Bill would require injured workers be assessed for brain injuries
Reprints
A New Jersey lawmaker has introduced legislation mandating that workers injured in a blast be examined for potential traumatic brain injuries.
A.B. 2354, introduced Monday by Republican Assemblyman Ronald Dancer, would modify the New Jersey Workers Compensation Act to require that any employee who sustained an injury in a blast or other event that might result in a traumatic brain injury be examined by a physician whose “scope of practice includes the ability to diagnose and treat brain injury” as part of the inquiry to award compensation to prevent brain injuries from blasts from going undetected and treatment.
The legislation would also require employers to undergo training and education on traumatic brain injuries as a condition of workers compensation coverage, and mandate that workers comp insurance carriers or third-party administrators receive information on concussion and brain injury protocol consistent with guidelines developed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The bill would also prohibit a workers comp insurer from releasing an employee from workers comp coverage unless the release was within the scope of the treating physician’s recovery plans.
If signed into law, the bill would take effect immediately. It has been referred to the Assembly Labor Committee.
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