A firefighter must be shown to have worked 20 or more hours a week to be eligible for workers’ compensation benefits under state law, the Connecticut Supreme Court has ruled in reversing an appeals court and state workers’ compensation officials.
The high court overturned a 2021 appellate court decision that affirmed orders of the Compensation Review Board and a workers’ compensation commissioner that the town of Waterford must accept a claim filed by firefighter Christopher A. Clark for heart disease benefits.
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The statute (§ 7-433c.1) excludes from benefits “members” who customarily work less than 20 hours a week if they entered municipal employment after September 30, 1969. The high court agreed with the town that the appellate court incorrectly concluded that the definition of “member” in the general statutes governing retirement and other benefits for police and firefighters does not apply to workers’ compensation benefits.
The high court found the term “member” does apply. The high court also found that the previous proceedings never determined how many hours Clark worked.
The town originally hired Clark as a part-time firefighter in 1992, prior to which he passed a physical examination that revealed no evidence of heart disease or hypertension. In 1997, the town hired him as a full-time firefighter, and, in 2017, he suffered a...
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