There likely are few readers of this newsletter who disagree with the notion that law enforcement is an honorable profession that requires you to face every shift with the possibility of life altering or life ending injuries as the possible outcome of the performance of your job. Duty. Honor. Courage. Workers' compensation benefits are probably not on the same mental checklist when you start your tour of duty. Coverage for health, WC, and disability are supposed to be some of the "givens" you can count on, take comfort in, and trust will be available to you and your loved ones should the need ever arise. Unfortunately, that is not the case for everybody reporting for duty.
Not an Isolated Incident
My good friend, Matt Domyancic, may be known by some of the readers, but not all. For those unfortunate folks, let me introduce a great guy who has lived an absolute horror-story of an existence following surgery for a work-related condition. Matt served on patrol, SWAT, and on the academy staff prior to his surgery(s). Complications ensued which led to a debilitating spiral of poor health and eventual disability from a job he loved and in which he did very well. Matt's journey is well documented and I would strongly urge you to read his story.
Matt's experience alone is intolerable but the fact that this is not an isolated incident screams for you to know the rest of the story. A California-based third party administrator was hired by the county Matt worked for in Virginia. They are a national outfit with lots of municipalities for clients. In fact, you may want to determine if they're in your own backyard! It is not an uncommon practice for a government body to hire this company to oversee their workers' compensation, health, liability, and or disability insurance. In many instances, similar companies perform an important function. However, this particular outfit has developed a very nasty and well-earned reputation for spreading misery among the cops and firefighters they cover.
Similar stories have been extremely well documented in Texas and Maryland to name a few. The Fort Worth Texas Weekly article is lengthy but it gives a very comprehensive account of several police officers' stories of pain and disability. The firefighters in Montgomery County have called for an investigation into the company's practices. Clearly this is a need for reform in some instances but to flat out deny benefits officers are objectively entitled to is wrong.
This is an important story. But its not just Matt's story. Everyday public safety officers go to work assuming their municipality or agency has their back. This may not be the case! Please take a few minutes to read Matt's story. If you're not comfortable contributing, please leave him a note or a well-wish. You'd be helping a fellow officer out and you might learn a little bit about your insurance back up!
Stay Safe, Stay Strong
JS
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