Injured corrections officers to receive sick leave pay

Starting in October, corrections officers who are physically assaulted on the job in New Jersey will not have to wait out the workers compensation process to collect money while out of work due to an injury. 

After months of squabbling with state lawmakers, Gov. Chris Christie signed a bill into law Monday that will provide sick leave pay for corrections, juvenile, parole and probation officers who are seriously injured after being attacked by an inmate while on the job. He had previously vetoed a similar measure.

According to proponents of Senate Bill 596 corrections officers hurt during an inmate attack or riot had to wait until workers comp kicked in to receive any pay as they are not entitled to salary while they are out of work — a process that can take months in some cases and income that was less than their full pay. The new law puts corrections officers at par with police officers attacked while on duty.

“These officers assume a significant deal of risk every day on the job, yet they have been excluded from provisions that make compensation available to other public safety officers,” said Assemblyman Dan Benson, D-Mercer/Middlesex, a co-sponsor of the bill, in a press statement. “This new law is about taking action to eliminate that inconsistency so that people who put their lives on the line aren’t left helpless in the event of an attack.”