Calling the current situation “fiscally unsustainable,” Minnesota cities will seek help from the state in covering costs of the skyrocketing number of police officers retiring due to post-traumatic stress and seeking workers’ compensation benefits.
The League of Minnesota Cities plans to push again in the next legislative session for a bill that would fully reimburse cities for the cost of insurance for police officers and firefighters on disability pensions, according to Anne Finn, a lobbyist for the group.
The number of cops and firefighters applying for disability pensions from the state retirement fund has exploded since the police killing of George Floyd in May 2020 that touched off widespread protests, riots and arson.
Since August 2020, about 80% of disability pension applicants say they can’t do their jobs due to post-traumatic stress disorder.
When a worker gets a disability pension, Minnesota law requires cities to continue paying for their health insurance until age 65, with the state reimbursing a portion of the costs.
When the law was enacted in 1997, it contained a provision requiring the state Department of Public Safety to reimburse employers for the full cost of the health insurance. By 2002, the fund was falling short, so the Legislature amended the law to prorate reimbursement to cities based on the amount in the fund and number of applicants.
Since then, the cost has gone up every year for cities, while state funding hasn’t.
The state Public Employees...
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