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Legislative subcommittee approves small DOC claims, holds one injury claim for more records
Summary
A Minnesota legislative subcommittee approved several small property and injury claims for the Department of Corrections, denied others, and held one injury claim over to allow the claimant to submit additional medical records. Payments approved included $6,531.25 for an incremental injury payment and small property reimbursements.
A Minnesota Legislature subcommittee on claims approved a series of property and injury payments for current and formerly incarcerated people while denying other requests and holding one injury claim over for additional documentation.
The panel voted to reimburse the Department of Corrections for two small medical reimbursements as staff recommended, approved a partial sensory-loss payment of $6,531.25 to resolve elements of Victor Lynch’s claim, authorized a $39.56 reimbursement for missing headphones in Robert Baker’s property claim, approved $60 for Derek Kohini’s confiscated beard trimmer, and reoffered $45.41 for clothing in Deshaun Suggs’s claim. Several other claims were denied after staff determined the record did not support liability or permanent injury.
Why it matters: the subcommittee resolves one-off claims that reimburse the DOC or individual claimants and that set precedents about how preexisting injuries, hobbycraft items and contraband determinations are handled. The decisions affect both compensation amounts and expectations for what documentation the committee will require.
Key testimony and procedural steps Leonard Deontay Booth, participating by Zoom, testified that a finger fracture he sustained while assigned duties continues to cause pain and limits his ability to do assembly work; counsel and members agreed Booth could submit additional medical records and Senator Westland moved to hold the claim over for further documentation, a motion the panel approved. Booth said he had been contacted on short notice and offered to provide outside-provider records and treatment notes.
Victor Lynch testified that he has long-standing limitations from a prior injury and said in-custody treatment and short, infrequent physical-therapy offerings have not restored function. Staff and a legal analyst from the Department of Corrections noted medical records showed sensory loss and that rating practices require subtracting impairment attributable to a prior injury; on that basis the subcommittee approved a partial payment of $6,531.25, consistent with the subcommittee’s practice of deducting preexisting impairment when calculating awards.
On property claims, counsel summarized records showing the DOC offered $39.56 for Baker’s missing headphones and recommended reoffering that amount; the committee approved that payment. For Dean Hooverstein’s beadwork claim, counsel said staff had offered replacement beads and that completed art projects are treated differently under DOC policy; the subcommittee denied the $800 claim. For Derek Kohini, staff records showed a beard trimmer had been determined altered and disposed under the 30-day policy after internal appeals; members noted earlier inconsistencies but approved a $60 payment.
Legal and procedural context Committee counsel and DOC legal staff repeatedly cited the limits of the record when recommending denials: if incident reports, medical testing, or work-assignment documentation do not show an individual was performing assigned duties, staff recommended denial under the relevant statute; committee members noted Minnesota Statute section 3.739 as the governing authority for workers’-compensation–style claims arising from assigned duties. Staff also explained that hobbycraft supplies are not tracked and that DOC policy limits replacement or compensation for completed projects and supplies.
Votes at a glance - Payment of $151.78 and $698.08 to resolve two small medical reimbursements: approved by voice vote (motion by Representative Frederick; tally not recorded). - Booth (finger fracture): held over for additional records (motion by Senator Westland; approved by voice vote). - Wilson (cut finger cleaning a pulper): denied (motion by Representative Frederick; approved by voice vote). - Jackson (head injury): denied for insufficient evidence that claimant was performing assigned duties under Minn. Stat. § 3.739 (motion to deny; approved by voice vote). - Lynch (left-hand claim): partial payment approved, $6,531.25 (motion by Senator Carlson; approved by voice vote). - Baker (missing headphones): approve up to $39.56 (motion by Representative Frederick; approved by voice vote). - Hooverstein (beadwork): denied (motion to deny; approved by voice vote). - Kohini (beard trimmer): approve $60 (motion by Representative Frederick; approved by voice vote). - Suggs (clothing/shoes): approve $45.41 for clothing only; shoes denied (motion to approve $45.41; approved by voice vote). - Omnibus motion: deny remaining property claims except to hold one (DeShawn Thomas) over: approved by voice vote.
What’s next: Booth was given the opportunity to submit additional medical records for reconsideration at a future meeting; other claimants may pursue internal DOC appeals or provide additional documentation where recommended by counsel. The subcommittee adjourned after the omnibus motion.
