BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — A man who led a Brevard County police department for more than a decade can't even afford to keep his house. Former Rockledge Police Chief John Shockey said he had a heart attack because of stress from the job, but his worker's comp claim was denied.
The Florida League of Cities handles worker's comp claims for Rockledge and other cities. They wouldn't discuss the matter with WFTV, but the decision, along with other misfortune, has left the former police chief and his family struggling to survive.
"It's incredible the amount of out of pocket expense, between co-pays and prescriptions," Shockey said.
Shockey is trying to figure out how not only to live with a partially-functioning heart, but how to make ends meet. The 54-year-old left the police department after more than ten years as chief last December after doctors told him too much stress had led him down a road to heart failure.
Shockey's doctors advised him they found evidence of a previous heart attack. He filed a worker's comp claim with the League of Cities, which was ultimately denied.
"Yeah, I'm upset by it. I've been told it's the sole decision of the League of Cities," Shockey told WFTV.
Three months later, his teenage son was pulled from a wreck with severe head injuries.
"It can be anywhere from $400 to $800 a week, just between my son and I going to so many doctors appointments," Shockey said.
Their house was foreclosed on, their bank accounts drained and now their priorities have all changed.
"I'm not proud of the fact our house is in foreclosure and that we are not able to keep our car. I'm not, but it really isn't the most important thing right now," Shockey's wife, Denise, said.
The Shockeys said, if it wasn't for their friends, they wouldn't have a roof over their heads right now or be getting the medical care they need. Shockey said he left the department with no pension and before retirement age. He hoped to enter the private sector before all the medical bills started piling up.
The former chief says he still could need a new pump for his heart or even a transplant.
WFTV
