New York Assembly Bill A11261

New York 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 5/4/26
• Refer: 5/4/26

Caption

Relates to eligibility for accidental disability benefits under the heart bill

Summary

A11261 amends the Retirement and Social Security Law to temporarily expand access to accidental disability retirement benefits under New York’s “heart bill.” The bill creates a one-year filing window for certain members of the New York State and Local Employees’ Retirement System and the New York State and Local Police and Fire Retirement System who retired on or after January 1, 2021, but before the bill’s effective date, if they otherwise would have qualified for heart-disease-based accidental disability retirement. It also makes clear that no one who retired before January 1, 2021 may use this new filing window, and that any benefit change is prospective only from the date the application is submitted. The bill also amends the police-officer heart-disease presumption statute to clarify that a police officer who is no longer actively employed may seek heart-disease-based accidental disability retirement only as expressly allowed by the new temporary subdivision in section 809. In effect, the bill is a targeted retroactive remedy for a limited group of recent retirees, rather than a broad expansion of eligibility for all former employees. Its impact on state law is to temporarily override ordinary filing limits and reopen a narrow class of claims for accidental disability retirement benefits tied to heart disease. If enacted, it would affect NYSLRS and the Police and Fire Retirement System, as well as participating state and local employers that fund those benefits. The fiscal note estimates increased pension costs and a past service cost, with future costs borne by the state and local participating employers. The general sentiment reflected in the bill materials is practical and remedial: the measure appears designed to correct an eligibility gap for recent retirees who may otherwise have been covered by the heart bill. There is no recorded committee debate or vote history in the provided materials, so no direct opposition or support statements are available. The temporary nature of the bill and the prospective-only benefit adjustment suggest an effort to balance expanded access with fiscal restraint. The main point of contention likely concerns cost and the scope of retroactive relief. The fiscal note identifies a meaningful potential increase in annual pension payments and a past service cost, which may raise concerns for the state and participating employers. Another possible issue is the bill’s narrow cutoff date and one-year filing period, which help limit exposure but also exclude retirees before January 1, 2021 and anyone who misses the deadline.

Impact

The bill would amend sections 809 and 363-a of the Retirement and Social Security Law to create a temporary, one-year reopening of accidental disability retirement applications for certain recent retirees with heart-disease-related incapacity. It would affect members of NYSLRS and the Police and Fire Retirement System, and would shift additional pension costs to the state and local participating employers if claims are approved. The bill is temporary and expires 366 days after enactment, with benefits payable only prospectively from the date of application.

Sentiment

The available materials suggest a generally supportive, corrective purpose rather than a controversial policy expansion. The bill is framed as a limited remedy for a defined group of retirees who may have been excluded by timing, and there is no recorded vote or transcript showing active debate. At the same time, the fiscal note indicates that the proposal has nontrivial cost implications, which likely tempers enthusiasm among budget-conscious stakeholders.

Contention

The likely points of contention are fiscal impact, retroactivity, and eligibility boundaries. The bill would reopen claims for a narrow class of retirees and could increase annual pension obligations and past service costs, which may concern the state and local employers that fund NYSLRS. Critics may also question why the relief is limited to retirees on or after January 1, 2021 and why the filing window is only one year, while supporters would likely argue those limits are necessary to keep the measure targeted and affordable.