each one targets a single problem injured workers face in New Jersey — denials, filing, settlements, benefits, treatment, permanency, construction sites, and third-party liability.
Denied Claims
A denial letter is the carrier's opening position, not a final court order. We file Claim Petitions and Motions for Medical and Temporary Benefits when surgery, therapy, or weekly checks stop without a lawful basis.
How to File
Notice to the employer, medical documentation, and New Jersey timelines — then a formal petition when the claim is disputed. Missing the reporting window gives carriers arguments they should not have.
Settlements
The NJ workers comp settlement chart is a schedule of weeks, not a Google dollar table. Section 20 vs an award decides whether medical rights stay open.
Benefits
Medical care, temporary disability, permanent partial and total disability, and dependency benefits explained in plain English so you can inventory every category that may apply.
Medical Treatment
Authorized doctors, IME fights, second-opinion disputes, and Motions when needed care is delayed or denied after an adjuster stalls the chain of authorization.
Permanent Partial Disability
How New Jersey rates lasting impairment after MMI — scheduled versus unscheduled losses — and what treating and permanency evidence moves the number.
Construction Injuries
Falls, scaffolds, trenches, and multi-employer sites. Workers compensation for the job injury plus early third-party investigation when another trade controlled the hazard.
Third-Party Claims
When a non-employer caused the harm, civil damages — including pain and suffering — can run alongside the Division case. Do not assume exclusive remedy ends the inquiry.
North Jersey
Local workers compensation pages
City and county pages for injured employees we represent from North Haledon. Start with the place that matches where you live or work.
Near our office: Passaic County · Bergen County · North Haledon · Paterson
Results
Experience you can verify
We measure the work by medical care restored, wage checks restarted, and permanency developed after MMI — not slogans. Every petition depends on its facts. These figures describe the firm's history, not a promise about yours:
- ✓More than $24 million recovered for injured clients
- ✓Over 1,000 workers compensation and injury cases handled
- ✓Decades of experience before the NJ Division of Workers Compensation
- ✓Selected to New Jersey Super Lawyers (Ken Kaplan, 2024–2026)
- ✓Family-founded firm representing injured employees — never employers or insurers
Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Each case is evaluated on its own facts.
Get Started
Talk with a New Jersey workers compensation lawyer
Free consultation. Claimant-side counsel from North Haledon, statewide. Call (973) 694-8100.
Client reviews
What Our Clients Say About Kaplan & Kaplan
Real Google reviews and testimonials from injured workers and families we represented — claimants only.
FAQ
Workers' Compensation FAQs — New Jersey
Answers to common questions from injured workers across NJ.
Workers compensation is a state-mandated, no-fault insurance program that provides medical treatment and wage-replacement benefits to employees injured on the job. In New Jersey, most employers must carry this coverage. You generally do not need to prove the employer was at fault to receive benefits, but you must prove a work connection and medical need.
Still have questions?
Free consultation. We represent injured workers and plaintiffs only.
Office
Our North Haledon Office — Serving All of New Jersey
810 Belmont Avenue Suite 201, North Haledon, NJ 07508
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