title
DISABILITY PENSION PLAN (B)
Ordinance No. 0-06-138
An ordinance of the City of Gainesville, Florida, amending Division 6 of Chapter 2 of the Code of Ordinances relating to the Disability Pension Plan, relating to definitions, penalties for fraud and deceit, administration, eligibility, benefits, amount of and limitations on and termination of payments, and medical examinations; providing directions to the codifier; providing a severability clause; providing a repealing clause; and providing an immediate effective date.
recommendation
The City Commission adopt the proposed ordinance.
explanation
The City Commission at its meeting on January 8, 2007, authorized the City Attorney to draft and the Clerk of the Commission to advertise the “disability pension plan” changes embodied in this ordinance. These changes have been ratified by the CWA and agreed to by the ATU bargaining representative. Many of these changes are similar to current provisions in other retirement or benefit systems. The general purpose of these amendments is to improve administration and curb abuses while increasing benefits where warranted. With the foregoing in mind, a section by section analysis follows:
Section 1 incorporates concepts utilized in the current Worker’s Compensation system, which should make administration of the Plan more familiar to claimants and administrators.
Section 2 of the ordinance provides for enhanced penalties against those who would seek to defraud the system.
Sections 3, 5 and 11 describe management’s authority to administer the Plan.
Section 4 generally increases the amount of time an employee must work for the City before they become eligible for a disability benefit (lifetime) for a disability suffered off the job. In recent years an increasing number of very short service employees have claimed entitlement to disability benefits based upon an alleged injury incurred other than while at work.
Section 6 clarifies that if ...
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