High Court Agrees to Decide Whether Unemployed Volunteers Can Get Wage Benefits

The New Jersey Supreme Court has agreed to decide whether wage-replacement benefits should go to someone who had no wages. A ruling for the plaintiff in Kocanowski v. Township of Bridgewater could potentially impact the budgets of dozens of New Jersey townships and cities that rely on all-volunteer fire departments, and which have not had to pay workers' compensation wage benefits on injuries to unemployed volunteers. "Right now, it's a windfall for the municipality because it doesn't have to pay wage benefits," said Rich Rubenstein, attorney for the New Jersey Cou...