FOX6 Investigation prompts ‘Ironman’ bill
MADISON — Another FOX6 Investigation is getting results. State Representative Peggy Krusick (D-Milwaukee) cited FOX6′s investigation as the rationale behind a new bill introduced this week in the Wisconsin State Assembly. The so-called “Ironman” bill would require that police officers and firefighters who retire due to a disabling injury undergo an annual medical evaluation to ensure they are still disabled.
The bill is a direct result of a FOX6 Investigation last fall that found a former North Shore firefighter running marathons and triathlons. Aaron Marjala has completed at least six marathons and one Ironman Triathlon since he was declared to be ‘permanently disabled’ by the State of Wisconsin. The Ironman is a grueling athletic competition that involves swimming 2.5 miles, biking 112 miles, and running 26.2 miles, all in one race.
Marjala suffered a lacerated ulnar nerve in his right arm back in 2006 when he bumped his elbow on a firehouse countertop, then bumped it again on a ladder. Medical records show the injury causes numbness in his pinky finger. Marjala told the FOX6 Investigators last fall that it affects his grip and prevents him from lifting a ladder. He retired on permanent duty disability in January of 2008. Records obtained by FOX6 show he is being paid more than $50,000 in tax-free disability benefits.
Representative Krusick’s bill would not necessarily require all recipients of state duty disability to undergo annual medical check-ups. Instead, it would give the state Department of Employee Trust Funds (ETF) the authority to request such an evaluation. In a fiscal note prepared by ETF, the department says it expects the bill would result in “very few” annual medical evaluations.
