Disability pensions costly for Prov.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) - The city of Providence cuts more than $2.2 million in checks for retirees collecting a tax-free accidental disability pension every month, according to financial records obtained by Target 12.

In all, records reveal Providence pays $7 million a month in pensions, and 31 percent of that money goes to 566 retirees who were hurt on the job.

Providence Mayor Angel Taveras said despite trying, the city has not been able to overturn any accidental disability pensions. But officials continue to focus on what he calls an expensive issue for taxpayers.

"We're focusing on doing that right now - it's a lot more difficult than I would have expected, but you know what? I'm persistent," Taveras said on a recent taping of WPRI 12's "Newsmakers."

"Taxpayers deserve it and the people who have suffered a real disability, they deserve it too," Taveras said.

According to records, 19 percent of Providence retirees collect an accidental disability pension. More than half of those checks are cut to city firefighters who were hurt on the job, totaling nearly $1.5 million a month.

• Interactive town-by-town map of average pension payments

On average, the data reveals, retired firefighters collecting a disability pension receive the largest average monthly pension check.

The average city retiree on accidental disability gets $1,600 a month; the average hurt police officer gets $4,300; and the average firefighter receiving the same pension receives $5,500 a month.

Many city and town leaders were hoping the new pension reform legislation would have given them the ability to reduce disability payouts for future pensioners.

The original Chafee-Raimondo pension reform bill called for reducing accidental disability pensions for municipalities in the state-run pension system, from 66 2/3 percent of a worker's salary to 50 percent, and giving the state the option to tax the payments. But the provision was removed at the 11th hour.

"That was a little bit of a surprise," said General Treasurer Gina Raimondo. "Disability is expensive and there is no place at all for fraudulent disabilities or problematic disabilities, and I will continue to look at the issue."

Providence firefighter union president Paul Doughty opposed the move to reduce disability benefits, even though it would not have affected his city. He said it could create "enabling legislation" for cities and towns to adjust local ordinances.

"I think 66 percent is fairly standard throughout the industry," Doughty said, adding that firefighting is dangerous work.

Doughty said the majority of the lucrative pensions - like the $185,000 paid to retired fire chief Gilbert McLaughlin for his accidental disability pension - are sins of the past and are no longer awarded because of recent reform.

"Firefighters are working every day putting their lives on the line, yet the chiefs are working in the front offices, then making a $180,000 pension," Doughty said. "Those, to me, are really taking advantage of the system."

Tim White ( twhite@wpri.com ) is the Target 12 investigative reporter for WPRI 12 and Fox Providence. Follow him on Twitter: @white_tim