Invalidity Benefits, the OSH Bill, and One Man’s Struggle
Santiago Ciau Jr.
The following story is that of a thirty-six-year-old Belize City resident who comes from a family of police officers. Tonight, Santiago Ciau Junior is without a job after he was retired by the Government of Belize earlier this year for being medically unfit, following a mishap almost fifteen years ago that has come back to haunt him. To make matters worse, Ciau has been having difficulties collecting his pension from government and he has been denied on two occasions when he applied to the Social Security Board for invalidity benefits. Earlier today, News Five’s Isani Cayetano sat with him as he shared his story.
Isani Cayetano, Reporting
When Santiago Ciau Jr. joined the Belize Police Department on July 23rd, 2006, he did so proudly as the eldest of three boys who would follow in their father‘s footsteps in law enforcement. Santi, as he is affectionately known by family and friends, did not foresee his career being cut short seventeen years into his profession. He suffered a nasty fall while on active duty.
Santiago Ciau Jr.
Santiago Ciau Jr., Retired Policeman
“In 2009, I had a little incident with my leg during which I hurt it. But at the time I did not pay it much attention and gradually, going through the years, it started getting worse and the pain started getting more worse and I couldn’t, some days I can’t walk, some days I can’t sit down too long. So it was really messing me up while doing my job.
Ciau, along with a team of officers, was heading out on operations. Before he was properly seated in the pan of the pickup, the vehicle suddenly moved off and he fell to the ground, injuring his right leg. That physical damage would return to haunt him several years later.
Santiago Ciau Jr.
“It eventually became painful to walk and sometimes I would limp a lot. Then I was in constant pain. I was on a lot of medication, lone painkillers. Then gradually when the weather changed and that, I could not walk some days, I had to roll out of bed. When I was doing extra patrols, I could not stand up.”
Over time, Ciau consulted with several orthopedic surgeons, including Dr. Francis Smith and Dr. Andre Sosa, about his condition.
Santiago Ciau Jr.
“I went to my various doctors took check it out and found out that I had a bone disease which was caused by the accident which was a vascular necrosis of the right hip. And that was the diagnosis I was given. The first time, I went to see Dr. Andre Sosa at Belize Healthcare Partners [Ltd.] and he made it clear that I needed a hip replacement which would have cost about twenty-five to thirty thousand Belize [dollars].”
Unable to gather the money necessary to undergo the costly surgery, Ciau soldiered on with his job. By then, however, he had already gotten several medical opinions regarding the severity of his condition.
Santiago Ciau Jr.
“The first doctor was Andre Sosa. That was in 2020 and he was the first one that had written me a letter and said that I needed, that I had a bone disease and that I needed to have a complete surgery. After going to him, I went for another consultation with Dr. Francis Smith from Medical Associates and he was the one that continuously made… I did the applications and he did the letter for me and he was the one who continuously saw me until I was put off medically.”
Santiago Ciau Jr.
In the end, the pain in his pelvic bone became unbearable and affected his ability to perform his duties as a police officer. He was later deemed unfit to work
Santiago Ciau Jr.
“Eventually, the Government of Belize retired me on medical ground. That was in March of this year, 2023. And the other thing is, I went to Social Security where I went before their medical board and they denied me pension for invalidity.”
It’s a dilemma that we’ve brought to light on previous occasions, persons seeking to access invalidity benefits from the Social Security Board, only to be rejected. It harkens back to the plight of John Brackett in July of last year. He lost a lower limb to Type 2 Diabetes and was also written off as invalid. Claiming his benefits proved to be an uphill battle.
John Brackett
John Brackett, Amputee (File: July 26th, 2022)
“I have submitted my application with what has been asked for. It was accepted for about half an hour and they have asked me to go and get a medical report from Karl Heusner [Memorial] Hospital which I did, from the doctor which does the amputation operation on my foot. I went and I got the letter. This is the letter and it stated that I am diagnosed with diabetes and that my foot has been amputated and I am taking medication for it and I am doing follow-up with the doctor. When I presented this letter from the hospital, I was turned down.”
In the case of Santiago Ciau Jr., at age thirty-six, he has comfortably met the number of contributions needed to become pensionable, but that won’t kick in until he turns sixty. What he is desperately fighting for are his invalidity benefits.
Santiago Ciau Jr.
“I did an appeal to them, with my lawyer and we went to the [SSB]. We did the appeal and they made a decision on the fourth of November and I received the [letter]. They still disallowed the allowance, but I only received the letter on the fourth of December here, which was after the twenty-one days which I am unable to appeal because they only gave me twenty-one days from the fourth of November. And it is their fault that they sent the letter late. So that is my predicament there, I was unable to appeal again.”
Ciau is going through a rough patch, one made all the more difficult because he has a family to look after and he is unable to do so in his present condition.
Santiago Ciau Jr.
“Because of Social Security, waiting on their decision, I was unable to see if I could find another job. So, for seven months for seven months I’ve not had any income. I still owe bank and right now I’m just living with my parents and they are taking care of me and also, with the pension from government, I have still not received anything from them either.”
It’s an unfortunate situation that, in many ways, also highlights the urgent need for legislation that covers occupational safety and health. Santiago Ciau was initially injured on the job. In the course of his career as a lawman, he was injured two more times while on active duty.
Luke Martinez
Luke Martinez, President, NTUCB
“In some countries within our jurisdiction, OSH is a fundamental right. As a matter of fact, last year, ILO passed OSH as a fundamental right and Belize, as a signatory to ILO, must fall in line. So there is no going around OSH, hence our reason for continuing to say Rush the OSH.”
Isani Cayetano for News Five.
