What's happening
This bill allows local governments to grant up to five days of paid leave for health services to combat veteran employees.
Why it matters
Expands Support for Local Government Employees. This bill specifically targets public officers and employees of local governments (not state employees), ensuring combat veterans at the city, county, or other local levels can access paid leave for health services, a benefit previously unavailable to them.
Addresses Health Needs Related to Combat Service. The leave can only be used for health care services directly related to the veteran’s combat duty, highlighting the recognition of unique medical and mental health challenges faced by combat veterans.
Discretion Lies with Local Governments. The legislation grants local governing bodies the choice (not a mandate) to adopt this benefit, potentially leading to differences in support for veterans depending on the policies of individual municipalities.
Uniformity Within Each Employer. If a local government adopts this paid leave policy, it must apply equally to all combat veteran employees, ensuring that the benefit cannot be granted selectively or withheld from certain individuals within the same employer.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Paid Leave for Veteran Care
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
Senator · Senate District 3
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Committed to rules
- Advanced to third reading
- 2nd report cal.
- 1st report cal.1077
- Referred to veterans, homeland security and military affairs
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
8250
IN SENATE
April 23, 2018
Introduced by Sen. CROCI -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Veterans, Homeland Security and Military Affairs
AN ACT to amend the military law, in relation to authorizing additional paid leave for health related services for certain employees
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Subdivision 5 of section 242 of the military law is amended by adding a new paragraph (c) to read as follows:
(c) Public officers or employees, as defined by paragraph (a) of subdivision one of this section, who are not employees of the state of New York and therefore not entitled to the benefits contained in paragraph (b) of this subdivision, who have served in a combat theater or combat zone of operations as documented by a copy of his or her DD214, certificate of release or discharge from active duty, or other applicable department of defense documentation, may be entitled to additional paid leave for health related services. The governing body of the public employer may, in its sole discretion, adopt a resolution or local law providing for the payment of the salary or other compensation of such public officers or employees for any and all periods of absence while utilizing healthcare related services related to such duty, not exceeding five working days, in any one calendar year. Any such local law or resolution adopted must apply to the entire class of combat veterans employed by such public employer.
§ 2. This act shall take effect April 1, 2019.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD15365-01-8
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the military law, in relation to authorizing additional paid leave for health related services for certain employees
Purpose or general idea of bill
To amend Subdivision 5 of Section 242 of the Military Law to provide, at local option, additional paid leave to public officers or employees with military combat experience, for health related services.
Summary of specific provisions
Sections One of the bill amends the Military Law to provide additional leave to public officers or employees not employed by the State of New York with military combat experience so that they may obtain health related services without loss of pay.
Section Two provides that this act shall take effect on April 1, 2019.
Existing law
Under current law, all public employees with military experience are provided with paid leave for performance of military duty, totaling thirty days or twenty-two working days, whichever is greater. However, public employees or officers of the state who have military combat expe- rience are also provided an additional five days of paid leave for obtaining health related services. This bill will give local governments the option of providing this additional benefit to their public employ- ees or officers as well.
Justification
Currently, the law currently allows that State employees with military combat experience may obtain additional leave for the purpose of obtain- ing health related services without loss of pay. This bill will allow local governments to offer the same necessity to their officers or employees with military combat experience.
Our heroes who have already spent a great deal of time away from home in a combat zone, fighting for our freedom, should not have to choose between using personal time to spend with their families or receiving proper treatment for health reasons that are often related to their wartime experiences. These brave men and women are choosing to continue in public service, and they need our support.
Prior legislative history
New Bill
Fiscal implications
None to the State
Effective date
This act shall take effect on April 1, 2019.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.