A retired New Canaan firefighter has filed a small claims suit against the town saying he’s owed nearly $5,000 in medical insurance overpayments.
According to a complaint filed July 26 in state Superior Court, retired firefighter Jim Pickering retired in August 2019 following some 30 years of “dedicated service” under an IAFF Local 3224 contract with the town. In it, retirees are guaranteed the same rate for medical insurance as active employees, according to the complaint and supporting documentation, including photocopied pages of the contract that form attachments to the suit.
“Upon receiving a letter from the Town of NC dated May 30, 2023 about an increase in ‘retiree medical insurance,’ I began to notice inflated insurance costs deducted from my monthly pension checks,” the complaint said. “These rates are NOT the same as an ‘active single employee’ under my contract at the time of my retirement. By my calculations I have been overcharged by $9,033.52 but I understand I can only sue for amounts of $5,000 or less.”
Pickering referred to the upper dollar limit in small claims court cases in Connecticut. He included a spreadsheet detailing monthly overpayments that total the amount he’s seeking: $4,965.10.
The municipality is represented by the town attorney’s firm of Berchem Moses PC, Connecticut Judicial Branch records show. The town has not yet responded to the suit.
I wonder if its time to revisit the concept of retiree medical benefits?