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State granting a record number of accidental disability pensions
New Jersey is granting a record number of accidental disability pensions this year for public employees as a result of recent changes in law that make it easier to collect.
The Statehouse Bureau of The Star-Ledger of Newark and The Record reported Tuesday that records show the state made $91.5 million in payments to police and firefighters in 2010, a 35 percent increase from 2007, when it paid out $68 million.
This year, the state will grant the most accidental disability pensions in its history, having approved 537 through August, compared with 402 in 2007. (Associated Press)