Minnesota Firefighter & Police Officer Disability Benefits

If you are a Minnesota firefighter or police officer, and you are hurt on the job, you may be eligible for workers’ compensation benefits, PERA/MSRS disability benefits, and health care continuation benefits under Minn. Stat. §229A.465. 

Workers’ compensation. All Minnesota firefighters and police officers, including conservation officers, corrections officers, and volunteer firefighters, are eligible for workers’ compensation benefits if you are hurt on the job. This includes medical expense benefits, wage loss benefits, permanent partial disability benefits, and rehabilitation/retraining benefits.

PERA or MSRS disability benefits. If you are a Minnesota police officer or firefighter, you may be eligible for PERA or MSRS disability benefits if you can longer perform your normal duties. Depending on the circumstances surrounding the injury, you may be eligible for duty disability benefits, which pays a base rate of 60% of your average high five salary, or regular disability benefits, which pays at a base rate of 45% of your average high five salary.

Health Care Continuation. If you are a Minnesota police officer or firefighter, and you qualify for PERA or MSRS duty disability benefits, you may also qualify for Continued Health Insurance Coverage through age 65, which means that your employer continues to pay your health insurance premium even if you can no longer work as a police officer or firefighter.

The laws governing workers’ compensation benefits and PERA disability benefits are complex. Coordinating your claims to maximize all the benefits you’re entitled to is also extremely complicated. Every case is different, particularly in terms of timing. It’s very easy to make mistakes if you are trying to pursue these benefits on your own, which can literally cost you hundreds of thousands of dollars. Often times we meet with police officers and firefighters who have no idea they’re even eligible for these benefits! We’ve met with other police officers and firefighters who had been represented by, or consulted with, an otherwise competent workers’ compensation lawyer, who had no idea how to help these folks with their claims for PERA benefits.

If you’re a Minnesota police officer or firefighter who has sustained an on-the-job injury, and you’re unsure whether you will be able to continue working as a police officer or firefighter, make sure your workers’ compensation lawyer is knowledgeable about PERA, or you could be leaving hundreds of thousands of dollars on the table. Meuser & Associate is one of the few workers’ compensation law firms in the state that also handles PERA and MSRS disability claims.

If you’re a Minnesota police officer or firefighter who has sustained a career-ending injury, sitting down to talk with us about your rights to these types of benefits is literally like financial planning. We can explain what benefits you’re eligible for, and we can make recommendations to you in terms of how to best protect your rights to those benefits.

In the last couple years, Meuser & Associate has previously represented, and currently represents, dozens of police officers and firefighters throughout the state of Minnesota, including firefighters and police officers who currently work for or formerly worked for:

• Grand Rapids Police Department 
• Rogers Police Department
• Minneapolis Fire Department 
• Springfield Police Department
• St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office 
• St. Paul Fire Department 
• Crookston Police Department 
• Redwood Falls Police Department 
• Hamel Fire Department 
• Waseca Police Department 
• Crystal Police Department 
• St. Louis Park Fire Department 
• Faribault Police Department 
• Minneapolis Police Department 
• Coon Rapids Fire Department 
• Plymouth Police Department 
• New Brighton Police Department 
• Mound Fire Department 
• Pine County Sheriff’s Office 
• Rochester Police Department 
• South St. Paul Fire Department 
• Becker County Sheriff’s Office 
• Cass County Sheriff’s Office 
• Big Lake Police Department 
• Minnesota State Highway Patrol 
• Woodbury Police Department 
• Metro Transit Police Department 
• Bemidji Police Department 
• North Branch Police Department 
• Oakdale Police Department 
• Chisago County Sheriff’s Office 
• Lakeville Police Department 

Schedule a time to sit down with Jen or Ron to discuss your injury, what benefits you’re entitled to, and the best ways to protect your rights to those benefits. We are happy to meet with you and answer any questions or concerns you have, and give you an honest assessment as to what benefits you’re eligible for, and our recommendations as to how you should proceed. We understand that for firefighters and police officers, it’s not just a job—it’s a career, and it’s a lifestyle. Facing an illness or injury that may end your career is a difficult place to be in, and it involves making a lot of difficult choices. If you understand your rights and what benefits you’re entitled to, making some of those choices can be a little less stressful.

For a free, no-obligation consultation to discuss your workers’ compensation case, and your rights under PERA or MSRS, call Meuser & Associate at 877-746-5680, or click here to send us an email to schedule a time to meet with Ron or Jen.