Lightfoot accused of denying full disability benefits to CPD officers severely affected by COVID

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Mayor Lori Lightfoot has been accused of denying full disability benefits to Chicago police officers who have been severely affected by COVID-19.

Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza slammed Lightfoot and her appointees on the Chicago Police Pension Board after several officers severely affected by COVID, including Mendoza's brother, were denied full duty disability benefits.

"She can't say with one face that you support the men and women in uniform, our first responders, then do what they did to them," Mendoza said.

The former city clerk and former state lawmaker, who also ran against and lost to Lightfoot in the mayoral election four years ago, pushed support for House Bill 3162, which would mandate duty disability to officers and firefighters who have permanent complications due to their COVID infection.

Officer Diana Cordova had over 25 years on the job when she got sick, and was eventually denied duty disability benefits.

"It felt, like, ripped right out of my chest," she said. "That's all I knew, was my work. That's all I worked for."

Mendoza's brother was a Chicago sergeant detective when he caught COVID in November 2020, before vaccines were available. Since then, his family said he's had multiple strokes, is on dialysis, and has lost the use of his left arm.

Mendoza said when his case came before the pension board he was denied enhanced duty disability of 75% of his salary and health benefits, but was given a regular disability of 50% of his pay and no health benefits. Mendoza said it was done at the direction of the mayor, but Lightfoot said that claim isn't true.

"In my administration we simply don't play politics with the pension code and we don't play politics with the law," Lightfoot said.

Lightfoot accused Mendoza of playing politics with her timing of filing the bill, noting it's a week before the mayoral election. Mendoza denied that, and said the bill deadline was last Friday.

Lightfoot maintains the city did all it could to protect first responders in the pre-vaccine stage of the pandemic, but Mendoza expressed skepticism of that claim.

Some members of the city council plan on introducing a resolution calling for speedy passage of HB 3162. In the meantime, many of the first responders who have been denied duty pension benefits are appealing the decisions.