How much workers’ compensation do I get for a hand or finger injury in New Jersey?

The amount of compensation you can get for a hand or finger injury in New Jersey increased as a result of a new law that took effect Jan. 21, 2020.

If you injure your hand, New Jersey’s workers’ compensation law pays you benefits for a number of weeks based on the percentage of loss of function of your hand. Before the new law, for a hand injury, you received 2.45 weeks for each percentage of loss of function. Now, you receive 2.6 weeks until the loss of function reaches 25 percent. Once you reach the 25 percent level, you receive three weeks for each percentage of loss of function.

The new law also boosts the number of weeks you get for the loss of a digit:

• Thumb: Increase to 80 from 75 weeks
• Index finger: Increase to 60 from 50 weeks
• Second finger: Increase to 50 from 40 weeks
• Third finger: Increase to 40 from 30 weeks
• Little finger: Increase to 30 from 20 weeks