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THE CITY CANNOT SEEK REIMBURSEMENT FROM WORKERS’ COMPENSATION AWARDED TO A DISABLED FIREFIGHTER WHERE THE FIREFIGHTER RECEIVED BENEFITS FROM MORE THAN ONE SOURCE WHICH, IN TOTAL, EXCEEDED THE FIREFIGHTER’S FORMER SALARY (CT APP).

The Court of Appeals, in a full-fledged opinion by Judge Wilson, determined the city (Newburgh) could not recoup payments made to a disabled firefighter (Mr. Schulze) from workers’ compensation awards. The opinion is too complex to fairly summarize here:

​Pursuant to a complicated statutory scheme, paid firefighters outside New York City who become disabled at work may receive benefits from different sources: their local governmental employer, New York State, and the Workers’ Compensation System. Adam Schulze is a retired paid firefighter who, when employed by the City of Newburgh, was disabled in the performance of duty. He received benefits from all three sources. This case concerns whether the City can compel the Workers’ Compensation Board to pay Mr. Schulze’s workers’ compensation benefits to the City, as a way to allow it to recoup an overpayment it claims to have made to Mr. Schulze. Based on the clear language of the relevant statutes, the City cannot do so. * * *

Neither Workers’ Compensation Law § 25 (4) (a) nor Workers’ Compensation Law § 30 (2) allows reimbursement from workers’ compensation awards for payments made under General Municipal Law § 207-a (2). The provision that prevents Mr. Schulze and other firefighters like him from receiving duplicative benefits is General Municipal Law § 207-a (4-a). The City of Newburgh Fire Department is therefore not entitled to reimbursement directly from Mr. Schulze’s workers’ compensation award for its prior payments to him under General Municipal Law § 207-a (2). Matter of Schulze v City of Newburgh Fire Dept., 2025 NY Slip Op 02101, CtApp 4-10-25

Practice Point: Consult this opinion for a breakdown of the sources of disability payments available to an injured firefighter who was employed outside New York City.​

 

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