Question – If I’m a police officer or a firefighter over age 55 am I still eligible for PERA Disability Benefits?

Answer – If you are over age 55 and are a disabled police officer or a firefighter you still may be entitled to a variety of benefits under the Public Employee Retirement Association plan depending on your number of years of service working in a PERA Police and Fire Plan covered position. The legislature recognizes that as a result of the physically demanding nature of police officers and firefighters, they retire earlier than members of other professions. Thus, age 55 acts as a cutoff age for a variety of benefits. While it’s best to assess your entitlement to PERA benefits with an attorney before age 55, just because you are over age 55 does not mean you are not entitled to any benefits.

Although work-related amputations occur less frequently than other work-related injuries filed under workers’ compensation, they are often more severe and cost the worker and the employer significantly more time and money. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 10,000 workers suffer amputations each year. The most common type of amputation injuries are partial or full amputations of the fingers, thumbs, and toes. Approximately 3% of amputation injuries involve the loss of hands, or arms, and another 3% involve the loss of feet or legs. Two-thirds of workplace amputation injuries occur in the manufacturing and construction injuries.

While traumatic amputations and loss of limbs can occur in almost any type of job environment, most commonly these types of accidents involve improperly or inadequate guarded machinery or equipment, including:

Generally, no.

As a workers’ compensation attorney, I receive calls from injured workers in Minnesota at least a few times a month who have received a check in the mail from the workers’ compensation insurance company, and a Notice of Benefit Payment form which indicates that the payment is for Permanent Partial Disability (PPD) benefits. PPD is a Minnesota workers’ compensation benefit that is payable for the permanent functional loss of use of a body part due to a work-related injury.

Injured workers in Minnesota often mistakenly assume that this money is a “settlement” of their case, or that accepting this benefit somehow means that their case is now “closed.” That is not the case. Permanent partial disability (PPD) benefits are just one kind of benefit available under the Minnesota Workers’ Compensation Act. Receiving a permanent partial disability (PPD) payment on a Minnesota workers’ compensation case does not mean that your case is settled or closed. Cashing your PPD payment does not mean that you’ve accepted a settlement, or agreed to close your case.

Did you notice that flags were flown at half-mast on Sunday?

Sunday, September 28, 2014 marked Minnesota’s Fallen Firefighters Memorial Day.

Since 1881, there have been 208 Minnesota firefighters who have died in the line of duty. At this year’s service
held at the Minnesota State Capitol, five new names were added to the memorial. For a complete list of fallen firefighters, visit the Minnesota Fallen Firefighters Memorial Association.
We at Meuser Law Office, P.A., want to take a moment to say thank you to all of our State’s Firefighters and First Responders for bravely risking your lives every day to keep us safe, and to deliver us from harm’s way.

A Firefighter’s Prayer

When I am called to Duty, God
Wherever flames may race,
Give me the strength to save some life
Whatever be its age.

Help me embrace a little child
Before it is too late,
Or save some older person
From the horror of that fate.

Enable me to be alert
And hear the weakest shout,
And quickly and efficiently
To put the fire out.

I want to fill my calling
And to give the best in me,
To guard my every neighbor
And protect his property.

And if according to our fate
I have to lose my life,
Please bless with your protecting hand
My children and my mate.

-Author unknown