Scranton’s police, fire disability rates remain high despite reforms
From
Disability rates in
The disability rate for
The disability pension figures reflect a trend first identified in a 2014 Sunday Times investigation that found
'Not encouraging'
The high disability rate contributed greatly to the poor financial condition of the police and fire funds, which remained severely financially distressed as of last year. The funds' financial health improved dramatically in the past two years partly because of strong investment returns and a significant increase in contributions from the city and employees.
The pending deposit of
City officials say the improvement is welcome news, but the continued high rate of disability pensions is a major concern because it can significantly impact the funds' health if employees retire before they qualify for a regular, length-of-service pension.
"That's not encouraging to say the least," Councilman
Aging problem
The police department's disability rate is particularly troubling because all but one of the nine disability retirees were short of the age and years of service required to qualify for a regular pension. The police and fire pension plans each require employees hired after
The nine police retirees on disability pensions had an average age of 46.8 years with 21.2 years of service, the newspaper found. Of the eight who did not qualify for a regular pension, three were in their mid to late 30s and served between nine and 15 years on the force; three were in their late 40s and served 23 to 27 years and two were in their early 50s and served 20 and 25 years.
"This is going to kill this plan," Sekol told the board at its
In contrast to the police department, the disability pensions awarded to firefighters will not negatively impact the fire fund because all three retirees met the age and years of service required to receive a normal pension.
At a loss
City and police union officials say they are at a loss to explain why the disability rates remain so high.
The newspaper's review of policies shows
The newspaper was unable to review medical records because of privacy laws. A review of meeting minutes shows the pension boards followed the process in seeking medical evidence for each retiree.
"I know the disability rate sounds bad, but if you can't do the job ... we can't go against the doctor's professional opinion," Helring said.
Dangerous profession
Police Chief
"It's a dangerous profession," Graziano said. "Whether it be wrestling with a suspect or getting in a car crash, they get injured. It seems like it's almost every day that happens."
Helring said he believes the lower disability rates in other communities may partly be related to their lower age and/or years of service needed to qualify for a normal retirement.
"The older you get, the more the chance of injury," Helring said.
Pension reform on horizon
City and union officials say they remain committed to efforts to reduce the number of disability pensions. The police and fire unions agreed in 2015 to change the process by which disability pensions are awarded and to the appointment of a third-party administrator to oversee the process.
Implementing those changes was delayed while the city dealt with other pressing matters, including finalizing the sale of its sewer system and the settlement of the 2011 state Supreme Court back pay award to police officers and firefighters.
"It's been a lengthy process," said city solicitor
The composite pension board hired a third-party administrator in November.
The city also implemented other programs to help reduce the chance of injuries that could lead to a disability pension, including establishing a safety committee to update safety practices, training and equipment in all departments. Police officers and firefighters now undergo fitness for duty examinations that help identify issues early so employees can get treatment and prevent it from turning into career-ending injuries.
"If a supervisor sees an officer is struggling, we send them for a fitness for duty examination," Graziano said. "We've done conditioning to get them back to physical fitness."
Judge said he is encouraged by the changes the city made, which also include a more rigorous pre-employment screening for firefighters.
"If we can detect stuff earlier and make corrections earlier, it's better for the city and it's better for the employee," Judge said. "We are developing a workforce that will be able to last the rigors of 25 years."
Helring said he believes the city's decision to reinstate health care benefits for police officers and firefighters in contracts signed in 2015 will help reduce the number of disability pensions because it encourages employees to work harder to recover from an injury and stay on the job.
"That's an incentive to stay even if your back is killing you or your knee is killing you," Helring said. "You gotta come to work if you want that incentive when you retire. That will keep a lot of guys here and prevent disability pensions, which is the goal."
City and union officials caution it will take time before any real benefits are achieved.
"It took a while to get to that point. It is going to take a while to roll back," Evans said. "We are doing all the right things. We just have to keep doing them. Hopefully some day they will pay dividends."
Contact the writer:
570-348-9137;
@tmbeseckerTT on Twitter
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