Page 14 - August 2017

ThirdVice President’s Report
When an IOD isn’t considered an IOD
The question often arises, “Why is my IOD being denied by the City?” The answer, as de- fined in a recent arbitration victory for the Lodge, is as follows:
“[I]t is well established that for an injury that occurs while an Officer is on duty to be deemed a compensable IOD, that injury must have occurred in the course of the Officer’s em- ployment and must arise out of the Officer’s employment.”
So what does this mean? In the event that you sustain an injury while at work, in order for the City to consider it an IOD and pay the bill, it must be clearly stated what police-related function the affected member was en- gaged in at the time of the injury. In addition to stating what police-related function you were performing, all re- ports documenting the incident should relate the same. If you can, please take pictures of the location (e.g., if the injury is due to a fall) as soon as possible as this type of ev- idence can help us, the FOP, present your individual case to the City in the event that your IOD claim is denied by the Committee on Finance (COF).
If your IOD claim is denied by the COF, you should re-
ceive a letter stating such. Once you receive this notifi- cation, please contact the Lodge immediately so we can prepare to file a grievance on your behalf. Some addition- al paperwork we will need in order to expedite your griev- ance:
• Copy of the IOD report
• Copies of all witness statements
• Any reports documenting the “police-related func-
tion” (e.g., case report, arrest report, TRR, ANOV or
personal service citation)
• Copy of the denial letter from the COF
• Any doctor bills pertaining to the claim
• Any photos of the injury, as well as photos of where
the injury took place
If you are unsure as to why the City has denied your
IOD, please don’t hesitate to call me at the Lodge. Stay safe!
Corrections: In the July 2017 issue, the names of the mur- derers should have read Johnny Veal and George Clifford Knights. Also, I stated that the Chicago Patrolmen’s Federal Credit Union provided the transportation to Springfield for the parole hearing. The actual provider of the bus was the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation. d
JAY RYAN
14 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ AUGUST 2017