Authorizes the New York state and local employees' retirement system to accept an application for disability retirement benefits from Andrew Reilly, Jr.
This bill is a private pension relief measure for Andrew Reilly, Jr., a former clerk for the Town of Hempstead Sanitation District 1 and member of the New York State and Local Employees’ Retirement System (NYSLERS). It would direct NYSLERS to deem his application for disability retirement benefits timely filed, even though he did not submit it within the normal deadline, because the delay is attributed to the COVID-19 state of emergency and not to his own negligence. The bill specifies that he suffered a stroke on February 20, 2020 and would be treated as if he had applied within 30 days of that disability date.
The practical effect is to create a one-time exception to the ordinary filing rules under the Retirement and Social Security Law for this individual claimant. If approved and if he is ultimately granted disability retirement benefits under section 605, the bill would authorize payment of those benefits retroactively, with the associated cost borne by the employers participating in NYSLERS rather than by the member. The fiscal note estimates an immediate past service cost of approximately $342,000, assuming payment begins on February 1, 2026.
The bill’s impact on state law is narrow but direct: it overrides any conflicting law to allow a late disability retirement application to be accepted as timely for this specific person. It does not amend the general disability retirement framework for all public employees; instead, it creates a special statutory exception tied to the facts of one case and the disruptions caused by the pandemic emergency.
There is no recorded committee transcript or vote history provided, so no formal legislative debate or opposition is documented in the materials. Based on the bill text, the measure appears remedial and sympathetic in tone, focusing on the claimant’s stroke and the COVID-19 emergency as reasons for missing the deadline. The main point of potential contention is fiscal and procedural: whether the Legislature should grant an individualized exception to standard retirement filing requirements and impose the resulting cost on participating employers and the retirement system.
The bill would create a one-time statutory exception allowing NYSLERS to accept Andrew Reilly, Jr.’s disability retirement application as timely filed, notwithstanding ordinary deadline rules. If the application is approved under Retirement and Social Security Law section 605, the bill could result in retroactive disability retirement benefits and an estimated immediate past service cost of about $342,000, to be borne by the State and local participating employers in NYSLERS. It does not broadly change eligibility standards or filing deadlines for other members, but it does establish a special carve-out from existing law for this individual case.
The available materials suggest generally favorable, remedial sentiment toward the bill, as it is framed as relief for an individual who missed a filing deadline during the COVID-19 emergency after suffering a stroke. The bill text emphasizes that the delay was not due to the member’s negligence, which supports a sympathetic rationale. No votes or committee transcripts are provided, so there is no documented opposition or support from legislators in the supplied record.
The principal point of contention is likely the use of a private bill to grant an individualized exception to retirement filing requirements, rather than applying the deadline uniformly. A related concern is fiscal impact, since the actuarial note estimates a significant cost that would be borne by participating employers in NYSLERS and, indirectly, public employers and taxpayers. Supporters would likely view the measure as equitable relief for a pandemic-related missed deadline, while any critics would focus on precedent, fairness to similarly situated applicants, and the cost of the benefit.