Illegal Worker Ineligible for Comp Rehab, Court Finds
An undocumented worker is not entitled to certain workers’ compensation benefits, New York’s highest court has ruled in the case of a printer who suffered four crushed fingers in a 1995 accident.
July 1, 2008
Illegal Worker Ineligible for Comp Rehab, Court Finds
An undocumented worker is not entitled to certain workers’ compensation
benefits, New York’s highest court ruled Thursday, June 26, in the case of a
printer who suffered four crushed fingers in a 1995 accident.
After his injury, Ronnie Ramroop received temporary disability benefits until
2000, court records in the case of Ronnie Ramroop v. Flexo-Craft Printing Inc.
show. Two years later, he applied for additional benefits for impairment of
wage-earning capacity, which required he participate in a rehabilitation
program.
But the New York State Education Department’s Office for Vocational and
Educational Services for Individuals With Disabilities said Ramroop was
ineligible for rehabilitation services because an undocumented alien cannot be
legally employed in the United States.
Following a series of appeals, the New York state Court of Appeals ruled
against Ramroop and upheld a lower court finding. The high court ruled that it
could not have been lawmakers’ intent to restore previous capabilities to a
worker who is not authorized to work.
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