Legislation sponsored by Assembly Democrats Wayne DeAngelo, Annette Quijano and Daniel Benson to provide workers in New Jersey with online access to information regarding certain leave benefits recently was advanced by an Assembly panel.
“It’s important that workers in our state have access to information about benefits meant to help them achieve balance between their personal lives and their professional lives,” said DeAngelo (D-Mercer/Middlesex). “This legislation will make it easier to find out how to take advantage of these benefits.”
The bill (A-4728) would direct the Department of Labor and Workforce Development to maintain a webpage with information regarding family leave benefits, temporary disability benefits and any rights provided by law for employees to return to work after leave. The webpage also is to include links to texts of the “Family Leave Act,” the “Temporary Disability Benefits Law” and the “New Jersey Security and Financial Empowerment Act,” as well as instructions for claiming benefits.
“We know that there’s a gap between the number of people who are eligible for these benefits and the number of people who sign up for them. Part of that may be attributed to a lack of awareness,” said Quijano (D-Union). “Putting all this information on a single webpage will help the state reach more people and allow more families to benefit from these programs.”
“For many workers, trying to decipher the rights and responsibilities associated with taking leave adds to the stress of what may be a very demanding life event,” said Benson (D-Mercer/Middlesex). “This webpage is a step New Jersey can take to help people focus more on their plans to bond with a child or care for a sick parent and less on the process of claiming benefits.”
The measure was advanced by the Assembly Labor Committee on Monday.