Anne Arundel Police Cpl. Elizabeth Martin?s career ended in 2005, when a drunken driver crashed into her cruiser. Her injuries forced an unwanted, early retirement.
But when the 17-year veteran began collecting her disability pension, she found herself again debilitated ? this time by a county law that limited how much she could earn outside of her pension.
“You assume you start a second career to make ends meet,” said Martin, 41, of Glen Burnie. “We should be able to take that second career without any financial consequence.”
That limit no longer exists after the County Council unanimously voted to nix the law that caps the income of disabled public-safety workers.
The cap allowed retired police officers, paramedics, firefighters, prison guards and sheriff?s deputies with second jobs to earn only two-thirds the value of their disability pensions.
According to county and union officials, the decades-old law has only recently been applied to county employees.
County Executive John R. Leopold sponsored the bill as part of labor negotiations. Leaders of the police, firefighters and sheriff?s deputies unions were on hand Monday to voice support.
However, some questioned the merits of disability pensions, fearing some would take advantage of the new law.
“Some people may use this to work the system,” Annapolis resident Frank Arsenault said. “There appears to be no difference between duty-related and non-duty-related pensions.”
Councilwoman Cathy Vitale, R-District 5, and Councilman Jamie Benoit, D-District 4, also raised similar concerns.
County Personnel Officer Andrea Fulton said several safeguards are in place to reveal false claims, including an oversight commission that has final say in all pension issues.
The fiscal impact of the bill is $380,000, which also includes a 1 percent reduction in the employees? contribution to the pension fund.
