STATE OF NEW JERSEY
222nd LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Senator VIN GOPAL
District 11 (Monmouth)
Senator LINDA R. GREENSTEIN
District 14 (Mercer and Middlesex)
SYNOPSIS
Provides accidental disability benefits to police who contract COVID-19 under certain circumstances.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Act concerning certain public safety workers contracting COVID-19 and supplementing P.L.2020, c.84 (C.34:15-31.11 et seq.).
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. If a public safety worker, from June 5, 2021 until January 31, 2022, contracts coronavirus disease 2019, the public safety worker shall be entitled to full accidental disability benefits, if the public safety worker:
(1) contracts coronavirus disease 2019 during a time period in which the public safety worker is working in a place of employment other than the public safety worker's own residence;
(2) is a member of the police; and
(3) is permanently and totally disabled as a direct result of contracting coronavirus disease 2019.
b. This act is intended to affirm certain rights of public safety workers under the circumstances specified in this act, and shall not be construed as reducing, limiting, or curtailing any rights of any worker or employee to benefits provided by law.
2. This act shall take effect immediately and shall be retroactive to June 5, 2021.
STATEMENT
This bill provides that certain public safety workers who contract coronavirus disease 2019 from June 5, 2021 until January 31, 2022 as a result of contracting the disease will be entitled to full accidental disability benefits under certain circumstances. Specifically, a worker will be entitled to those benefits if the worker:
(1) contracts coronavirus disease 2019 during a time period in which the worker is working in a place of employment other than the worker's own residence;
(2) is a member of the police; and
(3) is permanently and totally disabled as a direct result of contracting coronavirus disease 2019.