Governor Signs COLA and Return-to-Work Bills

Gov. Phil Murphy signed into law a bill authorizing cost-of-living adjustments to death benefits for public safety workers. The Democrat governor on Monday also signed a bill creating a so-called “partial return-to-work” program for those receiving temporary disability benefits. Murphy in May vetoed Senate Bill 1967, saying the proposal to apply a cost of living adjustment to all benefits paid to first responders could cost New Jersey its “reverse offset” designation. The Garden State is one of 15 jurisdictions in which comp benefits are reduced for workers collec...