LIRR officials yesterday announced a host of measures aimed at combating fraud among retirees, including the establishment of a watchdog unit to review every application for disability benefits.
The stricter measures come amid revelations that nearly every employee who retired from the Long Island Rail Road applied for and received hefty occupational disability pensions from the federal government.
“The high rate of approval for disability pensions is disconcerting, especially because there has been an 84 percent reduction in employee accidents since 1991,” said LIRR President Helena Williams.
In addition to the newly formed internal watchdog group, Williams proposed several changes to the process retirees go through to get the benefits.
Previously, employees submitted their claims to the Railroad Retirement Board, a federal agency that rubber-stamped 98 percent of all disability claims nationwide.
Williams now wants the board to confirm a retiree’s position within the LIRR to make sure the injuries are consistent with his or her job. In addition, she wants all applications reviewed by an independent expert.
Employees also will go through additional ethics training and will be encouraged to report allegations of wrongdoing.