Disability Pay: Yes on C

Police officers, firefighters and paramedics routinely risk their lives. As it must, the City of Los Angeles provides liberal pensions for those disabled in the line of duty. But, for some, red tape delays the first disability check for six months. Charter Amendment C on the city’s Tuesday ballot would cure that. We urge a Yes vote.

The delay occurs because the Charter requires a city worker who has collected money for a previous injury to repay that money before disability pension payments begin. Charter Amendment C would allow disabled workers to repay in installments out of disability checks that would start going to them immediately.

That seems fair, particularly in view of the fact that workers hired since 1981 already are entitled to pay off earlier injury awards in installments. Under the amendment, employees would be paid 75% of a disability pension, with 25% withheld until the old award was paid off. Charter Amendment C would apply to cases where employees have been in service five years or more.

Police officers, firefighters and paramedics have chosen hazardous work. They need the reassurance that, if severely injured, they and their families can go on living without the additional frustration of being penniless with neither a paycheck nor a pension check. Charter Amendment C deserves a Yes vote because they and their families are entitled to a fair shake.