Pension System A Runaway Train?

(CBS)  Walter Kueffner was an auditing manager at Long Island Rail Road in New York until he took early retirement at age 50. Now he's almost 64 and still physically fit.

Yet Kueffner has little doubt what would've happened if he'd applied for disability from the federal agency created to look after workers like him: The U.S. Railroad Retirement Board, CBS News investigative correspondent Sharyl Attkisson reports.

"Do you think that you would be able to get disability?" Attkisson asked.

"I think I probably could," he said.

What makes Kueffer think someone like him could get disability? Because the system's handing out benefits in suspiciously large numbers.

What does that tell him?

"It tells me something's wrong," he said.

In fact, the percentage of Long Island Rail Road union employees who end up getting disability benefits is so huge, it boggles the mind: up to 97 percent. That's almost all of them.

For instance, the New York Times investigation found: "The 12 highest-paid Long Island Rail Road engineers in 2006" were healthy enough to earn generous salaries, most "over $200,000." But just two years later, they've all retired and gone on disability. The same is true of "the top-earning conductors."

The U.S. Railroad Retirement Board was started in the 1930's as a sort of social security and disability program for rail workers. But unlike regular Social Security, it approves nearly all occupational disability requests, and doesn't require rehab or medical re-evaluations.

Pair the Railroad Retirement Board with the Long Island Rail Road's equally generous pensions, and workers have figured out in large numbers that they can retire in their 50's, file for disability, and pull in their base salary without lifting a finger.

The scandal has brought a wide range of responses. Long Island Rail Road officials call it "alarming" and say they play no part in granting disability.

The U.S. Railroad Retirement Board, which does grant disability, says it's investigating, and that the payments come from taxes on rail workers and companies, not Social Security.

The FBI and New York attorney general have launched their own probes.

Just last week, police made the first arrest in the case: a Rail Road employee who allegedly profited by helping others gain disability. He's pleaded not guilty.

Kueffner is just happy to be one Long Island Rail Road retiree who's not caught up in the whole mess. He's glad he's not disabled, and he's not about to claim it.

[screwed_in_farmingdale]

SQUATTING TENANTS IN FARMINGDALE...NO HELP FROM NYS. go figure.

It's come to my attention that with today's economic situation and the horrific NY State Landlord Tenant laws more and more of the scum of NY is rising to the bottom. A year and a half ago my wife and i separated. I couldn't deal with being in the house any longer for financial and emotional reasons. With the decline in the housing market i was unable to sell the house and decided to rent...what a mistake that was. I didn't realize i would become subject to the irrational NY state laws or scumbag squatting tenants.

Anthony and Connie, grifters apparently out to squat in my home as long as they can with nothing but lies spitting out of their mouths and a 14 year old watching and learning...proud mother she should be, ended up renting my home. It took me awhile to realize just how low these people really are. To expect me to pay their rent and take no responsibility for our agreement or the condition of MY home. They've caused over $7000 worth of damages to my home and are 3 months behind on rent. I am finally working things out with my wife, getting my financial situation under control and these people are stealing from me. The worse part is NY State is completely behind these people and not me, the home owner. I was told by one of Nassau County's finest, and i use that loosely, that i was not allowed at my own home or to contact them in anyway. I know it was BS, i know my rights but hey he's a cop...why would you expect the truth from them.

The fact that everyone is affected by today?s economy their are more of these freaks feeling it's their right to make you pay their bills and feel nothing about it. I don't get it, i don't understand how NYS just sits there and gives them more rights. And now I find out some moron official in Nassau County decides hey if you evict one of these low life?s then you have to hire a moving company and a storage unit to move their belongings out of the house. Another FU to the landlords from our wonderful state. What about the rights of the Homeowner, don't we have any rights? Apparently not in NY. Other states if you're 30 days delinquent you're on the street, that's how it should be everywhere.

Think about it, at times renting your home is considered a business deal but when it comes down to brass taxes if you don?t' pay a business or a bank after 30 days they come after you and you are held responsible. If you don't pay your landlord all of a sudden it's ok...yet people renting their house most of the time are people that are just making it or are in a bad situation and need to rent their house - yet they, me, are the one's getting screwed by the long splintered pole of NYS law. I'm being told that these people can literally stay in my home for yet another 6 months without paying, on top of court fees, lawyer fees, sheriff fees, moving fees, storage fees and potentially more damage by the squatters...it's going to cost me $30-40k - explain to me how that's fair. Explain to me how that's not a crime, yet me walking on my own lawn is...

PLEASE, help me bring this to the attention of your readers, I?m sure I?m not the only one writing you. These laws need to be changed. That or help me find one of these legislators that have a place for rent so i can go play the system on them so they can see how it feels. Thing is they probably would pull some strings, call some friends or something and have me out on my ass in 30 days.


Screwed in Farmingdale

[markd75]

Unions may have been needed years ago, but now days unions seem to just to leach dues off the workers. They do not provide the support as they did in the past, they constantly give excuses as to why grievances aren''t getting resolved and their relationship with the company is more of a "buddy" relationship rather than a cat and dog one. Years ago you NEVER saw union officials going to golf outings, dinners and other social functions with management, it was taboo. The unions, especially UTU have let the Railroads do almost whatever they have wanted. What other union SELLS job insurance to the people they represent against disciplinary action given by the company? You run through a switch, cross a drawbar and derail a car which are all an occupational hazard you could get 10, 15 or 30 days actual time to serve. People rob someone or something and get probation. You figure out the monetary value it''s like being fined $2500, $4000 or $8000 dollars. A cop shoots a suspect he gets 7 days in the gym WITH pay. I just think the majority of the unions have worn out their usefullness but some are a necessary evil. I might be wrong but isn''t it the unions job to PROTECT the people they represent, not profit on them.

[gohan31]

by our actions we prove daily around the world that we humans cannot rule ourselves!! we are NOT going to stop men from legal stealing, but stealing nonetheless. Until we decide to create people WILLING! to obey the law and laws that free people up-from the tyranny of politicians. Maybe, just maybe, life will be better for all.

[indianaman13]

Hey Jboxton1,

So your saying the reason the American automakers are going **** up has everything to do with Democrats in DC, and the workers on the line, and nothing to do with how the Executives from all three companies are running their companies? If that is the case, then why do we even have decision making executives in the first place? Those workers sure could use the executives pay put back into the wage pool, and the pension pool, and the healthcare pool.

So you think that worker on the line, just trying to make enough to live his life, you think its his fault he shows up to work, makes a couple of cars and goes home, and not the decision makers that tell him what kind of car to make, how many mpg''s it''s supposed to have.

How was it then that in the 40''s, 50''s, and 60''s when manufacturing was dependent on manpower, those companies were profitable, and planned for healthcare, pensions, and enough to pay all it''s employees. No, your right jboxton1, its all the union employees fault he works and gets what he could, what''s 70$ an hour compared to the executive who made over a million that year, will make 4 million with his parachute, and is guaranteed a *** good pension and health care, but ya, its the wage earners fault the auto companies are being managed wrong.

[nothappyatall]

Screw the unions. They are the reason in 5 years EVERYBODY will have to buy import cars because that''''s all there will be

Posted by jboxton1"

Oh right! w/o unions you would be working for $1.00 an hour- employers stiff the employees FIRST int he quest for max profits, then you see layoffs the week b4 xmas too in order to increase 4th quarter PROFITS- NICE huh?

Detroit made their own problems- mismanagement, LOUSY cars that fall apart and have constant recalls by the millions of units, and producing gas guzzling cars and SUV''s when the *** come out with hybrid and other cars getting far better mileage.

[indianaman13]

Unions formed because of the horrid conditions they were forced to work in. Liberals have nothing to do with unions, if anything, they formed to help out each other. Look into the formation of the Coal miners if you want an example of what a cruelties Corporations inflict upon their fellow man, all to earn paper.

If anything, conservatives have caused the the ruination of unions because Republicans side with Capital, and not Labor, in almost all aspects of law. That attitude along with the policies of deregulation and inflation, which only make the rich richer by taking away laws that keep Capital in check, and inflation makes what Labor earns less while Capital gets increases on their holdings with inflation.

McCain liked to quote Roosevelt''s "Carry a big stick", but forgot to mention As President, Roosevelt held the ideal that the Government should be the great arbiter of the conflicting economic forces in the Nation, especially between capital and labor, guaranteeing justice to each and dispensing favors to none.

Liberals are not to blame, this has been going on since people been working.

[condumbistan]

The "save the Republicon anarchists" bailout will eventually cost the US taxpayer over $4 TRILLION, or 30% of the USAs GDP. Odd that those fools that continue to vote Republicon with their heads up their fatasses are now screaming election fraud!

[jboxton1]

Ugh....Liberals are the downfall of business. Screw the unions. They are the reason in 5 years EVERYBODY will have to buy import cars because that''s all there will be

[W.W. Terry]

I''m amazed at the responses of the same old retiree brain dead barfly leftwing retards who mouth the same old same old and embarrass themselves everytime. Do you old drunks ever have something nice to say about anything thats not democrat? I notice you seldom say anything nice about the democrats. In fact you seldom say anything at all about the democrats. Is that because there isn''t much nice to say about negative politics? Relax and get a life. Maybe try women for a change. Caio! wwterry

[hitoyou11]

Any time a Rich Crook has anything to do with anything it is going to be BAD. No one will have a Pension with the crooks running the Pension Plans of the working people.