Relates to the disability retirement for safety and security officers.
Summary
This bill amends section 607-a of the Retirement and Social Security Law to expand performance-of-duty disability retirement protections for certain state employees working in secure institutional settings. It specifically adds “qualifying members” to the existing protections for security hospital treatment assistants, allowing them to receive a performance-of-duty disability retirement allowance if they become physically or mentally incapacitated as a natural and proximate result of an injury sustained while performing their duties, including injuries caused by persons confined in institutions under the jurisdiction of the Office of Mental Health or persons committed there by court order.
The bill also strengthens presumptions for covered members who contract HIV, tuberculosis, or hepatitis under specified exposure circumstances, and it extends the heart-disease presumption to qualifying members covered by the section. The measure updates gendered language to gender-neutral language throughout the section. According to the fiscal note, the bill would make affected safety officers in the New York State and Local Employees’ Retirement System newly eligible for a 75 percent of final average salary performance-of-duty disability benefit, offset by workers’ compensation, where they currently do not have that benefit.
Impact
The bill would change state retirement law by broadening eligibility for duty-related disability retirement benefits under the New York State and Local Retirement System. It would affect safety and security officers, including qualifying members working in mental health institutional settings, by creating or expanding statutory presumptions that certain injuries and diseases are job-related. The fiscal note estimates increased state pension contributions and a one-time past service cost, meaning the bill would have direct budgetary effects on the State of New York and potentially on retirement system liabilities.
Sentiment
The available record shows no committee transcript or recorded votes, so there is no documented floor debate or formal vote sentiment to assess. Based on the bill text and fiscal note, the measure appears to be framed as a protective benefit expansion for employees in high-risk institutional environments, with the fiscal analysis acknowledging added costs but not expressing policy opposition. Overall, the bill’s tone is supportive of worker protections and disability coverage.
Contention
The main potential point of contention is fiscal: the bill would increase annual employer contributions and require a one-time past service payment, which could concern budget-conscious lawmakers and pension administrators. A second issue is policy scope—expanding presumptions for duty-related disability, infectious disease exposure, and heart disease to additional qualifying members may raise questions about eligibility boundaries and the evidentiary standards for proving a disability is work-related. No specific opposing arguments are recorded in the provided materials, but those cost and coverage questions are the most likely areas of debate.
Provides that a member of a public retirement system who has been determined to have a permanent partial disability by the workers' compensation board of the state of New York, and who the United States social security administration has determined is disabled for substantial gainful activity, and approved for social security disability benefits, shall be deemed to be disabled for the purposes of eligibility for disability benefits of such public retirement system.
Provides that a member of a public retirement system who has been determined to have a permanent partial disability by the workers' compensation board of the state of New York, and who the United States social security administration has determined is disabled for substantial gainful activity, and approved for social security disability benefits, shall be deemed to be disabled for the purposes of eligibility for disability benefits of such public retirement system.
Establishes the New York state school resource officer program; provides for grants for school resource officers (Part A); relates to peace officers who are retired police officers employed by a school district as a school resource officer (Part B); allows retired police officers to be employed by a school district as a school safety officer, school security officer or any other substantially similar position for an annual salary of $50,000 or less to continue to receive their full retirement benefit (Part C).
Establishes the New York state school resource officer program; provides for grants for school resource officers (Part A); relates to peace officers who are retired police officers employed by a school district as a school resource officer (Part B); allows retired police officers to be employed by a school district as a school safety officer, school security officer or any other substantially similar position for an annual salary of $50,000 or less to continue to receive their full retirement benefit (Part C).
Relates to disability retirement benefits for the presumption of cancer affecting the endocrine and thyroid systems and Parkinson's Disease for certain firefighters.
Relates to disability retirement benefits for the presumption of cancer affecting the endocrine and thyroid systems and Parkinson's Disease for certain firefighters.