NJFFSA16
10-29-2004, 03:15 AM
Agency denies benefits to widow of dead firefighter
dewndbisjm
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - North Dakota's workers insurance agency
has refused to pay death benefits to a longtime Hebron volunteer
firefighter, who died last July while battling a grass blaze.
The decision by Workforce Safety and Insurance has prompted
criticism from the man's friends and an attorney for his widow, and
an agency spokesman said it may be reconsidered.
George Raber, 69, suffered a heart attack last July while
fighting a 400-acre grass fire southwest of Hebron. He was trying
to check a water pump on the fire truck when he became ill. A
former fire chief, Raber had been part of Hebron's volunteer fire
department for more than 40 years.
Raber's family may be eligible for up to $250,000 in death
benefits. Last year, the Legislature increased the maximum from
$197,000. Workforce Safety and Insurance, which was formerly known
as the Workers Compensation Bureau, provides insurance coverage for
workers who are injured or killed on the job.
The agency denied Raber's claim, saying there was no evidence
his death was work-related, or that unusual stress was involved.
Mark Armstrong, a WSI spokesman, said the claim is being
re-examined.
"It's not unusual that we will reverse ourselves, with
additional medical evidence," he said.
Michael Halpern, an attorney for Raber's widow, Aloha, said
there "ought to be compensation for the death of a volunteer
firefighter, fighting a rather severe fire that endangered homes."
Darrell Graf, a volunteer firefighter and friend of Raber's,
said the insurance agency should have taken a closer look at
Raber's claim before denying it.
"The man puts his life on the line, and dies, and the family
has to go through this," Graf said.
---
Information from: Bismarck Tribune,
http://www.bismarcktribune.com
(Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
dewndbisjm
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - North Dakota's workers insurance agency
has refused to pay death benefits to a longtime Hebron volunteer
firefighter, who died last July while battling a grass blaze.
The decision by Workforce Safety and Insurance has prompted
criticism from the man's friends and an attorney for his widow, and
an agency spokesman said it may be reconsidered.
George Raber, 69, suffered a heart attack last July while
fighting a 400-acre grass fire southwest of Hebron. He was trying
to check a water pump on the fire truck when he became ill. A
former fire chief, Raber had been part of Hebron's volunteer fire
department for more than 40 years.
Raber's family may be eligible for up to $250,000 in death
benefits. Last year, the Legislature increased the maximum from
$197,000. Workforce Safety and Insurance, which was formerly known
as the Workers Compensation Bureau, provides insurance coverage for
workers who are injured or killed on the job.
The agency denied Raber's claim, saying there was no evidence
his death was work-related, or that unusual stress was involved.
Mark Armstrong, a WSI spokesman, said the claim is being
re-examined.
"It's not unusual that we will reverse ourselves, with
additional medical evidence," he said.
Michael Halpern, an attorney for Raber's widow, Aloha, said
there "ought to be compensation for the death of a volunteer
firefighter, fighting a rather severe fire that endangered homes."
Darrell Graf, a volunteer firefighter and friend of Raber's,
said the insurance agency should have taken a closer look at
Raber's claim before denying it.
"The man puts his life on the line, and dies, and the family
has to go through this," Graf said.
---
Information from: Bismarck Tribune,
http://www.bismarcktribune.com
(Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)