July 3,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, is it just us or does no one really care that the State of New Jersey is closed? Yes there is lot of sreaming from the media and some politicians looking to blame someone else and sure a couple of beaches are closed , Motor vehicle is closed and state courts are closed but on the flip side Municipal parks are still open and the New Jersey transit system is still running. On the bright side no one can raise your taxes or fleece you out of your hard earned money.
So whats the skinny on whats closed and whats not ;
All state-run parks, recreational areas, forests, camping areas, historic sites, and beaches are now closed. That includes the two state beaches Cheesequake and Island Beach and Liberty State Park in Jersey City.
If the shutdown continues into the business week, many state offices will close starting Monday, and thousands of state workers are expected be furloughed. That excludes staff deemed essential, like State Police troopers and state correctional and hospital employees. About 45,000 state workers in all were furloughed during the last shutdown, in 2006. They later received back pay.
I know this is a pain ,all Motor Vehicle Commission agencies and inspection stations will close starting Saturday. That means you won’t be able to get a driver’s license or renew your registration.
Most state courts would close beginning Monday, except for emergency cases. Municipal courts would remain open.
Taxation call centers and walk-in facilities would close starting Monday. Frankly the Jersey ones are terrible and they take hours to answer a phone call.
The state Division of Pensions and Benefits for public workers. Never fear the department would continue payment of health provider claims and life claims, as well as processing changes to family status for health benefits.
You would not be able to obtain copies of birth and marriage certificates from the state Department of Health starting Monday, no problem if you are an illegal .
Travel and tourism welcome centers are closed , ok Ill get over that.
Neither temporary disability claims nor family leave insurance claims will be processed, and people will not be able to see the status of their claims , but Disability designation services through Social Security is open through its hotline.