Take Two

The New York Times reports this morning that there has been an arrest in the Long Island Railroad disability scheme.  As you know, I have been a bit obsessed with this story as it is the intersection of two of the larger areas of my work life, NYC and occupational disability.

Based on my initial reading of the story, the gentleman arrested is, to quote Lee Harvey Oswald, a patsy.  I would opine that AG Cuomo is using this maneuver to show the world that he is serious about this probe.  There will be far larger fish than this to be fried.

I would love to see this type of scrutiny come to other forms of disability retirement, specifically Social Security Disability Retirement.  If you are awake, you’re aware that the Social Security Trust Fund is in precarious territory.  There are now two workers for every one person receiving Social Security.  This clearly cannot continue.  I look at the FICA payments we make (both me as an individual and as a partner in our firm) and am disgusted with the knowledge that most of our folks will either never see the money or will see greatly reduced benefits. If this was a commercial enterprise (see, Enron and WorldCom), people would be on their way to jail for this type of mismanagement.  But because it’s a “government trust” (an oxymoron if ever I heard one) we let it ride.

On the bright side, maybe this is the start of a new period of examination for these benefits.  Wouldn’t that be great.

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I realize that for the vast majority of my readers this is a non-story but for me with 15+ years in occupation medicine and workers’ compensation, it is a delight.  The latest story via the New York Times is that managers have assisted in what is essentially an enormous fraud on the Long Island Railroad and, by extension, the taxpayers who underwrite it.  Shocking!

My guess is when the original story was written about a month ago they did not see this kind of traction coming.  However, in the current climate of corporate guilt by association, someone (or several someones) is going to jail for a long time for this.  It’s a shame too because the LIRR is great.  The New York MTA, for all of their faults, is one of the best public transportation systems in the world.  It would be great if some of this money the government is doling out were used for infrastructure improvement but I digress.  Anyway, click on any of the stories to be brought up to speed.  This is fascinating stuff.

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The New York Times reports today that the Attorney General of New York is opening an investigation into the number of disability retirement claims filed and granted to former employees (now retirees) of the Long Island Railroad.  I had a short blurb about it here.

The problem, while certainly prevalent within the LIRR, actually is rooted in the Railroad Retirement Board which is antiquated body used to adjudicate railroad disability claims.  Apparently the standard for disability isn’t that high.

Standby for appropriate governmental official posturing and related stink storm.  This will be brilliant.

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