What's happening
This bill increases the number of alternate physicians on the New York City Employees' Retirement System medical board from four to eight.
Why it matters
Expanding the number of alternate physicians from four to eight. gives the medical board more flexibility and capacity to conduct disability and retirement evaluations, which could help reduce wait times for city employees seeking benefits.
Larger pool of alternates makes it easier to assemble medical board panels. , ensuring there are always enough qualified doctors available even if some are unavailable due to conflicts or absences.
Potential for more specialized or diverse medical expertise. among alternates, which could improve the quality and thoroughness of medical assessments for retirement or disability cases.
Could help the retirement system better handle surges in demand. (such as during public health crises or periods of increased retirements), making the process more efficient and responsive for city workers.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Increase Alternate Physicians Limit
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
History
- Signed chap.249
- Delivered to governor
- Returned to senate
- Passed assembly
- Home rule request
- Ordered to third reading rules cal.339
- Substituted for A3593A
- Referred to governmental employees
- Delivered to assembly
- Passed senateVote 62–0
- Advanced to third reading
- 2nd report cal.
Show 4 earlier actions
- 1st report cal.405
- Print number 1966a
- Amend and recommit to cities
- Referred to cities
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Allow More Alternate Doctors
Assembly Floor Calendar · Sponsor Stacey Pheffer Amato
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
1966--A
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 18, 2019
Introduced by Sens. GOUNARDES, KAMINSKY, STAVISKY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Cities -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee
AN ACT to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to the medical board of the New York city employees' retirement system
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Subdivision a of section 13-123 of the administrative code of the city of New York, as amended by local law number 59 of the city of New York for the year 1996, is amended to read as follows:
a. [(1)] There shall be a medical board of three physicians. [One of such physicians shall be appointed by the board and shall hold office at the pleasure of such board, one shall be appointed by the commissioner of health and shall hold office at the pleasure of such commissioner, and the third shall be appointed by the commissioner of citywide administrative services and shall hold office at the pleasure of such commissioner.
(2)] The board, the commissioner of health and the commissioner of citywide administrative services shall each have power to appoint one or more but not exceeding [four alternate] eight physicians, who shall hold office at the pleasure of such appointing board or official. Whenever the board of trustees of the retirement system shall so direct, the functions, powers and duties of the medical board, [in addition to being performed and exercised by the three physicians appointed pursuant to paragraph one of this subdivision,] shall be performed and exercised by one or more groups of three physicians as hereinafter prescribed. Each such group of three physicians shall function separately as the medical board and each such group may consist [partly] of [a physician or] any physicians appointed pursuant to [paragraph one of] this subdivision
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD07694-04-9
S. 1966--A 2
[and partly of one or more alternate physicians or may consist entirely of alternate physicians; provided, however, that one of the physicians or alternate physicians in each such group shall be appointed by the board, one by the commissioner of health and one by the commissioner of citywide administrative services].
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to the medical board of the New York city employ- ees' retirement system
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL::
This bill would increase both the number of medical boards and physi- cians employed on medical boards of the New York City Employees' Retire- ment System.
Summary of provisions
Section one of this bill amends subdivision a of New York City Adminis- trative Code section 13-123 to grant the New York City Employees' Retirement System (NYCERS) medical board, the Commissioner of Health and the Commissioner of Citywide Administrative Services up to eight appointments for physicians to serve on the medical board. It provides that any three physicians from this pool of appointments may form a group to evaluate applicants for disability pensions.
Section two of this bill provides that this act shall take effect imme- diately.
Justification
There is currently a delay for NYCERS members applying for disability pensions to be seen by a medical board. That delay causes these appli- cants to have to wait an inordinate amount of time to have their appli- cations acted upon by the retirement system board. By increasing the number of physicians that could evaluate applicants, these delays would be ameliorated and the retirement system board could render a decision in a more timely manner.
Under current law, the medical board of NYCERS is made up of three original physicians: one appointee form the Commissioner of Health (DOH), one appointee from the Commissioner of the Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS), and one from the board itself. Each of the appointees may also appoint between one and four alternate physi- cians for when an applicant comes before the board with a specialized medical issue beyond the scope of practice of the original three. For these cases, whenever the board so directs, an alternate board may be formed consisting of three alternate physician appointees, or a combina- tion of alternate and original appointees - so long as one of the physi- cians on this alternate board has been appointed by DOH, one by DCAS, and one by the original medical board. NYCERS has relayed to the sponsor that this system is both convoluted and overly restrictive in its abili- ty to place appointees on the board with a wide range of medical back- grounds.
Our bill simplifies and facilitates the appointment of physicians by creating a single pool of up to 24 doctors, three of which can form a medical board at any time to evaluate an applicant. The original medical board of three physicians is maintained, and the board Commissioner of DOH, and Commissioner of DCAS are each granted up to eight appointees for a maximum of 24 physicians that can break out into groups of three to form a board. This will both make it easier to recruit physicians with a particularized specialty and reduce wait times for current NYCERS members applying before the board to receive their benefits.
Prior legislative history
2018: S.7186 - 3rd Reading Calendar
Fiscal implications
None to the State.
Effective date
This act shall take effect immediately.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.