Officer's Widow Battling Cancer Wants Westfield To Pay Benefits

WESTFIELD, NJ - Her husband, a detective with the Westfield Police Department, died suddenly in May, and now Tammy Lieberman is fighting stage IV breast cancer and to keep the health benefits she says her husband earned.

Lieberman said her options are limited as someone with a preexisting condition and the $25,000 COBRA payment to extend her current insurance into 2021 is her best option available to her if Westfield does not continue the current benefits.

"Because of my medical history, the best I can get is $40,000 from the marketplace," Tammy Lieberman said. "And the thing of it is, I can fight this and win and I am going to die anyway. I was given one year to live in 2008.

Eric Lieberman died of heart failure May 22 while getting ready for work, leaving behind wife Tammy, two sons, Tyler, 19, and Eric, 14. The 47-year-old Scotch Plains man was lovingly called "Dude" by those who knew him and had served the Westfield Police Department for 27 years. He was hired on Jan. 29, 1992, appointed to plain clothes officer on Oct. 31, 2000 and promoted to detective second grade on Sept. 10, 2001 and detective first grade on July 15, 2004. He was a beloved member of the department and tributes have been steadily flowing in since May, Tammy Lieberman said.

But according to the widow, that good will has its limits as town officials told her she will no longer have the insurance to cover her cancer care unless she pays $25,000 to continue her benefits starting in January.

"I just want to stress that my late husband earned those benefits. We are not doing anything except making sure he didn't work and not get paid for his efforts," Lieberman said. "His major motivation to stay past 25 years was the state's decision to have all civil servants to pay in 30 percent of the insurance premium. I'm totally willing to do that. I'm only looking for what's fair."

Lieberman said her husband kept the town of Westfield safe, doing his best to touch every life he came into contact with.

"I just find it so unfair that the governing body chose to take away something earned years ago," Lieberman said.

Lieberman, who currently is undergoing daily chemotherapy treatments, said things changed when she moved her family out of the area to Florida.

"I had to leave for care taking and once I left almost no one returned my calls or emails. No one except the mayor," Lieberman said.

Lieberman said the question that needs to be asked is "can Westfield help?"

"The answer is they can and they are choosing not to," she said.

Lieberman said that Westfield appears sensitive to those battling cancer, with their no-shave November movements and the pink breast cancer ribbons adorning squad cars but that now when faced with the opportunity to really help someone fighting the disease, they aren't coming through.

"Here is their chance to actually make a difference," she said.

According to the PBA contract, since Eric Lieberman died before officially retiring there is not a mandate his family receive benefits. The New Jersey Police and Fireman’s Retirement System gives municipalities discretion to decide on the provision of benefits.

In an email, dated Nov. 21 Westfield PBA President Paul Ferry said that their hands are tied.

"I have gone over our contract several times and there is just no language that governs deceased active members and their families. I don’t understand how this has been such an oversight in all these years, but unfortunately it has been," Ferry said.

Ferry said in that email that officials in Westfield were trying to help the Lieberman family, and in fact had exceeded their legal obligation.

"I have spoken with several people, including the Town Administrator who assures me he has done everything permissible and then some for you under federal statute and a bit more. He explained he has done everything he could to help and was happy to do so," Ferry said. "I have even called the State PBA Office and we have gone over the contract together over the phone, there just isn’t anything there for us to fight that’s winnable."

In another email dated Nov. 24, Ferry said that while he might not agree with what is happening, there is nothing in writing that can be enforced.

"I can’t believe a detail like this has been overlooked by so many people before me, but now I will certainly look to change the writing on the wall for future generations of officers that serve this community and god forbid pass away unexpectedly," Ferry said.

Lieberman told Patch while it was great that changes would be made for others, it does nothing to help her or her family.

"This is all so disheartening and we simply want and need what was earned for us," Lieberman said. "I'm a widow with two boys, whose husband worked hard to prevent this from ever happening to us."

Lieberman said that Westfield Business Administrator Jim Gildea told her that the benefits could be given at the town's discretion and that the concern was extending them to her could set a precedent.

"He said essentially if they gave it to me they would have to give it to everyone which sets a precedent," Lieberman said. "And I said 'setting a precedent for something that should be done? Excellent.'"

Lieberman said that she needs help pressuring officials to do the right thing.

"Please help us get the health insurance that the town officials want to take after he worked 27 years to earn for his family," Lieberman said. "Your input will help immensely and I just need some help letting the town officials know that the Westfield community doesn't agree with taking away a first responders earned benefits and not allow them to charge us $25,000 to stay on a policy that was earned for us."

Lieberman said it is the fact that her husband earned this is why she is fighting so hard. She said people often ask her why she doesn't use her husband's life insurance money or his pension to pay the premium or why she doesn't ask for donations.

"People say I should start a GoFundMe page and ask for donations. And I want to save that for people who need it. This is something my husband earned and we should have," Lieberman said. "And my husband's life insurance money and pension I am trying to keep to provide a life for my boys."

For her part, Lieberman said that the battle to keep her healthcare has added more grief and heartache to her plate and that this fight is literally one for her life.

"I can't believe they'd choose to take away the very life that will keep my boys from being orphans," Lieberman said.

Westfield officials did not return messages for comment.

(Photos courtesy of Tammy Lieberman)

Thanks for reading! Learn more about posting announcements or events to your
local Patch site here. Have a news tip you'd like to share? Or maybe you have a
press release you would like to submit or a correction you'd like to request? Send an email to russ.crespolini@patch.com

Subscribe to your local Patch newsletter by clicking here. You can also have them delivered to your phone screen by downloading our Apple iOS app here, or by visiting the Google Play store for the Android app here.