September 24, 2008
LIRR Disability Investigation Prompts Feds to Raid Office
Yesterday, the Westbury, Long Island office of the Railroad Retirement Board was was raided by federal agents who are investigating possible fraud in disability payments to Long Island Rail Road retirees. While the NY Times recently detailed how 90-97% of LIRR employees were applying for--and receiving--disability benefits upon retirement since 2000, it turns out the feds had been investigating the situation for the past six months.
Newsday reports, "agents, from the FBI and the inspectors general offices of both the U.S. Railroad Retirement Board and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, spent several hours questioning employees and combing through files. They left in the late afternoon, carting out 15 boxes of office records and two of the Westbury office's computers."
The USSRRB is the agency that approves disability payments--which end up coming from the federal government (it's believed LIRR disability payments have been around $250 million). The USRRB is based in Chicago, and the Times says it's "run by three presidential appointees, one representing labor, one representing management and one representing consumers." The board's chairman Michael S. Schwartz also released a memo from August, showing that he did ask the inspector general to investigate possible issues with LIRR disability claims.
Governor Paterson has been shocked by the allegations and empowered Attorney General Andrew Cuomo to investigate the matter as well. Paterson told Newsday, "Apparently on your last day, at the retirement party, they sign you up for disability. They must have had a disability booth right outside the hall."
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Good start.
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This is sickening, Although given how well they get the trains to run you might argue they are mentally disabled. I might believe it!
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we are being robbed blind every which way from sunday
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So was the office raised or raided? And what are disability parents?
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Board was was raised by federal agents who are investigating possible fraud in disability parents to Long Island Rail Road retirees.
maybe raiDed by federal agents...
and paYMents to...
although sticking them with disability PARENTS might be more interesting.
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is the editor of this piece on disability?
"disability parents"
" While the NY Times recently detailed how 90-97% of LIRR employees APPLIED for--and RECEIVED--disability benefits upon retirement since 2000, it turns out the feds had been investigating the situation for the past six months.
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Jesus... what a bunch of crooks.
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@rlb14 and @mrguy--thanks for pointing out those typos. Maybe if I had LIRR-style disability payments, I'd be on them.
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" it turns out the feds had been investigating the situation for the past six months."
Amazing. The system actually works... sorta
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"Apparently on your last day, at the retirement party, they sign you up for disability. They must have had a disability booth right outside the hall."
Brilliant!
Meanwhile these crooks keep raising the prices on everything. I say, take away pensions altogether and let those people have a 401k like the rest of us.
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I don't understand why the USRRB and MTA were allowed to participate in the raid. Isn't it possible, if not likely, that they were involved?
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End result of all of this: More home foreclosures on Long Island.
Gonna buy me a house and move to the burbs!
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f*cking unions
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Lock up all those over paid bastards. Fu&k them all.
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im not surprised.corruption is in the dictionary under new york state
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"90-97% of LIRR employees were applying for--and receiving--disability benefits upon retirement since 2000..."
So what was the first clue to the USRRB?