Are you a Connecticut state or probate employee and cannot do your job because of a physical or mental condition?
Zimberlin Law LLC represents state and probate workers in claims at the Medical Examining Board and in appeals to the State Employees Retirement Commission.
Definition of Disability
At first, disabled means you are permanently unable to perform the duties of your job. After you have received disability benefits for 24 months, you are considered disabled only if you are totally unable to work at any suitable and comparable job. Your disability may be service-connected or non-service connected.
The retirement services division can review your claim at any time after you have been granted and hold a continuing disability review. Your income from outside work, current medical records and ALL social media may be brought before the medical examining board for review.
Time Periods for Filing Your Claim
Don’t delay in filing your claim. There are deadlines to file for benefits and to purchase your time to obtain work credits.
The time period for filing an application for disability retirement benefits or petition for service-connected disability retirement shall begin on the day after the applicant’s last day of paid employment by the State of Connecticut and shall end at close of business on the date that is twenty-four months after the applicant’s last day of paid employment. Regs. Conn. State Agencies § 5-155a-2(d).
If you miss that two-year filing window, The Commission, in its sole discretion and after hearing held by it, may allow equitable tolling of any of the time periods set out in this regulation and thus extend the time period for filing a claim. In order to equitably toll all or a portion of said time period, a petitioner shall show that extraordinary circumstances prevented him or her from filing his or her petition within the specified time period. Regs. Conn. State Agencies § 5-155a-2(i).
Waiver of Overpayment
Sec. 5-156c. Erroneous payments; adjustment; waiver of repayment; regulations.
Does the State claim that you owe them money for an overpayment? Maybe not. Let Zimberlin Law LLC check this out for you.
(a) Should any change or error in records result in any member or beneficiary receiving from any retirement system administered by the State Employees Retirement Commission more or less than he would have been entitled to receive had the records been correct, then upon discovery of any such error the Retirement Commission shall notify the member or beneficiary affected and correct the same, and as far as practicable shall adjust the payments in such manner that the actuarial equivalent of the benefit to which such member or beneficiary was correctly entitled shall be paid, provided if such change or error results in any member or beneficiary receiving less than he would have been eligible to receive, such member or beneficiary may elect to have such benefit paid in a single payment.
(b) If a member or beneficiary has been overpaid through no fault of his own, and he could not reasonably have been expected to detect the error, the Retirement Commission may waive any repayment which it believes would cause hardship.
(c) The Retirement Commission shall adopt regulations in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54 establishing criteria for the waiver of repayment.
Special Provision for Correction Officers Only
Sec. 18-101e. Calculation of disability retirement income for correction officers upon designation of extraordinary circumstances.
Are you a Correction Officer who was injured on the job?
(a) Whenever a correction officer who is a member of a state employee organization and a member of the state employees retirement system, as a result of a special hazard inherent in the duties of a correction officer, becomes (1) permanently disabled or permanently unable to render service as a correction officer, and (2) permanently unable to engage in other suitable, comparable employment, the state employee organization representing such member may, but is not required to, petition the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management on behalf of such member for a designation of extraordinary circumstances for the purpose of calculating such member’s disability retirement income.
(b) If such petition is granted by the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management, or a designee, or as a result of an arbitration conducted pursuant to subsection (c) of this section, the Department of Correction shall (1) elevate such correction officer to the highest pay grade in the member’s bargaining unit, effective not later than the member’s last day of active state service, and (2) prepare an application for disability retirement benefits under the state employees retirement system that reflects the salary of such highest pay grade. The Retirement Commission shall use the salary of such highest pay grade in determining such member’s disability retirement income in accordance with the provisions of chapter 66.
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