2015 Legal Services of New Jersey. Cuáles Son Sus Derechos Legales: La versión en español la encontrará al reverso

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1 Cuáles Son Sus Derechos Legales: La versión en español la encontrará al reverso Looking Out For Your Le gal Rights De cem ber 2015 Pub lished by Le gal Ser vices of New Jer sey Vol ume 34, Num ber 10 Peo ple who leave their jobs by choice are gen - er ally dis qual i fied from re ceiv ing un em ploy - ment ben e fits. But there are sev eral ex cep - tions that would al low a worker to re sign and still get ben e fits. Page 1 The New Jer sey se cu rity de posit law, the Rent Se - cu rity De posit Act, spec i - fies how a land lord must col lect, main tain, and re - turn a se cu rity de posit. Page 5 Clear ing Your Re cord On line can help you find out whether you are el i gi - ble to ex punge your crim - inal record. Page 11 Cuáles Son Sus Derechos Legales La versión en español la encontrará al reverso. YOU AND YOUR JOB: Can You Get Unemployment Benefits If You Re sign for Med i cal Rea sons? PEOPLE WHO leave their jobs by choice are gen er ally dis qual i fied from re ceiv ing un em ploy ment ben e fits. But there are sev eral ex cep tions that would al low a worker to re sign and still get ben e fits. For ex am ple: If you re signed be cause a phys i cal or men tal dis - abil ity made it dif fi cult or im pos si ble to per form the work, you may be el i gi ble for benefits. If you re signed be cause of ill ness or in jury, you may be el i gi ble for ben e fits if you meet cer tain con di tions. This ar ti cle ex plains the steps you can take to get un em ploy ment ben e fits when a med i cal con di tion makes it nec es sary to leave your job. To get un em ploy ment ben e fits, you must be both el i gi ble and non-dis qual i fied. How do I know if I m el i gi ble? To be el i gi ble, you must: Have worked at least 20 weeks (earn ing at least $167 per week) dur ing the base year (roughly the past 18 months), or Earned at least $8,300 dur ing the base year. Con tinued on page 2 New Jer sey s Com mu nity Le gal Edu ca tion News let ter

2 con tin ued from page 1 You must also be: Able to work (even if un able to work in the pre vi ous job, you must still be able to per form some work); Avail able for work; and Ac tively seek ing work (mak ing at least three job con tacts per week). I m el i gi ble. What is the next step? If you are found to be el i gi ble, the New Jer sey De part ment of La bor will re - view the rea sons you left your job. Then they will de ter mine whether you should be dis qual i fied. The dis - qual i fi ca tion could be for as lit tle as four weeks or could be a com - plete disqualification. Complete dis qual i fi ca tions re main in ef fect un til you find a new job and meet the eligibility requirements in your new job. In their eval u a tion of the cir - cumstances, the Department will place you into one of three cat e go ries: 1. The job it self caused your dis abil ity. If you leave work be cause of a dis abil ity caused by the work it self, you will el i gi - ble for un em ploy ment ben e fits if: You can prove that your em ployer did not have any other work that you could have per formed within the lim its of your dis abil ity; and You pro vide med i cal doc u men ta - tion that shows that you did (or still do) suf fer from a health con di - tion caused by the job. 2. The job ag gra vated (but did not cause) your dis abil ity. If you leave work be cause a med i cal con di tion was ag gra - vated by the job, you will be eligible for un em ploy ment ben - e fits if: You can prove that your em ployer did not have any other work that you could have per formed within the lim its of your dis abil ity; and You provide medical documen ta tion that shows that About Looking Out Looking Out For Your Le gal Rights is pub lished 10 times a year by Le gal Ser vices of New Jer sey. If you are a Le gal Ser vices cli ent, you can pick up a copy at your lo cal Le - gal Ser vices of fice. You may also read Looking Out on our website at Subscriptions Sub scrip tions are $20 a year. For more in for ma tion, please publications@lsnj.org. Back Is sues View back is sues at Change of Ad dress If you are mov ing, please send us your new ad dress and a copy of your Look ing Out mail ing la bel. Look ing Out For Your Le gal Rights Comments If you have any sug ges tions or com ments about Looking Out, we would like to hear from you. Please send all cor - respondence to: Editor, Look ing Out Le gal Ser vices of New Jer sey P.O. Box 1357 Ed i son, NJ publications@lsnj.org This news let ter is for gen eral in for ma tion only. If you have a le gal prob lem, you should see a law yer. A por tion of the cost of this pub li ca tion was sup ported by funds pro vided by the IOLTA Fund of the Bar of New Jer sey Le gal Ser vices of New Jer sey Look ing Out For Your Le gal Rights is a fed er ally reg is tered trade mark of Le gal Ser vices of New Jer sey. 2 Looking Out For Your Legal Rights / December 2015

3 you did (or still do) suf fer from a health con di tion that was made worse by the job. 3. The job did not cause or ag gra vate your disability. If you can no lon ger per form your job be cause of a dis abil ity that is nei - ther caused nor wors ened by the job, you will gen er ally not qual ify for un em ploy - ment ben e fits. If there is no con nec tion be tween the job and your con di tion, it will be as if you left work vol un tarily with - out good cause for leav ing. A worker in this sit u a tion will not get any un em ploy - ment ben e fits, but may be able to get Temporary Disability Insurance. Note: If you did not quit, but were ter - mi nated for miss ing too much work (due to your ill ness or dis abil ity), and you made rea son able ef forts to keep your job such as call ing your em ployer with reg u lar up dates about your con di - tion or re quest ing a leave of ab - sence you should qual ify for ben e fits. In all sit u a tions, you will need to pro vide med i cal doc u men ta tion of your med i cal con di tion(s). Pre par ing to Leave Work With Med i cal Good Cause Com mu ni cate with your em ployer If you have a health con di tion that was caused or ag gra vated by the work and you are hav ing a hard time per form - ing your job, let your em ployer know. If special accommodations, such as chang - ing your shift or re strict ing lift ing or stand ing, would en able you to keep work ing, ask your em ployer for those ac - com mo da tions. You should pro vide your em ployer with a doc tor s note ex - plain ing that you need a cer tain ac com - If your health con di tion was caused or ag gra - vated by work and you are hav ing a hard time per form ing your job, let your em ployer know. mo da tion due to your dis abil ity. You don t have to give ex ten sive med i cal re - cords to your em ployer, but you should be pre pared to of fer a brief doc tor s note ex plain ing the need for an ac com - mo da tion. The em ployer does not have to grant your re quest for a rea son able ac com mo da tion (a term from the fed - eral Amer i cans with Dis abil i ties Act) if do ing so will be a sig nif i cant bur den. But your em ployer must at least dis cuss with you the pos si bil ity of one or more rea - sonable accommodations. More infor - ma tion on dis abil ity-spe cific job ac com mo da tions can be found on the Job Ac com mo da tion Net work s website at If you are not given an ac com mo da - tion, ask your em ployer if there are any other po si tions avail able that you could do, given the lim its of your dis abil ity. In some cases, it may seem ob vi ous that there is no other suit able work avail able, but it s a good idea to make the re quest any way. If you leave work due to a med i - cal con di tion and want to re ceive un em - ploy ment ben e fits, you will need to prove that there was no other work you could have performed there. Looking Out For Your Legal Rights / December

4 It is im por tant to com mu ni cate with your doc tor to dis cuss your abil ity to work. Only a med i cal pro fes sional can cer tify that you are un able to work. Com mu ni cate with your doc tor You are in the best po si tion to know whether or not you are able to work. How ever, for the pur poses of un em ploy - ment or Tem po rary Dis abil ity In sur - ance, only a med i cal pro fes sional can cer tify that you are un able to work. For this rea son, it is im por tant to com mu ni - cate with your doc tor and to dis cuss with him or her your abil ity to work. If you and your doc tor de ter mine that you are no lon ger able to work be cause of a dis - abil ity caused or ag gra vated by the job, ask your doc tor to write a note ex plain - ing how your job caused or ag gra vated your med i cal con di tion. In the note, your doc tor should also recommend that you leave the job. A med i cal pro fes sional s note ex - plain ing that you need to leave work for med i cal rea sons is best. If you can t get a note, gather as much med i cal doc u - men ta tion as pos si ble to sup port your case. The doc u men ta tion should show a con nec tion be tween your med i cal con - di tion and your work. For ex am ple, if you suf fer from a chronic back con di - tion that is ag gra vated by heavy lift ing on the job, you should get med i cal doc - umentation that shows your condition is wors ened when you lift heavy ob jects or put sig nif i cant pres sure on your back. Medical documentation dated shortly be fore your res ig na tion is ideal. What if I can t get a let ter from my doc tor? If you are not able to get a doc tor s note be fore you re sign, try to get a note as soon af ter your res ig na tion as pos si - ble. Even if you see your doc tor af ter you leave work, the doc tor may still be able to write a note based on pre vi ous doc u men - ta tion and his/her as sess ment stat ing that you had to leave work due to a med i - cal con di tion. Fi nally, be aware that all un em ploy ment de ter mi na tions are fact-spe cific. Even if you are not able to get the ideal medical documentation, you might still qual ify for ben e fits if the facts sup port your case. These tips sim ply aim to make the pro cess eas ier. By Sa rah Hymowitz, Chief At tor ney, Le gal Ser vices of New Jer sey Work ers Le gal Rights Pro ject LSNJ on YouTube, Facebook, and Twit ter Le gal Ser vices of New Jer sey's YouTube chan - nel fea tures cli ent sto ries about le gal dis putes and how LSNJ has helped, self-help vid eos in many lan guages that ex plain the law and ac - tions you can take, and in for ma tion on clos - ing the jus tice gap. You may also con nect with LSNJ on Facebook and Twit ter for up dates on le gal de vel op ments and new re sources avail able on our websites. Like us on Facebook Fol low us on Twitter Hágase fan nuestro en Facebook Síguenos en Twitter 4 Looking Out For Your Legal Rights / December 2015

5 HOUS ING LAW: Un der stand ing Your Se cu rity De posit MOST AGREE MENTS to rent hous ing, or leases, re quire you to pay the first month s rent be fore you move in. Most leases also re quire you to pay a se cu rity de posit. The New Jer sey se cu rity de posit law, the Rent Se cu rity De posit Act, spec i - fies how a land lord must col lect, main - tain, and re turn a se cu rity de posit. Cite: N.J.S.A. 46:8-19*. Un der this law, a se cu - rity de posit is money that be longs to the ten ant but is held by the land lord in trust. A se cu rity de posit is made to pro - tect the land lord against the ten ant s fail ure to fol low his or her re spon si bil i - ties as stated in the lease. This in cludes non pay ment of rent, or dam age done to the apart ment by the ten ant, other than or di nary wear and tear. Read your lease care fully be fore you sign it. The lease should state clearly where the land lord will hold your se cu rity de posit and un - der what con di tions it will be re turned to you when you move out. The se cu rity de posit law says that a land lord can t take any money from the ten ant s se cu - rity for re pairs, rent due, or any thing else while the ten ant still lives in the apart ment or house. The Rent Se cu rity De posit Act ap - plies to all rental units, in clud ing ten - ant-oc cu pied, sin gle-fam ily homes. The only ex cep tion is for rental units in owner-oc cu pied build ings that have no more than two units other than the owner-land lord s unit. How ever, the law does ap ply even to ten ants in these small, owner-oc cu pied build ings if the ten ant sends a 30-day writ ten no tice to the land lord stat ing that he or she wants the land lord to com ply with the law s pro vi sions. Limit on amount of de posit The most a land lord can col lect as a se cu rity de posit is one and one-half times the monthly rent. Cite: N.J.S.A. 46: There are no ex cep tions to this limit. Some times a land lord will try to col lect more se cu rity money from a ten ant at the time the land lord raises the ten ant s rent, in or der to have the se cu - rity keep pace with the rent in crease. The law now says that the most ad di - tional se cu rity money that a land lord can get in any one year is 10 per cent of the cur rent de posit. Cite: N.J.S.A. 46: This ar ti cle uses the word Cite: fol lowed by num - bers, let ters, and names to re fer to laws. A cite tells you the book in which the law is lo cated. You can then read the law your self by find ing the cited book. For in for ma tion about ci ta tions, and how to get more in for ma tion about a par tic u lar law, see the Land lord-ten ant sec tion of our website, Ask for a re ceipt when you pay the se cu rity de posit. The re ceipt should in clude the date, the land lord s sig na ture, and the amount of the security deposit paid. Looking Out For Your Legal Rights / December

6 The land lord must tell you in writ ing the name and ad dress of the bank where the de posit is be ing kept, the amount of the de posit, the type of ac count, and the cur rent in ter est rate for that ac count. Ask for a re ceipt when you pay the se - cu rity de posit. The re ceipt should in - clude the date, the land lord s sig na ture, and the amount of the se cu rity de posit paid. The re ceipt should show that this money is for a se cu rity de posit. Also, make sure that your writ ten lease states that you have paid a se cu rity de posit and in cludes the amount of the deposit. No tice of se cu rity de posit The Rent Se cu rity De posit Act re - quires the land lord to put your se cu rity de posit in a sep a rate bank ac count that pays in ter est. The land lord must tell you in writ ing the name and ad dress of the bank where the de posit is be ing kept, the amount of the de posit, the type of ac - count, and the cur rent in ter est rate for that account. The se cu rity de posit law says that this no tice has to be given to the ten ant in writ ing within 30 days af ter the ten ant gives the de posit to the land lord. The law says that the land lord must also give the no tice not just within 30 days of get - ting it from the ten ant, but ev ery year at the time the land lord pays the in ter est to the ten ant. And a new land lord must also give the no tice within 30 days of buy - ing the prop erty. The no tice must be given to the ten ant within 30 days af ter the land lord has moved the de posit from one bank to an other, or from one bank ac count to an other (un less the change in the bank or ac count takes place less than two months be fore the annual interest payment). Finally, the law re quired all land lords to give their ten ants a new no tice tell ing them where the de posit is, how much it is, and how much in ter est it is earn ing by the end of Jan u ary Cite: N.J.S.A. 46:8-19(c). Your right to use the se cu rity de posit as rent The law also says that if the land lord does not put the se cu rity money in a proper bank ac count, or does not give a proper writ ten no tice to the ten ant ev ery time the law says he or she has to, then the ten ant can give a writ ten no tice to the land - lord tell ing the land lord to use the whole de - posit (plus seven per cent in ter est per year) to pay the ten ant s rent. (But be sure to read the next para graph, which talks about a spe cial sit u a tion.) This no tice should be sent to the land lord by cer ti fied mail, re - turn re ceipt re quested, and you should keep a copy. The money can be used to pay fu ture rent or any back rent the ten - ant owes. Once a ten ant le gally tells the land lord to use the se cu rity de posit as rent, the land lord can t ask the ten ant for an other de posit as long as the ten ant lives in the apart ment or house. Cite: N.J.S.A. 46:8-19(c);Delmat v. Kahn, 147 N.J. Super. 293 (App. Div. 1977). Note: There are two ex cep tions to the rights de scribed in the para graph above. 6 Looking Out For Your Legal Rights / December 2015

7 Which ever type of ac count your se cu rity de posit is in, all of the in ter est earned on it is yours. If a land lord does not obey the law that says he or she must pay the in - ter est on the se cu rity de posit ev ery year (or if the land lord does not use the in ter est to pay part of the ten ant s rent), or If the land lord does not give a no - tice about the de posit to the ten - ant ev ery year, the ten ant can use the de posit to pay past or fu ture rent due. But be fore the ten ant can do this, the ten ant must give or send the land lord a let ter giv ing the land lord 30 days to pay the in - ter est or give the an nual no tice. (This no tice should also be sent by cer ti fied mail, re turn re ceipt re - quested, and you should keep a copy.) Cite: N.J.S.A. 46:8-19(c). There are two other im por tant points about the no tice of se cu rity de posit: If you have a writ ten lease, read it care fully. Land lords will of ten put the name and ad dress of the bank where your se cu rity is de pos ited, along with the other in for ma tion re quired by law, right in the lease. This is suf fi cient no tice un der the law. Even if the land lord sends you the no tice within 30 days, the land lord still vi o lates the law if the no tice is not true. If you re ceive the no tice, call the bank to find out if the money has been de pos ited. If the money was not de pos ited, you can tell the land lord in writ ing to use the se cu rity de posit to pay your rent just the same as if the land - lord had not sent you a no tice at all. Cite: Prince ton Hill As so ci ates v. Lynch, 241 N.J. Super. 363 (App. Div. 1990). In ter est on your se cu rity de posit The Rent Se cu rity De posit Act re - quires land lords who rent 10 or more apart ments to place ten ants se cu rity de - pos its in ei ther an in sured money mar - ket fund or a fed er ally in sured bank ac count. The ac count must pay a rate of in ter est set at least quar terly and equal to the av er age rate of in ter est paid by the bank on money market accounts. These higher in ter est ac counts must be in New Jer sey-based in sti tu - tions. Cite: N.J.S.A. 46:8-19(a). The law re quires land lords who rent fewer than 10 apart ments to place se cu - rity de pos its in bank ac counts that pay at least the reg u lar rate of in ter - est. Cite: N.J.S.A. 46:8-19(b). Which ever type of ac count your se cu - rity de posit is in, all of the in ter est earned on it is yours. The law no lon ger al lows the land lord to keep any amount to cover his or her ad min is tra tive ex - penses. Cite: N.J.S.A. 46:8-19(a). The law re quires that the in ter est earned on the de posit must ei ther be paid to you in cash ev ery year or sub - tracted from the amount of rent you owe on the re newal or the an ni ver sary of the lease. This must be done ei ther when your lease is to be re newed or on Jan u ary Looking Out For Your Legal Rights / December

8 31 each year. (The land lord must give you a writ ten no tice that he or she will be pay ing you on Jan u ary 31 of each year in - stead of the date your lease is re - newed.) Cite: N.J.S.A. 46:8-19(c). Get ting your se cu rity de posit back The Rent Se cu rity De posit Act states what a land lord must do with your se cu - rity de posit when you move out, even if you move out be fore your lease is over. Within 30 days af ter you move out, the land lord must re turn your se cu rity de - posit and in ter est, less any rent you owe or any charges for re pair ing dam age that you have done to the prop erty. If the land lord de ducts any amounts for dam ages or rent, he or she must give you a com plete list of the dam ages he or she claims you did to the prop erty and the cost of re pairs. The land lord must send you the list of dam ages by reg is tered or cer ti fied mail, and the land lord must re - turn to you any money left over from your se cu rity de posit. Cite: N.J.S.A. 46: The land lord can only charge you for prop erty dam age that is more than or di - nary wear and tear. Or di nary wear and Land lords can not charge clean ing fees to ten - ants who leave their apartments broom clean. Land lords of ten try to de duct such fees, as well as fees for paint ing. tear means dam age that takes place from the nor mal, care ful use of the prop erty. Ex am ples of nor mal wear and tear are faded paint on the walls, loose tile in the bath room, win dow cracks caused by win ter weather, or leaky fau - cets or ra di a tors. Ex am ples of dam ages that might not be or di nary wear and tear are large holes in the walls caused by nail ing up dec o ra tions, cig a rette burns on floors, or a bro ken mirror on the bathroom cabinet. Land lords can not charge clean ing fees to ten ants who leave their apartments broom clean. Land lords of - ten try to de duct such fees, as well as fees for paint ing. There are steps you can take to pre - vent a land lord from charg ing you for or di nary wear and tear, clean ing, or paint ing. Be fore you move out, ask the land lord or su per in ten dent to per son - ally in spect the apart ment. Then ask that per son to sign a note stat ing that you left the apart ment clean and un - dam aged. If you can not get the land lord or su per in ten dent to in spect the unit, have a friend do so. Ask your friend to take pho to graphs, and sign and date them. If you have a friend do this, make sure the friend can go to court with you if nec es sary. If you end up in court, the judge will not ac cept a let ter from your friend as evidence. Go ing to court to get back your se cu rity de posit If, af ter 30 days, the land lord has not re turned your se cu rity de posit, you can file a com plaint against the land lord in Small Claims Court. The Rent Se cu rity De posit Act states that if the court finds that a land lord wrong fully re fused to 8 Looking Out For Your Legal Rights / December 2015

9 return all or part of a ten ant s se cu rity de posit, the court must or der the land - lord to pay the ten ant dou ble the amount of the se cu rity de posit if it is not re turned at all, or dou ble the amount that the land lord wrong fully deducted from the deposit. When you file your Small Claims Court com plaint, make sure you ask for dou ble the amount of the de posit. (Note: Even if you for get to ask for dou - ble the amount of money when you fill out your com plaint, the court still must give you dou ble be cause the law re - quires it.) Cite: N.J.S.A. 46:8-21.1; Gib son v North Broad Assoc., 172 N.J. Super. 191 (App. Div. 1980); Hale v. Farrakhan, 390 N.J. Super. 335 (App. Div. 2007). If some of the de posit was re - turned, be sure to ask for dou ble the amount that you feel the land lord should not have de ducted from your de - posit. Cite: Cottle v. But ler, 257 N.J. Super. 401 (Law Div. 1992). If you go to Small Claims Court, also write on the com plaint the words to gether with in - ter est and costs of the suit. This means that you will get the in ter est and the money that it costs you to file the com - plaint ($20 plus mile age). The court should also award you rea son able at tor - ney s fees if you hired an at tor ney. Note: You can sue for up to $5,000 in Small Claims Court and you can sue in the Spe cial Civil Part where dif fer ent rules ap ply. If your land lord owes you more than $5,000, you can still sue in Small Claims Court if you are will ing to give up any thing over $5,000. Cite: P.L. 2003, c.188 (sec tion 6). Also note: If your se cu rity de posit was pro vided by the Board of So cial Ser vices or some other gov ern ment agency, and When your build ing is sold, the new owner must get the ten ants se cu rity de pos its, plus in ter est, from the old owner. The new owner is re spon si ble to each ten ant for the full amount of the ten ant s de posit, plus in ter est. the land lord is wrong fully try ing to keep it, the law says that the land lord not only has to give the de posit back to you, but he or she may also have to pay the agency a pen alty of be tween $500 and $2,000. The law says the At tor ney Gen - eral, the De part ment of Com mu nity Af - fairs, or some other state agency can sue to help you get your de posit back and to col lect the pen alty. Cite: N.J.S.A. 46:8-21.1; P.L. 2007, c. 9. When your build ing is sold If your apart ment build ing or rented house is sold, the law makes it clear that the new owner must get the ten ants se - cu rity de pos its, plus in ter est, from the old owner. The law plainly states that the new owner is re spon si ble to each ten ant for the full amount of the ten ant s de - posit, plus in ter est, whether or not the new owner ac tu ally got the de pos its from the old owner. Cite: N.J.S.A. 46:8-20 and 21. What if you are dis placed? If you are forced to move be cause of fire, flood, condemnation, or evacuation, the land lord must re turn your Looking Out For Your Legal Rights / December

10 If you are forced to move be cause of fire, flood, condemnation, or evacuation, the land - lord must re turn your se cu rity de posit plus your por tion of the in ter est earned on it within five days. security de posit plus your por tion of the in ter est earned on it within five days. Be - fore re turn ing your money, the land lord may de duct any charges you owe un der the lease agree ment. This in cludes any rent you owed when you were dis placed. The se cu rity de posit must be made avail - able to you dur ing nor mal busi ness hours for 30 days, in the city in which the prop - erty is lo cated. With the money, the land - lord must give you a de tailed state ment of in ter est earned by the de posit and a list of any deductions. If the municipal clerk agrees, the land lord can turn your money over to the clerk. The city clerk must then make it avail able to you. Within three busi ness days af ter the owner is no ti fied of the dis place ment, the owner must give you writ ten no tice by per sonal de liv ery or by mail to your last known ad dress, stat ing where and when your se cu rity de posit will be avail - able. The owner must send a du pli cate no tice to the re lo ca tion of fi cer, if the city has one, or to the city clerk. When your last known ad dress is that from which you were dis placed, and the mail - box at that ad dress is no lon ger us able, the owner must also post such no tice at each out side en trance of that prop erty. If you do not ask for the money within 30 days, the owner must re de posit it in an in ter est-bear ing ac count in the same bank from which it was withdrawn. If you move back into the same prop - erty later, you must im me di ately re turn to the land lord one-third of the se cu rity de posit. You must re turn an other third within 30 days and the last third within 60 days from the date you moved back in. If you do not re pay the se cu rity de - posit, the owner may bring an evic tion ac tion against you for non pay ment of rent. Cite: N.J.S.A. 46: For more in for ma tion about your rights and re spon si bil i ties as a ten ant, go to the land lord-ten ant sec tion of our website, LSNJLAW SM, Le gal Ser vices of New Jer sey s State wide, Toll-Free Le gal Hot line Scan with your mo bile phone to ap - ply on line. If your in come is low and you need help with a civil le gal prob lem, call LSNJLAW SM, Le gal Ser vices of New Jer sey s state wide, toll-free le gal hot line, at LSNJ-LAW ( ). You may also ap ply on - line at Hot line hours are Mon day through Fri - day, 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. If you are not el i gi ble for as sis tance from Le gal Ser vices, the hot line will re fer you to other pos si ble re sources. 10 Looking Out For Your Legal Rights / December 2015

11 Clear ing Your Re cord On line: Expunge Your Criminal Record Online LE GAL SER VICES of New Jer sey re cently in tro duced Clear ing Your Re cord On - line (CYRO). CYRO can help you find out whether you are el i gi ble to ex punge your crim i nal re cord. It also al lows you to cre ate forms to sub mit to the court, view in struc tional vid eos, and find other re sources to help you with expungement. The CYRO in ter ac tive in ter views are not cur rently sup ported by mo bile de - vices, such as phones and tab lets. In or - der to com plete the in ter view, you will need to use a desk - top or lap top com - puter. If you do not have ac cess to a desk top or lap top com puter, you may still find other help - ful re sources that are mo bile-friendly, such as in struc tional vid eos, forms, and the Clear ing Your Re cord man ual. The CYRO el i gi bil ity in ter view can only help with expungement of New Jer - sey crim i nal re cords, not out-of-state crim i nal re cords. A judge in the Su pe rior Court in the county where you were ar rested or con - victed will de cide whether to ap prove your re quest for expungement. CYRO will tell you if you may be el i gi ble to ex - punge and help you fill out the forms, but only a judge can de cide whether or not to grant your re quest. If you de cide to ap ply for expungement af ter com plet ing the CYRO el i gi bil ity in ter view, you will need your en tire adult and ju ve nile re cord in New Jer sey, in clud ing the date of ar rest, the stat ute num ber of the of fense, the date you were con victed or pled guilty, the dis po si tion of your case, and the sta - tus of any pen al ties im posed on you at sen tenc ing, to com plete the ac tual forms. The website pro vides in for ma - tion on how to get your en tire New Jer - sey crim i nal re cord from the state po lice. Once you are ready, you can click on a link to an swer some ques tions about your re cord. It should take be tween 10 and 20 min utes, de pend ing on your re cord. When you are fin ished, you will know if your re cord is expungeable, and whether there is a wait ing pe riod be fore you can ap ply. If you can ap ply right away, you will be able to go di rectly to the forms to com plete them on line. You can not sub mit them on line though. You will need to print and mail them. Con tact LSNJLAW SM for more help If your in come is low and you need ad di tional help, you may ap ply on line for help from Le gal Ser vices of New Jer - sey at Looking Out For Your Legal Rights / December

12 Look ing Out For Your Le gal Rights: flip over for Eng lish edi tion Cuáles Son Sus Derechos Legales Diciembre2015 Las personas que dejan sus empleos por su propia elección, generalmente, quedan descalificadas para recibir los subsidios por desempleo. Pero existen varias excepciones que le permiten a un trabajador renunciar y aún recibir dichas prestaciones. Flip is sue over for the Eng lish edi tion of Look ing Out for Your Le gal Rights. Publicado por Los Servicios Legales de Nueva Jer sey Puede obtener los subsidios por desempleo si renuncia por razones médicas? LAS PERSONAS que dejan sus empleos por su propia elección, generalmente, quedan descalificadas para recibir los subsidios por desempleo. Pero existen varias excepciones que le permiten a un trabajador renunciar y aún recibir dichas prestaciones. Por ejemplo: Si usted renunció debido a que una discapacidad física o men tal le hacía difícil o imposible llevar a cabo su trabajo, usted tal vez pueda recibir las prestaciones. continúa en la página 2 El boletín de educación jurídica para los habitantes de Nueva Jer sey

13 continúa de la página 1 Si usted renunció debido a una enfermedad o lesión, y cumple ciertos requisitos, usted podría recibirlos. Este artículo explica los pasos que todo trabajador puede tomar para obtener los subsidios por desempleo cuando una condición médica le hace necesario abandonar su empleo. Para obtener los subsidios, todo trabajador tiene que ser elegible y no estar descalificado Cómo sé si cumplo con los requisitos? Para ser elegible, usted tiene que: Haber trabajado por lo menos 20 semanas (ganar por lo menos 167 dólares por semana) du rante el año base (aproximadamente los últimos 18 meses), o Haber ganado por lo menos dólares du rante el año base. También tiene que: Poder trabajar (incluso si no pudo trabajar en el empleo an te rior, usted todavía tiene que poder llevar a cabo algún tipo de trabajo); Estar disponible para trabajar; y Buscar activamente un empleo (hacer, al menos, tres contactos laborales por semana). Cumplo los requisitos. Cuál es el siguiente paso? Si se determina que es elegible, el Departamento del Trabajo en Nueva Jer sey examinará las razones por las que usted dejó su puesto. A continuación, se determinará si se le debería descalificar. La inhabilitación podría ser por sólo cuatro semanas o podría ser una descalificación Con respecto a Looking Out Look ing Out for Your Le gal Rights es publicada 10 veces al año por los Servicios Legales de Nueva Jer sey. Si usted es un cliente de los Servicios Legales, puede obtener una copia en la oficina de Servicios Legales de su localidad. También puede leer Look ing Out en nuestro sitio Web Suscripciones La suscripción cuesta $20 dólares por año. Números atrasados Puede ver números atrasados en Cambio de dirección Si se muda, envíenos su nueva dirección y una copia de la etiqueta pegada al último ejemplar de Look ing Out. Cuáles Son Sus Derechos Legales Comentarios Si tiene alguna sugerencia o comentario con respecto a Look - ing Out, nos gustaría oírlo. Envíe toda correspondencia a: Ed i tor, Look ing Out Le gal Ser vices of New Jer sey P.O Box 1357 Edison, NJ publicaciones@lsnj.org Este boletín de noticias es sólo una información gen eral. Si tiene un problema jurídico, usted debería ver a un abogado. Una parte del costo de esta publicación se cubrió con la ayuda proporcionada por el fondo IOLTA del colegio de abogados de Nueva Jer sey Le gal Ser vices of New Jer sey 2 Cuáles Son Sus Derechos Legales / diciembre 2015

14 completa. Una descalificación completa permanecerá en efecto hasta que usted encuentre un nuevo empleo y cumpla con los requisitos de elegibilidad en su nuevo trabajo. Du rante la evaluación de las circunstancias, el departamento le ubicará en una de las tres siguientes categorías: 1. El trabajo en sí provocó la discapacidad del trabajador. Si deja de trabajar a causa de una discapacidad causada por el trabajo mismo, usted llenará los requisitos para recibir los subsidios si: Puede probar que su empleador no tenía ningún otro empleo que usted pudiera haber realizado dentro de los límites de su discapacidad; y Proporciona la documentación médica que muestra que usted sufrió o que aún sufre una enfermedad causada por el trabajo. 2. El trabajo empeoró (pero no causó) la discapacidad del trabajador. Si deja de trabajar debido a una afección médica que fue agravada por el trabajo, usted llenará los requisitos para recibir los subsidios si: Usted puede probar que su empleador no tenía ningún otro empleo que usted pudiera haber realizado dentro de los límites de su discapacidad; y Proporciona la documentación médica que muestra que usted sufrió o que aún sufre una enfermedad que empeoró por el trabajo. Si usted tiene una afección médica que fue causada o empeorada por el trabajo y se le está haciendo difícil realizar su la bor, infórmeselo a su empleador. 3. El trabajo no causó ni empeoró la discapacidad del trabajador. Si ya no puede realizar su trabajo a causa de una discapacidad que no fue ni causada ni agravada por el trabajo, generalmente quedará descalificado para recibir prestaciones por desempleo. Si no hay ninguna conexión en tre el trabajo y su afección, será como si hubiera dejado el trabajo voluntariamente, sin tener una buena razón para irse. Un trabajador en esta situación no obtendrá subsidios por desempleo, pero podría obtener el seguro tem po ral por discapacidad. Nota: Si no renunció, pero fue despedido por faltar demasiado al trabajo (debido a su enfermedad o discapacidad), y usted había hecho esfuerzos razonables para mantener su empleo, como llamar a su patrón para darle actualizaciones periódicas acerca de su condición o para solicitar un permiso de ausencia, usted debería estar cumpliendo con los requisitos para recibir dichas prestaciones. En todo caso, usted tendrá que proporcionar documentación médica respecto a su situación. Cuáles Son Sus Derechos Legales / diciembre

15 La preparación para abandonar el empleo debido a una razón médica justificada Comuníquese con su empleador Si usted tiene una afección médica que fue causada o empeorada por el trabajo y se le está haciendo difícil realizar su la bor, infórmeselo a su empleador. Si el hacer adaptaciones especiales, como cambiar su turno o restringir el levantamiento de cosas pesadas o dejar de estar de pie, le permitiría seguir trabajando, pídale a su empleador para que haga dichos arreglos. Usted debe proporcionarle una nota del médico explicando que debido a su discapacidad usted necesita un acondicionamiento determinado. No tiene que darle extensos historiales médicos, pero debe estar preparado para entregarle una nota breve en la que el médico explica la necesidad de algún acondicionamiento. El empleador no tiene la obligación de concederle el pedido para una adaptación razonable (un término de la ley para la protección de los estadounidenses con discapacidades) si hacer tal cosa es una carga con sid er able para el mismo. Pero Es importante que se comunique con su médico y hable con él o ella, sobre su habilidad para trabajar. Sólo un médico puede certificar que usted no puede trabajar. su empleador tiene al menos que hablar con usted sobre la posibilidad de hacer una o más adaptaciones razonables. En el sitio web de la organización Job Ac com - mo da tion Net work, encontrará más información sobre las adaptaciones laborales específicas a cada discapacidad. Si no se le brinda una adaptación, pregúntele a su empleador si hay algún otro puesto disponible que usted puede desempeñar, teniendo en cuenta las limitaciones presentadas por su discapacidad. En algunos casos, tal vez sea evidente que no hay ningún trabajo adecuado disponible, pero es buena idea preguntar de todos modos. Si abandona el empleo debido a una afección médica y desea recibir los subsidios por desempleo, tendrá que demostrar que allí no había ningún otro trabajo que hubiera podido hacer. Comuníquese con su médico Usted es quién sabe mejor que nadie si puede o no desempeñar un trabajo. No obstante, con el propósito de obtener el seguro tem po ral por desempleo o por discapacidad, sólo un médico puede certificar que usted no puede trabajar. Por esta razón, es importante que se comunique con su médico y hable con él o ella, sobre su habilidad para trabajar. Si usted y su médico determinan que usted ya no puede trabajar a causa de una discapacidad causada o empeorada por el trabajo, pídale al médico que le escriba una nota explicando en qué forma su trabajo le ha causado o agravado su afección. En la nota, el médico debe también recomendar que deje el empleo. 4 Cuáles Son Sus Derechos Legales / diciembre 2015

16 Qué pasa si no puedo obtener una carta expedida por mi médico? Una nota de un profesional médico explicando que usted necesita dejar de trabajar por razones médicas es lo mejor. Si no puede conseguir una carta, reúna la mayor cantidad posible de documentos médicos que sustenten su caso. La documentación debe mostrar una conexión en tre su condición médica y su trabajo. Por ejemplo, si sufre una afección crónica de la espalda que se agrava al levantar objetos pesados en el trabajo, usted debe conseguir documentación médica que muestre que su condición empeora cuando tiene que levantar objetos pesados o pone alguna presión con sid er able a su espalda. Seria ideal tener documentación médica fechada an tes de su renuncia. Si no logra obtener una carta de un doc tor an tes de renunciar, intente conseguirla tan pronto como le sea posible después de renunciar. Incluso si usted ve a su médico después de dejar de trabajar, el médico podría escribir una nota basada en la documentación an te - rior y su análisis indicando que usted tuvo que dejar de trabajar debido a un problema médico. Por último, tenga en cuenta que todas las determinaciones respecto al desempleo son específicas al hecho. Incluso si no logra obtener la documentación médica ideal, usted todavía podría tener derecho a recibir los subsidios si los hechos corroboran su caso. Estos consejos simplemente tienen el propósito de facilitar este proceso. Este artículo fue traducido del inglés por Al Moreno, M.A., coordinador del servicio lingüístico en LSNJ. Borre sus antecedentes penales por medio de la Internet Los Servicios Legales de Nueva Jer sey recientemente lanzaron el sitio Cómo borrar los antecedentes penales por medio de la Internet (CYRO) para ayudarle a averiguar si usted llena los requisitos para borrar los antecedentes que tenga en Nueva Jer sey. El sitio CYRO le permite llenar los formularios que tiene que presentar al tri bu nal, ver vídeos instructivos y encontrar otros recursos para ayudarle a hacer dicha corrección. En este momento, CYRO sólo está disponible en inglés, pero esperamos tener la versión en español lista en febrero de Si después de completar la entrevista para determinar la elegibilidad, usted de cide solicitar que se le borre el historial, para completar los formularios, necesitará todos los antecedentes que tenga en Nueva Jer sey como menor de edad y adulto, incluyendo la fecha de la detención, el número del estatuto de infracción, la fecha en la que se le condenó o se le declaró cul pa ble, la disposición del caso, y el estado de cualquier sanción impuesta en la sentencia. En el sitio web de LSNJ, encontrará información sobre cómo pedirle a la policía estatal una copia de sus antecedentes penales completos. Después de contestar algunas preguntas acerca de su historial, usted sabrá si este se puede borrar, y si hay algún período de espera an tes de que pueda iniciar el proceso. Si usted puede iniciar inmediatamente, usted podrá ir a la Internet y llenar los formularios, imprimirlos y enviarlos por correo. Pronto tendremos más información disponible acerca de la versión en español. Cuáles Son Sus Derechos Legales / diciembre