Court reverses volunteer firefighter's benefits rejection

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey's Supreme Court has ruled in favor of a longtime volunteer firefighter denied disability benefits because she didn't have outside employment.

Lower courts had ruled that Jennifer Kocanowski wasn't entitled to the temporary benefits after she slipped on ice in 2015 while carrying gear and suffered serious leg and foot injuries.

Kocanowski was a volunteer firefighter in the Finderne section of Bridgewater Township for 15 years. She had worked as a nanny and home health aide but didn't have outside employment at the time of her injury.

Lower courts rejected her request, ruling that temporary disability benefits were meant as a wage replacement.