The Rhode Island League of Cities and Towns, including Warwick mayor Frank Picozzi, has appealed to  Governor Dan McKee to veto a bill to expand eligibility for disability pensions of firefighters injured in the line of duty. The league says that the bill, which easily passed the House 59-9 with one abstention and 6 not voting and in the Senate by 29-6 with three not casting ballots, would cost taxpayers millions of dollars without any help from state funding.

The bill would amend the current disability pension system to add two-thirds tax-free pay for firefighters who retired with heart disease, stroke, or hypertension. The bill places the burden of evidence for these claims on the State retirement board and disability subcommittee, with benefits being conferred “unless the contrary can be proven by clear and convincing evidence.”

The league, which represents all 39 of the state’s municipalities, specifically objects to the bill’s handling of hypertension, as well as with the accuracy of the state actuary’s cost estimate.

The central question over hypertension is whether or not it can be said to be a workplace injury.  In a letter to McKee, Ernie Almonte, executive director of the league points out that the condition affects “approximately one in three US adults” and is linked with age and genetic predisposition. Furthermore, it can be treated with modifications to diet and alcohol intake. The bill does not consider these factors, and municipalities believe it will be difficult to prove that heart conditions are a result of outside rather than workplace factors.

Mayor Frank Picozzi said the state estimates that the added annual cost would be between $50,000 and $70,000. However, municipalities are concerned about the accuracy of this estimate. In his letter to the governor  Almonte suggests the state may be underestimating the age of retirees, pointing to a Senate Labor Committee hearing on May 3rd where a representative for firefighters stated that “we have to stay into our late sixties now because of the pension changes, so you’re going to be seeing a lot more [heart conditions]...” This is significant as the risk of hypertension and heart disease increases with age.

Former Governor Raimondo vetoed a similar bill in 2017, based on concerns over cost and the ability of the Municipal Employees’ Retirement System to verify claims. The 2017 bill was set to confer benefits for any firefighter having served for at least three years who was then unable to work due to stroke or heart disease. Then Treasurer Seth Magaziner estimated the cost of that bill at between $2.4 and $2.8 million.

Efforts to reach the Rhode Island State Association of Firefighters and sponsors of the bill were unsuccessful.