How Jesse Jackson Jr. collects $138,400 a year from the federal government

Chicago Tribune ^ | 23 feb 2017 | Katherine Skiba

[rellimpank]

Records from former U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.'s divorce case show how he has been able to collect hefty benefit checks from the federal government after serving time in prison for looting hundreds of thousands of dollars from his campaign fund.

Jackson, 51, receives about $138,400 a year — more than he made as a freshman congressman in 1995. Most of that — about $100,000 — is workers' compensation and tax-free, according to Chicago attorney Barry Schatz, who is representing Jackson in his divorce proceeding.

[blueunicorn6]

Excuse me.

He is getting over $100,000 a year from the taxpayers because he’s depressed?

And the VA will fight a Veteran to the death over a nickel?

Something’s not right here.

[utax]

daddy huckster Jackson knew to check jr. into the hospital long enough to qualify for “disability”.

[Wolfie]

He’s playing the game as designed. So it goes.

[Farmer Dean]

Guess who designed that game.

[Wolfie]

Well, yeah, that’s the point. Our Congesscritters make sure the rules benefit themselves the most. They figured it out: Grab with both hands as fast as you can. And the peons can eat cake.

[CharlesWayneCT]

Let’s just presume that “bi-polar disorder” is a disability you can suddenly “get”, rather than a disease that pre-exists regardless of your employment.

Let’s also presume that he “got” it because of being a congressman, and that depression and his disorder were NOT triggered instead by BEING THROWN IN PRISON FOR BEING A CRIMINAL.

The real problem remaining is this — he was not a “federal employee”, he was a congressman. He lost his job NOT because of his disease, but because he RESIGNED when he was convicted of a felony, since he would have been kicked out for that.

So I don’t understand how he gets workers compensation payments for not working at a job he wouldn’t have anyway.

Workers Comp is supposed to be for job-related injuries that prevent you from doing the job you would otherwise hold.

[GOPJ]

The president of a taxpayer watchdog group said the payments show "the system is still finding a way to take care of ex-lawmakers convicted of crimes and often in better fashion ... than many Americans with lesser financial means could expect. "Once again, the average taxpaying citizen is left to wonder if justice was done for them,"

The 'average taxpaying citizen' knows what's been done to them - and it sure ain't 'justice'...

[zzwhale]

jive asses have it all figured out...

CORRUPTION
FRAUD
LARCENY
POLITICAL OFFICE
DISABILITY

[DungeonMaster]

WHAT!!??

[blam]

Lois Lerner is still laughing at you with her $102,600 a year government pension.

[sphinx]

Georgetown Law professor David Super noted that workers' compensation and Social Security Disability are insurance programs, so Jackson's benefits simply reflect his years as a well-paid congressman. Jackson entered the House in 1995, when lawmakers earned $133,600 a year, and he had several pay raises while in office. "There's an argument for designing the programs differently, more as subsistence programs," Super said, "but that's not what we've done."

Yes. Because what we have done is to create an enormous incentive to game the system by retiring on disability and workman's comp. Which appears to be what J.J.Jr. has done. I'm sure it helps to have political influence; some appropriate authority should subpoena his file and see if undue influence was brought to bear.

It also helps if there is a local culture of abuse. One of my ancient memories, dating from shortly after I came to DC, was a briefing on the cheating going on at that time, back about 1979-80. This was back during Marion Barry days when DC government was a looters' racket. One of the examples given was DC police officers, an astonishingly high percentage of whom retired on disability and workmen's comp (a lot of them complaining of pain from flat feet ...). It was obvious that people had figured out how to game the system. There was a corrupt subculture of doctors who would sign the paperwork and examiners who would accept it, all facilitated by the union, which protected the racket, and a political class that had its own fingers in the till.

[Ann Archy]

President Trump....STOP THIS MADNESS!!!

[SkyPilot]

He is getting over $100,000 a year from the taxpayers because he’s depressed? And the VA will fight a Veteran to the death over a nickel?

Yes - what you said is very true without any hyperbole.

Jackson claims he is bi-polar and "stressed" due to being a Congressman earning $174,000 plus benefits. His attorney filed for Federal Worker Compensation - and he was approved for that, despite a law firm stating that they have never, ever seen that kind of workers comp approved for Federal employees before with these circumstances.

The Federal Employees' Compensation Act gives workers' compensation benefits for disability "due to personal injury or disease sustained while in the performance of duty"....Ari Wilkenfeld, a Washington employment lawyer who has handled dozens of disability cases, said it would be highly unusual to collect federal workers' compensation for bipolar disorder. He said he knew of no other such cases and that his firm, Wilkenfeld, Herendeen & Atkinson, often represents federal employees. "What's remarkable here is by his getting workers' comp, it appears that Congressman Jackson's attorneys have convinced the government that his bipolar disorder was created by the rigors of being a member of Congress," Wilkenfeld said.

Take this in the context that Jesse Jackson Jr. was prosected for illegally spending $750,000 in campaign cash on luxary vacations, booze, airline tickets, clothes, sports memorabilia, cars, and other items.

He is also getting over $38K in Social Security Disability payments. Think about that all you Social Security and military pension recipients when you can't get a lousy 1% cost of living raise because "there is no inflation."

This is an obscenity. He is ripping off the taxpayer all over again. He and his family are criminals. All of them.

KEEP HOPE ALIVE!

[SkyPilot]

The real problem remaining is this — he was not a “federal employee”, he was a congressman.

That is a very true statement.

When sequestration furloughs laid off 95% of the DoD employees (doctors, nurses, engineers, teachers, mechanics, cops, trainers) - Congress wrote an exemption for themselves because they claimed they were not "Federal employees."

But of course, when it comes to stick your hand in the cookie jar for goodies, well.........

[Jet Jaguar]

Ping.

[Chode]

cause it's last name is jackson???

[laplata]

%)&@ *&$_*^ !)&$*

[LucyT]

Jackson, 51, receives about $138,400 a year

He is getting over $100,000 a year from the taxpayers because he’s depressed?

And the VA will fight a Veteran to the death over a nickel?

Thanks, Jet Jaguar.

[Liz]

.......JJJ's depression/disorder were apparently caused by BEING THROWN IN PRISON FOR BEING A CRIMINAL — he was not a “federal employee”..... He was forced to RESIGN when convicted of a felony, since he would have been kicked out. So how does he get workers comp for not working at a job he wouldn’t have anyway. Workers Comp is a safety net, for job-related injuries that prevent you from doing your job.....

Good points......he obviously is collecting b/c he falsified govt documents. Falsifying documents is the criminal MO to hide larger crimes.

CALL CONGRESS---http://www.contactingthecongress.org/

Demand Congress examine the Workers Comp documents.

DEMAND CONGRESS MOBILIZE THESE AGENCIES AT ONCE:

<><> FBI -- Wire Fraud Division

<><> IRS-Fraud Unit

<><> Department of Justice’s Office of the Inspector General,

<><> Department of Commerce’s Office of Inspector General.

<><> DOJ's Criminal Division-- Public Integrity Section