Provides military service credit to members who received certain expeditionary medals

1 Co-sponsor

• Joseph P. Addabbo Jr.

Title of bill

An act to amend the retirement and social security law, in relation to military service credit for members who received certain expeditionary medals

Purpose

Allows any veteran who has been honorably discharged and has received the expeditionary medal to be eligible to purchase additional service credit for up to three years of military service.

Summary of provisions

Section 1 amends paragraphs (c) and (d) of subdivision 2 of Section 1000 of the Retirement and Social Security Law and adds a new paragraph (e) to allow a veteran who received an armed forces expeditionary medal, navy expeditionary medal or marine corps expeditionary medal, and was honorably discharged, to buy back additional military service credit, up to a maximum of three years.

Section 2 establishes an effective date.

Justification

Under current law, veterans of some past hostilities are eligible to buy back time in the State retirement system. This legislation would expand the list of veterans who are eligible to buy back their military service time in the retirement system. The expanded list would include all those veterans who were awarded armed forces; navy or marine expeditionary medals and were honorably discharged. Expeditionary medals are awarded by the armed forces, navy or Marine Corps to persons who served in military operations where hostilities were present or imminent. These veterans are currently eligible for the veterans real property tax exemption and should also be eligible for the buy back retirement program.

Legislative history

2007: S.2888-A - Civil Service and Pensions 2006: S.2717 - Civil Service and Pensions 2004: S.4756 - Civil Service and Pensions 2003: S.4756 - Civil Service and Pensions 2002: S.7202 - Civil Service and Pensions

Fiscal implications

This bill would amend Chapter 548 of the Laws of 2000 to allow veterans who are members of public retirement systems and who have received an expeditionary medal to purchase additional service credit for up to a maximum of three years of military service. Affected members would be required to pay three percent of their current annual compensation for each year of service being purchased.

This bill also applies to certain veterans who become members of a public retirement system after the effective date of this legislation and certain veterans who render military duty in the future conflicts that occur after the effective date of this legislation.

If this bill is enacted, insofar as it would affect the New York State and Local Employees' Retirement System and the New York State and Local Police and Fire Retirement System, the cost would depend on the number of members affected and upon each such member's age, salary, credited service, military service, plan coverage and tier.

The number of current and future members who could be affected by this legislation cannot be readily determined.

These costs would be shared by the State of New York and all participating employers in the New York State and Local Employees' Retirement System and the New York Sate and Local Police and Fire Retirement System.

Effective date

This act shall take effect immediately.