Dead Firefighter's family denied survivor benefits in AZ

It takes a lot of gall to deny benefits to the widow of a man that died saving lives, yet that’s exactly what officials in Prescott, Arizona have done. Andrew Ashcraft, 29, was one of the 19 firefighters killed in the horrific and costly Yarnell, Arizona fire, which was the deadliest American wildfire in the past 80 years. In a move eerily reminiscent of the way America treats her war veterans, the city has now denied benefits to Juliann Ashcraft, his widow, and their four children. Their reasoning? He wasn’t a full-time employee. Those benefits include salary and a health plan.
This isn’t the first time, nor will it be the last, that disaster relief responders have had benefit denial attempts. The same thing happened with FEMA workers in November, as many cities will arbitrarily designate such jobs as wildland firefighting as “part-time” or seasonal, despite hours worked.

Ashcraft isn’t the only one being denied benefits. Thirteen of the 19 killed in the blaze have been told they will not be receiving benefits from the city. Of the 13, Andrew Ashcraft was the only one working 40 hours a week for the entire year of 2013.


http://occupydemocrats.com/arizona-city-denies-benefits-to-firefighters-family-after-death-claims-40-hours-isnt-full-time/