A New Jersey Assembly panel advanced a bill that would help first responders and their families financially in the event that they are disabled or injured by COVID-19. Local law enforcement officers, state troopers, firefighters, and emergency medical responders enrolled in one of the three retirement systems associated with these professions are eligible for accidental disability benefits if they sustain a permanent and total disability resulting from a traumatic event that occurred on the job.
Similarly, their named beneficiaries are eligible for accidental death benefits if they lose their lives in the line of duty.
Bill (A-3945) would extend eligibility benefits to first responders who become disabled or die as a result of their exposure to COVID-19, as long as their job involved interacting with the public or supervising other personnel who interacted with the public during the COVID-19 crisis.