Supreme Court of Connecticut
Clark v. Waterford, Cohanzie Fire Dept.
June 20, 2023346 Conn. 711
Summary
The court held that the statutory definition of “member” in § 7-425 (5), including its exclusion of persons who customarily work fewer than twenty hours per week, governs eligibility for heart and hypertension benefits under § 7-433c. Because the commissioner failed to determine how many hours the plaintiff customarily worked before becoming a full-time firefighter, the court reversed and required further fact-finding on eligibility. The dissent would have construed § 7-433c to cover all qualifying uniformed firefighters without applying the § 7-425 (5) definition.