[Oshkalaboomboom]

Another example of the ingrained culture government employees live in where they see taxpayers as a big pail of money to dip in to. Us peons buy life insurance in case disaster strikes. We don't rush to find a fax machine so we can file for disability and retirement benefits as we lay dying.

[GeronL]

wow

[SampleMan]

Wow, the grievance is that they weren’t quite able to circumvent the system to enable them to bilk the tax payer for a greater payout.

[rjsimmon]

A similar situation happened with several National Guardsmen a while back that were called to Active Duty. They all signed their SGLI forms (life insurance) and submitted them to their S-1 (admin) on the same day that they shipped off to Iraq. Their aircraft suffered a mishap and all perished. The court ruled that their intent was to be insured and therefore their spouses received the SGLI. That should be precedent for this case.

[Georgia Girl 2]

Slap if I’m out of line here but I don’t think that disability benefits are designed as last minute life insurance. $342,000 invested wisely should keep his family off the streets. If I fall off a ladder tomorrow my heirs are not getting that much.

[fwdude]

Most giverment employees know how to milk the system.

[Gay State Conservative]

If his death was in the line of duty I'd feel differently.Even if he was in uniform hanging out at the local Dunkin Donuts I'd feel differently.But falling...while fixing a roof? First of all roofing is one of the most dangerous occupations in the country.If I know that he certainly would have.Roofing is a job best left to professionals.But it's the fact that he was off duty...not the fact that he was foolish...that affects my attitude.

On duty...she gets the pension.Off duty...sorry,sweetheart.

[4rcane]

sorry, I can’t take her side on this. The retirement payout is already too much. Doesn’t look like a safety net to me, to make sure ppl don’t starve. It look like a very comfortable retirement lifestyle with that sort of payout

[ansel12]

This needs to be investigated, and the fraudsters need to be fired if not charged, and the system overhauled.

[eyeamok]

Sounds like just plain old FRAUD on behalf of every Jack Booted Thug involved and the widow. LIFE IN PRISON for the whole bunch.

[dblshot]

Should have road him around in the ambulance until the paperwork was filed. It’s been done before.

[Theoria]

'At that point, the 14-year police veteran became ineligible for retirement. The state Comptroller’s Office offered Stephanie a death benefit — three times O’Brien’s last 12 months of pay. But the disability benefits could have amounted to much more — $3.3 million if Stephanie, now 36, lives to age 86.'

BS.

[for-q-clinton]

This is theft from the taxpayers.

[caver]

More crooked cops trying to rip off the taxpayers.

[GrandJediMasterYoda]

Exactly what I was thinking. Just read this story, they are openly bragging about scamming the system. This is a man who on his own free time had an unfortunate accident which resulted in his death, his DEATH. He is NOT disabled, he is DEAD. Yet the are openly saying they want to SCAM the system by saying he is “disabled” when it is not true!

[moehoward]

"We don't rush to find a fax machine so we can file for disability and retirement benefits as we lay dying. "

How about calling a friend to come over and help dress a corpse in his sheriff uniform? The old boy dies in his sleep but the wive's first thought was how to increase the death benefit. True story.

[PaulCruz2016]

Wow, her husband lay dying and all this woman could think about was gaming the system so she could collect as much benefits as possible after he croaked. Lovely. Now she even has the nerve to sue over her failed rip-off.

[MountainYankee]

Most law enforcement agencies in NYS are covered by a “Performance of Duty” disability benefit, awarded to those who are injured while on duty. I believe this to be the hangup. He wasn’t on duty.

[raybbr]

Title should read: How a faulty fax machine saved NY taxpayer’s millions from a scam!

[oldtech]

While I feel bad for them,it seems they are getting a pretty decent payout already. If I had the same thing happen my widow would get ZIP.

[Haiku Guy]

We have gone so far down the rabbit hole that our public “servants” think it is actionable if a circumstance arises where they are not able to game the system for their own gain.

If a man is comotose after falling off a roof, it is not possible for his to retire in the next few hours. It is an abuse of the system to attempt such a thing. Rather than suing for additional money, these people should be indicted for fraud.