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Show 10 July 23. 1998 'Retirement' program abuses employee's compensation act itf8HHi:Baa;Bffliiiij.iiij.Mi.iMM.iiijBBffiiiHBi!eHaa KIT INCS Filter Ladder Solar Cover Maintenance Pkg. Chemical Kit Energy Efficient Natural Gas Heaters Available Lifetime Warrenty Above Ground Pool In 12 to 24 ft sizes 0 1 JLJUU sun AAC Salt Lake 2392 S. westTemple 467-210- a'spaT Layton IQftfi N 773-570- 1 NATURAL CflCfl DESIGN 0 John never got to this point because by Kathey Cooper Civilian Personnel Office Pump BY Imagine a retirement system that 75 percent of your pay, tax-freThen imagine that it doesn't matter if you meet the service and age normally required to be eligible for this pro-vid- e. retirement system. Sound too good to be true? Unfortunately, this "retirement" program abuses the Federal Employee's Compensation Act (FECA) program. The following is a true story of a case from Hill AFB. John Doe (fictional name) suffered a work injury. The injury was quite severe and John's claim for workers' compensation benefits under the FECA was approved. He had surgery and then returned to light duty. John never recuperated to the point that he could resume his regular job, and due to the downsizing at Hill AFB, a lighter job that matched John's skills and physical abilities couldn't be located. John applied for a medical retirement, which was approved. a a LAYTON mi INC Proudly Presents MICHAEL MARTIN MURPHY America's 1 Singing Cowboy Four time winner of the Western Heritage Award 3 2 1983 Best New Male Vocalist at the Academy of Country Music Awards Some hit songs iiKA'' i i ill I tk. ifc indude Wildfire, What's Forever for(l in 1982), I'm Gonna Miss You Girl, Let the Cowboy Dance TICKETS STILL AVAILABLE AT FIRST NATIONAL BANK 4 OR CALL 1 OR 546-352- a c,,7 Tby: D perform, he was eligible to receive either his annuity from the medical retirement or wage loss compensation benefits under the FECA. Since John was married, the FECA benefit provided him 75 percent of the pay, from his date of injury job versus the taxable medical retirement benefit of approximately 40 percent of his former pay. It wasn't a difficult choice. Over a period of time, John adjusted to the restrictions caused from the work injury. He found that although he did have limitations caused from the work injury, he could still do many things. He found he had a talent for woodworking and started a side business selling craft products. He also discovered that boating and fishing didn't seem to cause too much pain, tax-fre- e, & HUMANITIES COUNCIL, 3 3 3 However, because the work-injur- y was directly related to John no longer having a permanent job that he could First Jational "Dank nor did riding his at his cabin which was about a drive away from his regular residence. John felt so good that he could even perform home maintenance tasks such as reseal-in- g his driveway. All sounds good and well, except that because John was receiving FECA benefits, he was required to report for peri- odic medical checkups. Under the FECA, individuals are expected to seek and or report for suitable work as soon as they are medically able. It doesn't matter whether the work is the same vocation as the individual was performing when they were.injured, if it is at the same agency or even with the government, or if the pay is the same. If the individual can work, they must report their abilities and seek work, or under the FECA, a counselor will be assigned to assist the individual in finding work. Q when he reported to his treating physician for the required medical check- ups, he indicated he was very limited in his ability to perform daily activities. He said he did a little fishing, but that was about it. Based on John's complaints, the physician documented he had dizziness, which caused trouble standing, walking and bending, and because of neck and shoulder pain he could not turn or sit in a single position for any duration. He also had extreme weakness in his arms and very limited range of motion in his neck. When John contacted the Hill AFB compensation office, he reported he couldn't even tie his shoes without passing out and indicated he needed assistance filling out paperwork because he didn't have the strength or ability to hold a pen or pencil. The resulting medical reports from John's periodic checkups indicated he was totally dis- abled still due to the work injury. Because of this documented medical status, John retained his eligibility to continue receiving full FECA benefits. Fortunately for Hill AFB, our workers' compensation investigator had collected the previously described evidence showing that John could and did perform many physical tasks contrary to what he reported to his physician. The investigative evidence was shared with the treating physician who was unpleasantly surprised that his patient could do so many things, and that he had been bamboozled into believing that the disability was continuing. The physician released John to work. John was offered an opportunity to return to work. He declined that opportunity and lost his entitlement to FECA benefits. He is now receiving his retirement benefits and his case is being considered for possible prosecution due to his misrepresenting his medical status in order to receive FECA benefits. Most employees at Hill AFB use the FECA as it was intended to provide financial security for them and their families while they are recuperating from their work injuries. These employees return to work when they are able and are honest about their medical status. Hill's annual bill for FECA benefits exceeds $4 million. Unfortunately, part of that bill is caused from indi- viduals like John who took advantage of the system that was meant to protect them. Remember, FECA benefits are paid from your tax dollars and a high FECA bill impacts Hill's ability to be competitive for future workloads. If you are aware of a suspicious compensation claim, or of a former employee whose "retirement" benefits sound too good to be true, report your concerns to David Spring, the Hill AFB compensation investigator at Ext. or Kathey Cooper, the Compensation Program administrator at Ext. In 1972 which Democrat was elected covernor for an unprecedented third term? A Calvin Q Female descendants of thns whn 1869 founded what organization in 1901? L Rampton 546-857- Deseret NeWS uuunnnn (ttt A. Daughters of Utah Pioneers Utah Trivia by Kent Powell and Miriam Murphy and published "by Kutledge Hi" Press. Nashville. Tennessee. |