A.G. Gancarski
Heart, hypertension, and workers’ compensation were talkers in Jacksonville City Council chambers on Friday at the Finance Committee’s budget hearings.
About 82 percent of heart and hypertension and worker’s comp claims are coming from the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.
“In the past, the problem was that JSO and JFRD were eating up all the benefits,” said John Crescimbeni.
“I’m all for the One Jacksonville One City or whatever it is, but I want everyone to pay his fair share.”
Matt Schellenberg mentioned that an exhibitor in Orlando offered $50 heart and hypertension evaluations. For $400,000, all city employees could be evaluated via this “proactive measure,” which “could make our employees much healthier.”
“Because of decisions that the prior council made about self insurance,” Schellenberg added, these decisions are possible.
These issues have been recurrent concerns in recent months.
The worker’s comp allocations for police, fire, and rescue total 68 percent of the whole JSO pie, meanwhile.
Projecting numbers forward is frustrating, as it is impossible to forecast workers’ comp, said a representative from the Finance Department.
Jacksonville has historically budgeted workers’ comp at 55 percent confidence level, which has led to a recurrent under-budgeting.
