Plaintiff, a former firefighter who was awarded a line-of-duty disability pension, filed a legal action under section 10 of the Public Safety Employee Benefits Act seeking reimbursement for health insurance premiums he paid after he was initially denied pension benefits. The trial court granted summary judgment in plaintiff’s favor and the defendant appealed. The appellate court affirmed, finding the trial court correctly concluded that plaintiff’s eligibility for benefits commenced on the date the pension fund initially denied his application for line-of-duty benefits and, further, that the trial court correctly concluded that plaintiff did not otherwise have access to health insurance benefits within the meaning of the Act. (FITZGERALD SMITH and PUCINSKI, concurring)
Illinois Appellate Court
Civil Court
Public Safety Employee Benefits Act