Westfield Officer's Widow Battling Cancer Gains Health Benefits

WESTFIELD, NJ - From the beginning Westfield Mayor Shelley Brindle promised that given time, officials would find a way to close the loophole that would have left Detective Eric Lieberman's widow and children without health benefits. On Monday, Tammy Lieberman received a letter that delivered on that promise.

Lieberman and her children will benefit from the new deal struck with the town and Westfield's PBA Local No. 90. The terms now grant the dependents of a deceased employee with at least 15 years of service with the town and at least 25 years of service in the Police and Fireman's Retirement system, health coverage as if they had retired.

This deal, retroactive to Jan. 1 of this year, means the family will keep their benefits.

Eric Lieberman served for 27 years before his death. Under the contract, Eric Lieberman would have qualified, had he retired before his death. In an email, dated Nov. 24 Westfield PBA President Paul Ferry said that the Lieberman's situation has shed light on a detail that has been overlooked.

"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.

Brindle and administrator Jim Gildea said on multiple occasions that they would use the current negotiations with the PBA to correct the oversight, and according to the letter Lieberman posted to Facebook those negotiations bore fruit.

"Upon death of an active employee with 25 or more years of service in PFRS and at least 15 of those service years with the Town of Westfield, surviving spouse and eligible dependents continue to receive health benefits as if the employee was a retiree at the time of death," the letter states.

The change in the contract, effective Jan. 1, had the Lieberman family included retroactively.

"The PBA came to the agreement, through negotiations, that our family struggles will never be an issue again nor will it effect the broken hearts of the families in their time of need," Lieberman posted to Facebook. "No other family will ever have to deal with such unnecessary pain and anxiety during their grieving time."

Lieberman, who is in a battle with stage IV cancer, will be able to keep her current insurance although she said the battle had cost her.

"It’s ridiculously hard to lose someone that means the world to you and the extra stress was so severe that I was hospitalized and extremely sickly throughout the entire embarrassing ordeal. I wish I didn’t have to beg publicly to make things right, but it was not my choice," she said.

In the letter, the terms of the agreement allow Lieberman continued coverage at $410.98 per month, a savings of $1,666.02 over the $2,077 per month guaranteed by COBRA.

For her part, Brindle said she was pleased with the outcome.

"The letter speaks for itself and reiterates what I have said about this issue from the beginning – that the Town was always committed to finding a solution, and this process would take time through the proper channels," Brindle said. "I’m pleased we were able to partner with the PBA to provide some comfort to Detective Lieberman’s family.”

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