NJ Workers’ Compensation for Mental or Emotional Stress
Workers’ Compensation Attorney Pursues Financial Recovery for Clients Who Have Suffered Emotional or Mental Injury on the Job
While people commonly think of workers’ compensation as being available for physical injuries suffered at work, in New Jersey, the workers’ comp system also covers emotional and mental harm suffered in the course and scope of employment as well. But unlike physical injuries and illnesses that can be easily diagnosed through an exam, scan, or lab testing, mental and emotional stress injuries are harder to identify and link to employment. Let Camili & Capo, PA go to work on your behalf to get you NJ workers’ compensation for mental or emotional stress. Our firm will not rest until we have done everything in our power to secure the best possible result in your case. If your physical and mental health have been adversely impacted by the mental or emotional stress you have suffered due to your job, reach out to our firm for a free initial case evaluation to go over your legal options for NJ workers’ compensation for mental or emotional stress.
Types of Mental or Emotional Injuries Workers Can Suffer
At Camili & Capo, PA, our workers’ comp attorneys can help you pursue NJ workers’ compensation for mental or emotional stress injuries and conditions such as:
Clinical depression
Severe anxiety
Panic attacks
Insomnia and sleep disorders
Post-traumatic stress disorder
Stress response syndrome
Eating disorders
Obsessive-compulsive disorder
What Workers’ Compensation Benefits Might You Be Entitled to for Mental or Emotional Stress?
A worker who suffers from a mental or emotional condition so severe that it interferes with their ability to perform their job functions may be entitled to receive workers’ compensation benefits when their condition arose in the course and scope of employment. NJ workers’ compensation for mental or emotional stress can provide benefits that include:
Medical benefits, which cover the cost of reasonable and necessary medical care, including hospitalization, inpatient psychiatric care, mental health therapy, group therapy, and medications such as antidepressants or anti-anxiety drugs
Temporary disability benefits, which provide financial compensation equal to 70 percent of a worker’s average weekly wage for days they miss from work, or 70 percent of the difference between the worker’s pre-injury wages and their current wages if they need to go on part-time duty during recovery
Permanent partial disability benefits, which provide financial payments for a permanent impairment that does not render a worker completely incapable of gainful employment
Permanent total disability benefits, which may continue wage replacement benefits for as long as the worker remains unable to return to the workforce
Proving Your Rights to NJ Workers’ Compensation for Mental or Emotional Stress
Unfortunately, proving that you are suffering from an emotional or mental injury that entitles you to workers’ compensation benefits is one of the hardest types of workers’ comp claims. In addition to establishing that you are suffering from a mental health condition, you will also need to prove that the condition is work-related.
In many cases, stress or anxiety that may be considered a normal part of the work environment will not give rise to a workers’ comp claim. Usually, there must be some unanticipated or undesigned incident or series of incidents that caused the emotional or mental injury. Emotional distress arising from a traumatic accident or incident, such as an accident with equipment or machinery, or an assault or shooting in the workplace, may be sufficient to support a claim for benefits. Stressors that occur during work but are unconnected to your duties, such as being subjected to severe discrimination or sexual harassment, may also support a workers’ comp claim.
Let a Workers’ Compensation Lawyer from Our Firm Advocate on Your Behalf
If you are suffering from emotional or mental injuries or distress due to an accident or incident at work, you may be able to secure workers’ compensation benefits to help you through your recovery. The legal team at Camili & Capo, PA will fight hard on your behalf to secure NJ workers’ compensation for mental or emotional distress by:
Thoroughly investigating your claim to obtain the evidence we need to prove your entitlement to benefits, including showing that you have a recognized mental health condition that impairs your ability to work and that your condition arose in the course and scope of your employment duties
Communicating with your employer and its workers’ compensation insurer on your behalf to try to secure the benefits you need
Filing your workers’ compensation claim to fight for the benefits you need
Representing you in formal claim petition hearings when necessary to demand the compensation you deserve
Facing A Legal Matter In New Jersey And Have Questions? We Can Help. Just Tell Us What Happened. Call (973) 834-8457 Or Fill Out Our Convenient Free Case Evaluation Form.
Contact Camili & Capo, PA for a Free Claim Review to Discuss How We Can Assist You with Securing Workers’ Comp Benefits for Work-Related Emotional or Mental Injury
You should not have to suffer from an emotional or mental injury that you experienced due to your job. You may be entitled to workers’ compensation to get the care you need. Contact our firm today for a free, no-obligation consultation to see how we can help guide you through the workers’ compensation claim process and advocate on your behalf to get the financial benefits you deserve.
Frequently Asked Questions about NJ Workers’ Compensation for Mental or Emotional Stress
When does a workers’ comp claim need to be filed?
If you need to file a formal workers’ compensation claim to recover benefits for emotional or mental injury, you typically must file your claim within two years of the date of the work accident that caused the injury. However, it can be difficult to pinpoint when a work-related emotional or mental injury occurs. This makes it important to speak to a workers’ compensation attorney with Camili & Capo, PA as soon as possible to make sure that your workers’ comp claim can be timely filed.
What are my rights if my employer intentionally inflicted emotional or mental distress on me?
Under New Jersey’s workers’ compensation law, you may be entitled to step outside the workers’ compensation system and pursue a personal injury claim for intentional infliction of emotional distress against your employer. A personal injury claim can allow you to recover compensation not available from workers’ comp, including full reimbursement of lost wages, emotional distress, and lost quality of life.
