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FDNY Doc Gets Disability, Never Fought Fires
By
Jaya Saxena
Published Apr 5, 2010
Modified Apr 5, 2010
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By
Jaya Saxena
Published Apr 5, 2010
Modified Apr 5, 2010
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Fire Department heart doctor Neil Coplan has been approved for $95,000-a-year pension for his heart illness, though he never actually fought a fire. According to the Post, any officer or firefighter who acquires a heart illness is assumed to have gotten it from fighting fires, and is automatically eligible for the plan if the disease forces retirement. Dr. Coplan has visited a fire scene only a few times in his career.
Fire Commissioner Salvatore Cassano has asked lawyers to check into the legality of the pension and whether it can be applied equally to anyone who wasn't consistently fighting fires. Dr. Coplan, Director of the Division of Clinical Cardiology at Lenox Hill Hospital, worked for the FDNY for over 20 years treating injured firefighters, and doctors have confirmed his heart illness. When contacted for comment, Dr. Coplan's office was "either out to lunch or closed."
The FDNY has been throwing around a lot of pension cash these days. Just last week one firefighter retired with a $242,000-a-year "line-of-duty pension" plan because of an injured knee.
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