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IN RE: Kenneth C. VIDAL, appellant, v. BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF the NEW YORK CITY FIRE DEPARTMENT, ARTICLE 1-B PENSION FUND, etc., et al., respondents.
In a proceeding pursuant to CPLR article 78 to review a determination of the Board of Trustees of the New York City Fire Department, Article 1-B Pension Fund, dated September 13, 2004, denying the petitioner's application for accident disability retirement benefits pursuant to the Administrative Code of the City of New York § 13-353, the petitioner appeals from a judgment of the Supreme Court, Kings County (Douglass, J.), dated February 10, 2005, which denied the petition and, in effect, dismissed the proceeding.
ORDERED that the judgment is affirmed, with costs.
The issue of whether a firefighter is disabled is determined by the Medical Board of the New York City Fire Department, Article 1-B Pension Fund (hereinafter the Medical Board). “The determination of the Medical Board is conclusive if it is supported by some credible evidence and is not irrational” (Matter of Rodriguez v. Board of Trustees of N.Y. City Fire Dept., Art. 1-B Pension Fund, 3 A.D.3d 501, 770 N.Y.S.2d 132; see Matter of Hession v. Board of Trustees of N.Y. City Fire Dept., Art. 1-B Pension Fund, 23 A.D.3d 468, 805 N.Y.S.2d 627; Matter of Kuczinski v. Board of Trustees of N.Y. City Fire Dept., Art. 1-B Pension Fund, 8 A.D.3d 283, 284, 777 N.Y.S.2d 693). Credible evidence is “evidence that proceeds from a credible source and reasonably tends to support the proposition for which it is offered” (Matter of Meyer v. Board of Trustees of N.Y. City Fire Dept., Art. 1-B Pension Fund, 90 N.Y.2d 139, 147, 659 N.Y.S.2d 215, 681 N.E.2d 382). In this case, the determination of the Medical Board that the petitioner's injuries did not constitute a disability that would preclude the petitioner from performing full duty as a firefighter is supported by credible evidence and is not irrational. Thus, the Board of Trustees of the New York City Fire Department, Article 1-B Pension Fund, properly upheld the Medical Board's recommendation (see Matter of Borenstein v. New York City Employees' Retirement System, 88 N.Y.2d 756, 760-761, 650 N.Y.S.2d 614, 673 N.E.2d 899), and the Supreme Court properly denied the petition.
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Decided: August 01, 2006
Court: Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Second Department, New York.
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Get help with your legal needs
FindLaw’s Learn About the Law features thousands of informational articles to help you understand your options. And if you’re ready to hire an attorney, find one in your area who can help.
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