Beyond basic protections against disability discrimination in employment, there are other laws and programs that can help people with disabilities in particular employment situations:
For those injured on the job:
- Worker's Compensation laws may provide cash and medical benefits to workers injured in accidents while on the job. For more information:
- Worker (from the NJ Department of Labor and Workforce Development) - State temporary disability benefit programs sometimes provide short-term cash assistance for people out of work because of a disability that is not job-related.
- If someone besides your employer was at fault in causing your on-the job injury, tort laws might provide a cash recovery.
- Disability During Unemployment Program (from the NJ Department of Labor and Workforce Development) - If you became disabled while on unemployment benefits, the NJ Disability During Unemployment program may help you.
Other laws might help workers hold a job while recovering from an illness or injury:
- Family and Medical Leave (from the US Department of Labor) - The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) provides unpaid work leave for some workers. This can protect a worker's job for up to 12 weeks in a year-long period while recovering from a serious illness or medical condition.
- The Family and Medical Leave Act Fact Sheet (from the NJ Division on Civil Rights)State leave laws can sometimes protect a worker’s job for a limited time and even provide paid leave in some situations.
- Family Leave Insurance - Frequently Asked Questions (from the NJ Department of Labor and Workforce Development)
- Workers can sometimes receive additional unpaid leave as a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act or New Jersey Law Against Discrimination.
Miscellaneous:
- The Red Book - A Guide to Work Incentives (from Social Security Online) - Workers receiving Social Security SSI or SSDI disability benefits can use a variety of work incentive programs to sometimes keep cash and government medical insurance benefits while testing whether they can keep a job. The Social Security Redbook explains some of these programs.
- DiscoverAbility / NJ WorkAbility (from the NJ Department of Human Services) - The NJ Workability Program provides Medicaid health insurance to some working people with disabilities, who would otherwise not qualify because of their finances.
- Services for Individuals with Disabilities (from the NJ Department of Labor and Workforce Development) - People with disabilities may be entitled to free or low cost employment and vocational rehabilitation benefits in order to maximize their employment potential.
- Resource Directory (from the NJ Division of Disability Services) - provides comprehensive information on programs for people with disabilities in New Jersey.
This information last reviewed 1/18/12. |
