Nearly one-third of Montgomery County employees awarded disability since 2005 — including almost half of such firefighters — began banking the taxpayer-funded payments at the time they qualified for normal retirement, The Washington Examiner has learned.
Records from the county’s Office of Human Resources reveal a flurry of disability claims coinciding with retirement eligibility, particularly among public safety workers, and provide ammunition for critics who say employees are using a lax disability system to enhance their retirement packages.
Nearly half of the 48 firefighters who retired with disability pensions during the past 5 1/2 years did so at the time of their normal retirement, the documents show. More than 30 percent of the 105 disabled police officers did the same.
“Taxpayers are paying more in disability-retirement pensions than is merited by the injuries,” said Councilman Phil Andrews, D-Gaithersburg/Rockville, after hearing the numbers.
Under the current disability system, qualifying police officers and general government employees are given two-thirds of their annual salary in a tax-free pension. Firefighters labeled fully disabled receive 70 percent of their yearly earnings tax-free; those considered partially disabled bank more than 50 percent.
But union leaders say the numbers reflect a commitment by public safety officials to their jobs rather than a rush for easy money.
“The majority of people that go out on disability are the older ones, with 20 years or more on the job,” said John Sparks, president of the county’s firefighters union. “It’s a young man’s job. When they get to that [retirement] point, they already have an injury they’ve been working with for years.”
Workers, however, are required to report an injury claim within a year of the time they consider it disabling, according to a memo from Chief Administrative Officer Tim Firestine.
The Examiner first reported a spike in disability claims among county public safety workers in recent months. In May, 16 firefighters filed for disability — more than twice as many awarded the benefit all of last year.
The timing of disabled Montgomery County employees’ retirement
» More than five years before normal retirement: 100 workers
» Less than five years before normal retirement: 45
» At normal retirement: 68
» Past normal retirement: 19
» Total: 232
