Disabled Firefighter Serving in Iraq

[Khephra]

PORTLAND, Ore. -- Mark Vrvilo has not been able to work as a Portland firefighter since 2001 because of a back injury. But the pain hasn't kept him from serving as an Oregon Army National Guard medic in Iraq.

The Portland Fire & Police Disability and Retirement Fund voted Tuesday to suspend payments to Vrvilo and refer his case to the police and the district attorney's office for possible prosecution for fraud.

The board also said it would try to recover some or all of the $85,267.73 in benefits and medical expenses paid to him by the fund since November 2001.

Vrvilo's wife, Sladjana Vrvilo, said she had asked the fund's trustees to delay action in her husband's case until he returned from duty.

http://www.newsday.com/news/politics/wire/sns-ap-iraq-disabled-firefighter,0,2531146.story?coll=sns-ap-politics-headlines

[haele]

1. Back injuries are odd...

Sometimes, a person can do normal office-type work and pass a physical - even an occasional bi-yearly military "PT" (timed running, push-ups, sit-ups) with a disabling back injury and some pain meds, but can't do repetitive stressful activity, heavy lifting, climbing, without doing further damage or possibly becoming paralyzed if s/he falls wrong.
A guy in my unit had a broken back; six months after getting it fused, he was doing sit-ups and could run his mile and a half within 15 minutes. He could continue to work as an engineer, but he was still considered "disabled" in accordance with the requirements of his job; he couldn't go on ships due to the fall/unstable surface danger or squat-lift anything over 15 lbs without pain and hazardous stress to his fused back.

Is it possible to be physically capable to be in the National Guard, yet not be physically capable to be a Firefighter or Paramedic? Given the fact that the Military is going after retirees to be medics/doctors/nurses in Iraq - it seems that they're not too concerned with physical prowess. Just that the body with medical training can stand for a period of time. That's the question his disability doctors and lawyer are going to have to answer.

(A side note - I'm in the same boat with a permanent/partial disability that cut down earnings in a career because of the inability to make the physical qualifications for the job I was originally hired to do. I have to start over in another career because of that. That's why one gets a disability lawyer so as not to be left high and dry during the retraining process.)

Haele

[sandnsea]

2. Hmm, let's see

The Guard will take anybody who can breathe at this point, the Portland Fire Dept rightly wants healthy and capable firefighters. He could easily get qualified for Iraq and still be considered disabled by fire department standards. Another soldier getting fucked, that's what I see.

[Greyskye]

3. Bingo

Firefighter requirements are tough. You have to be able to run heavy hoses up flights of stairs while in full gear - the type of thing that a back injury won't let you do. Dollars to donuts his NG duties don't require that kind of physical activity.

[Megahurtz]

4. They're just trying to get out of paying him

typical beaureucratic shit. :hurts:

I just love this country.

[benddem]

5. this is crazy

it isn't the government that's wrong it is the guy. You can't be collecting disability and have a full time job especially one in Iraq. The guy obviously isn't as disabled as he is being compensated.