What's happening
This bill redefines accidental disability benefits for police and firefighters, basing them on the highest salary rate for their rank at retirement.
Why it matters
Ensures police officers and firefighters who retire due to accidental disability will have their benefits calculated using the highest salary for their rank at retirement, not just their own final pay. This guarantees that all members of a given rank receive the same benefit, regardless of individual pay disparities.
Addresses internal equity among members of the same rank or title. By standardizing the salary base, the law eliminates discrepancies that could arise from differences in negotiated salaries, overtime, or career timing, making the system fairer within each rank.
May improve financial security for injured officers and firefighters. The change potentially increases the disability pension for those who were not at the top salary tier of their rank, offering greater support to those forced into retirement by injury.
Introduces a modest fiscal impact. The bill’s estimated additional annual cost of $32,000 will be shared by the state and participating employers, indicating a relatively minor financial burden for the increased benefits.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Boost Disability Pay for Responders
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
3 Co-sponsors
History
- Referred to governmental employees
- Reported referred to ways and means
- Referred to governmental employees
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
7632
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
May 14, 2019
Introduced by M. of A. ABBATE -- read once and referred to the Committee on Governmental Employees
AN ACT to amend the retirement and social security law, in relation to accidental disability benefits of police officers and firefighters
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Subdivision 24 of section 501 of the retirement and social security law is amended by adding a new paragraph (g) to read as follows:
(g) Notwithstanding any inconsistent provision of this chapter or any other law, for any police/fire member retiring with an accidental disability benefit provided for in section five hundred seven of this article, wages shall be determined based on a salary base equal to the highest salary rate available to the rank or title of such police/fire member at the time of retirement.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
FISCAL NOTE.--Pursuant to Legislative Law, Section 50:
This bill would redefine wages for any police or fire member retiring
with an accidental disability benefit provided for in section 507 of
Retirement and Social Security Law. Wages shall be determined based on a
salary base equal to the highest salary rate available to the rank or
title at the time of retirement.
If this bill is enacted during the 2019 legislative session, it is
estimated that there would be an additional annual cost of approximately
$32,000 which would be shared by the State of New York and the partic-
ipating employers in the PFRS.
Summary of relevant resources:
The membership data used in measuring the impact of the proposed
change was the same as that used in the March 31, 2018 actuarial valu-
ation. Distributions and other statistics can be found in the 2018
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD09716-02-9
A. 7632 2
Report of the Actuary and the 2018 Comprehensive Annual Financial
Report.
The actuarial assumptions and methods used are described in the 2015,
2016, 2017 and 2018 Annual Report to the Comptroller on Actuarial
Assumptions, and the Codes Rules and Regulations of the State of New
York: Audit and Control.
The Market Assets and GASB Disclosures are found in the March 31, 2018
New York State and Local Retirement System Financial Statements and
Supplementary Information.
I am a member of the American Academy of Actuaries and meet the Quali-
fication Standards to render the actuarial opinion contained herein.
This fiscal note does not constitute a legal opinion on the viability
of the proposed change nor is it intended to serve as a substitute for
the professional judgment of an attorney.
This estimate, dated February 22, 2019, and intended for use only
during the 2019 Legislative Session, is Fiscal Note No. 2019-73,
prepared by the Actuary for the New York State and Local Retirement
System.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.