Workers’ Compensation Lawyer in Collingswood, NJ

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Protecting Your Paycheck and Medical Care After a Collingswood Work Injury

A work injury can cut off your income and stall your treatment at the same time. When the carrier delays an MRI, stops temporary disability checks, or claims your job didn’t cause the injury, a workers’ compensation lawyer in Collingswood can push the claim forward before those problems turn into a denial.

Claims from Collingswood are generally heard at the Division of Workers’ Compensation’s Camden vicinage, where a judge of compensation can order treatment and benefits the carrier refused. Stan Gregory has spent more than 30 years in South Jersey’s comp courts, and he explains each step before it happens.

"Stan worked hard and diligently on my complex case. They kept me informed. I highly recommend for your Worker's Compensation issues. " Dornice C.

Honest Feedback From Clients in Collingswood

From First Report to Judge of Compensation: How Your Claim Moves

The first few weeks decide whether a claim runs smoothly or ends up in front of a judge. Here is how each stage works and where our office steps in.

Report the injury in writing

Tell your supervisor within 14 days. N.J.S.A. 34:15-17 allows up to 90 days in most cases, but late notice gives the carrier an easy argument. Ask for the carrier’s name and your claim number.

Treat with the authorized doctor

In New Jersey, the employer’s carrier chooses the treating doctors (N.J.S.A. 34:15-15). Tell each doctor exactly which job task caused the injury, because that note becomes the core of your claim.

Keep every record

Save work restrictions, check stubs, carrier letters, and texts from your supervisor. A missed check or a sudden “full duty” note is usually the first sign of a dispute.

We file a claim petition

If treatment or wages are denied, Stan files a formal claim petition with the Division of Workers’ Compensation. The deadline is two years from the accident or from the last benefit payment (N.J.S.A. 34:15-51).

We ask the judge to order benefits

While the case is pending, a motion for medical or temporary benefits asks the judge of compensation to order the care or checks the carrier refused.

Permanency exams and resolution

Once you reach maximum medical improvement, both sides obtain permanency evaluations. The case then resolves by settlement or trial, and the settlement type decides whether you can reopen it later.

Benefits Available After a New Jersey Work Injury

New Jersey’s workers’ compensation system covers injuries and illnesses arising out of and in the course of employment (N.J.S.A. 34:15-7). Benefits may include:

Temporary Disability Benefits

Temporary disability replaces 70% of your average weekly wage while an authorized doctor keeps you out of work. For 2026, the maximum is $1,199 a week. Checks continue until you return to work or reach maximum medical improvement.

Medical Expenses

The carrier must pay for necessary treatment, including visits, testing, surgery, therapy, and prescriptions. Disputes usually start when an authorized doctor recommends surgery or specialist care and the carrier refuses it. Because the carrier also selects the treating doctors, a refusal often has to be challenged before a judge.

Permanent Disability Benefits

Permanent partial disability compensates lasting loss of function, rated as a percentage of a body part or of total disability. Permanent total disability applies when the injury prevents you from returning to any gainful work. Ratings are often contested, since each percentage point changes the award.

Second Injury Fund Benefits

When a work injury combines with an earlier disability to leave you totally and permanently disabled, the Second Injury Fund (N.J.S.A. 34:15-95) can pay benefits beyond what your employer owes. The State defends these claims, so they are contested and fact-heavy.

Social Security and Pension Overlap

Social Security Disability and workers’ comp together cannot exceed 80% of your prior earnings. For temporary and partial benefits, Social Security reduces your SSD check. For permanent total disability, New Jersey reduces the comp benefit instead until age 62 (N.J.S.A. 34:15-95.5).

Death Benefits

When a work injury or illness is fatal, dependents may receive weekly dependency benefits, plus funeral expenses up to $3,500. Eligibility depends on who relied on the worker’s income, which can include a spouse, children, and sometimes other relatives.

Injuries You Can File a Workers' Compensation Claim For

Many Collingswood residents work in the borough’s restaurants and shops, in local schools, in hospital jobs in Camden and Cherry Hill, or in warehouses in Pennsauken. Others ride PATCO to jobs in Philadelphia, which raises its own coverage questions. Here is how different injuries tend to play out in a claim.

Muscular Injuries

Back strains and shoulder injuries are among the most common workplace injuries, especially in patient care, stocking, and restaurant work. Carriers often label these conditions “degenerative” to deny them. A treating doctor’s opinion tying the condition to specific job tasks usually decides the dispute.

Mental Health Conditions

New Jersey covers psychiatric injuries when they stem from real, objectively verifiable workplace events, not ordinary job stress. Claims often follow a violent incident, a serious accident, or witnessing trauma at work. Records from a treating psychiatrist or psychologist are essential.

Traumatic Injuries

Falls on wet kitchen floors, ladder falls on renovation jobs, and crashes while driving for work can cause fractures, head injuries, and surgeries. These claims usually involve long periods of temporary disability. If someone other than your employer caused the accident, a separate personal injury claim may run alongside comp.

Occupational Illnesses

Exposure to chemicals, dust, or other hazards can cause illness years later (N.J.S.A. 34:15-31). Workers in New Jersey’s most dangerous industries, such as construction and warehousing, face higher exposure risks. The key is medical evidence linking the illness to a specific workplace exposure.

Why Injured Workers Choose Stan Gregory

Stan Gregory has represented injured workers in South Jersey for more than 30 years, in the same courts that hear Camden County claims.

The same Camden judges hear claims from neighboring Haddonfield and Audubon, so the procedures and expectations Stan works with apply directly to your case.

Office in Mount Holly, a short drive from Collingswood for hearings and meetings
Your case stays with the attorney you hired, including motions listed on short notice
Direct contact with the office handling your claim, from the first call to the last hearing
Free consultations, with no fee unless benefits are recovered
More than 60 five-star Google reviews and Google Screened status
Motions filed to restart treatment or temporary checks when a carrier cuts them off

What Does It Cost to Hire a Workers’ Compensation Lawyer?

You pay nothing up front. In New Jersey, the judge of compensation approves the attorney fee when the case resolves, and it cannot exceed 25% of the award (N.J.S.A. 34:15-64). Judges typically assess about 60% of that fee against the employer’s carrier, so you cover only part of it.

If no benefits are recovered, you owe no fee. During a free consultation, we’ll explain how the fee would apply to your specific claim.

What Happens When Workers’ Comp Benefits End?

Benefits do not always continue at the same level. Depending on your medical status and the insurer’s position, they may be terminated, reduced, suspended, or later restored.

Benefits That Are Terminated

Carriers often stop payments by claiming you have recovered or missed appointments. A termination notice is not final, and a motion can ask the judge to restart benefits.

Benefits That Are Modified

Under N.J.S.A. 34:15-27, a judge can reduce an award when a new exam shows improvement. Your treating doctor’s notes and work restrictions are what push back.

Know the Signs of a Petition for Modification

Surveillance, repeated exam requests, or sudden treatment changes often mean a modification petition is coming. Save every letter and note the dates before anything is filed.

Benefits That Are Suspended

Carriers may seek a suspension by alleging fraud (N.J.S.A. 34:15-57.4) or refused treatment. Fighting one takes records and sometimes testimony, which we build before the stop becomes permanent.

Settlements That Keep Your Claim Open vs. Close It

An Order Approving Settlement (N.J.S.A. 34:15-22) pays a disability percentage and keeps your right to reopen. A Section 20 lump sum (N.J.S.A. 34:15-20) closes the claim for good.

When Workers’ Compensation Is Reinstated

If your condition worsens after an Order Approving Settlement, you can apply to reopen within two years of your last payment. Section 20 cases cannot.

Overview

Meet the Lawyer Helping Injured Workers Move Forward

Stan Gregory began practicing in New Jersey in 1993 after earning his law degree from St. Thomas University School of Law. His workers’ compensation work centers on treatment disputes, stopped wage checks, and contested permanency ratings.

Early in his career, he represented asylum seekers before federal administrative law judges, the same kind of hearing-based forum where comp cases are decided. He later chaired the District IIIB Ethics Committee, presiding over hearings on attorney misconduct.

Past Settlements

$ 0

Sexual Assualt

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Automobile Accident

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Workers' Comp

30+ years

Serving Burlington County

Stan Gregory Represents Injured Workers In Workers’ Compensation Claims Throughout New Jersey

Stan Gregory Also Represents Employees at the Following Companies

Other Forms of Workers' Compensation Cases We Handle

What Collingswood Workers Ask Before Calling

I live in Collingswood but was hurt at a job in Philadelphia. Can I file in New Jersey?

Possibly, but living in New Jersey alone usually isn’t enough. Judges look at factors such as where you were hired, where your job is based, and how much of your work happens in New Jersey. Benefits differ between the two states, so review your options before you file.

Am I covered if I get hurt walking from PATCO or the parking lot before my shift?

Usually only once you reach your employer’s premises, which can include a parking lot the employer controls or tells you to use (N.J.S.A. 34:15-36). The walk from PATCO on public sidewalks is generally part of the commute, with exceptions for employees who travel as part of the job.

Can a restaurant or shop in Collingswood fire me for filing a claim?

Not legally. N.J.S.A. 34:15-39.1 bars employers from firing or discriminating against workers for claiming comp benefits, and retaliation can be raised before the judge of compensation.

I only work part-time shifts at a restaurant. Am I covered?

Yes. Part-time and seasonal workers are covered like full-time staff. New Jersey also treats five days as the minimum work week when calculating wages (N.J.S.A. 34:15-37), which can raise the benefit rate for someone working two or three shifts.

Does my immigration status affect a work injury claim?

No. The New Jersey Workers’ Compensation Act defines employees without reference to immigration status, and the Appellate Division confirmed that undocumented workers can receive benefits (Mendoza v. Monmouth Recycling, 1996). Medical care and wage benefits work the same way.

Checks Late or Treatment Denied? Don’t Wait on the Adjuster

Every week a denial sits unanswered is another week without income or care. A short call can tell you whether the carrier’s decision holds up and what to file next. The first conversation happens by phone, and hearings for Collingswood claims generally take place in Camden.

Call 609-281-5100 for a free consultation.

Useful Workers’ Compensation Resources in NJ

Division of Workers’ Compensation – Department of Labor & Workforce Development: Complete information for workers
A Worker’s Guide to Workers’ Compensation in New Jersey: Downloadable guide

Disclaimer: The links above go to official government sites. Our firm is independent and not connected to these agencies. For guidance on your situation, speak with our attorneys.