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Last year, the NY Times revealed that almost all Long Island Rail Road employees who applied for disability got it—for instance, in 2004, 97% of employees who retired after the age of 50, applied for and received disability and some of those "disabled" retired employees are out on golf courses, hitting the links. Attorney General Andrew Cuomo called it a "cottage industry" of fraud and the Railroad Retirement Board, which oversees claim approval, said it would use greater oversight. But it turns out that a staggeringly high number of LIRR employees are still getting approved for disability.
According to the NY Times, "In the six months since the changes were adopted, the agency approved 64 of the 66 occupational disability claims filed by retired L.I.R.R. workers, according to...an audit by the Government Accountability Office that is to be released on Friday... The approval rate was roughly 97 percent, about the same level as before the new measures were enacted." GAO's director of disability issues Daniel Bertoni said, "Business as usual...The bar is somewhat lower than for other disability programs like the Social Security Administration."
The Times says that since 2000, over $250 million of federal money has been given to LIRR workers on disability.
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"97% Of LIRR Workers Still Get Disability"
vs.
"the agency approved 64 of the 66 occupational disability claims filed"
Misleading headline? Maybe just a little?
I agree. This is a non story. Please people there is nothing to see here.
How is this a non-story? Since 2000 over $250 million of federal money has been paid out to supposedly "disabled" retired LIRR workers. The taxpayers are paying for this fraud.
64 divided by 66 = 97%
"The bar is somewhat lower than for other disability programs like the Social Security Administration."
Somewhat?!!
The headline makes it sound like 97% of LIRR workers that retire receive disability when in reality, 97% of the people who APPLIED for disability received it. So it's a much smaller number than it initially sounded like.
From the NYTimes:
"Since 2000, as many as 97 percent of L.I.R.R. workers over age 50 who retired with 20 years of service have received the disability payments..."
It sounds like 97% apply and of that number 97% are approved. It's still an extraordinary high percentage of "disabled" golf playing retirees.
sickening.