Feds after clout sick list

They want to know why so many patronage beneficiaries file workers' comp

A federal grand jury is demanding records from City Hall regarding injury claims of city workers, a move that comes two weeks after the Sun-Times reported Chicago patronage workers claim to be hurt at a rate that exceeds the nation's most dangerous jobs.

Grand jurors have issued a subpoena to the City Council Finance Committee, headed by Ald. Edward M. Burke, seeking an array of records on injured city workers, many who have been off work for years and collecting disability checks.

The subpoenas, according to City Hall sources, demanded that the city turn over:

•     A list of all city workers receiving workers' compensation payments as of Sept. 1.

•     A list of all city workers who have been declared to be "permanently and totally disabled" -- a designation that entitles them to disability payments as long as they live, as well as other benefits, including a city pension.

•     A copy of a Sept. 11, 2002, memo written by Burke's then-top administrator, Stephen Murray, who, the Sun-Times has reported, suggested several measures to ferret out fraudulent injury claims and cut the city's costs.

•     Copies of all workplace-accident reports filed since Jan. 1, 2005.

•     Copies of any audits and reviews of City Hall's workers' compensation program.

A spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office declined to comment. A spokesman for Burke said the Finance Committee "will cooperate fully with any requests for documents and/or information."

The Sun-Times' "Clout's Sick List" investigation -- published Oct. 19, 20 and 22 -- reported that one in five patronage workers listed on the once-secret clout list kept by Mayor Daley's former patronage director had filed workers' compensation claims. That injury rate far outpaces those for any occupation tracked by the U.S. Department of Labor, including underground coal miners and foundry workers. Most of those patronage workers had filed at least two claims. Some had filed more than a dozen.

The city has spent more than $38.9 million to resolve 1,719 injury claims filed by those workers; another 708 claims are still pending.

Many of the records sought by the federal subpoenas also were sought by the Sun-Times under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act. But Burke's staff refused to release any records that identified injured city workers.

Under a city ordinance that dates to 1913, the Finance Committee has sole authority to settle injury claims filed by city of Chicago employees. Those claims typically are settled for less than $100,000, though the city never discloses those settlements.

The Sun-Times also reported that the city estimated 91 workers -- including relatives of public officials -- have been deemed able to return to work in less physically demanding jobs but remain off, collecting disability checks worth as much as $40,000 a year, because the Daley administration hasn't found them suitable jobs.