Bill Text: NY A04922 | 2013-2014 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Relates to benefits payable to, or on behalf of, certain employees of the department of corrections and community supervision injured or killed in the performance of duty; adds a heart presumption for peace officers of the department of corrections and community supervision who are members of the NYS&LERS.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2014-01-08 - referred to governmental employees [A04922 Detail]

Download: New_York-2013-A04922-Introduced.html

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                           S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
       ________________________________________________________________________
                                         4922
                              2013-2014 Regular Sessions
                                 I N  A S S E M B L Y
                                   February 13, 2013
                                      ___________
       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
         benefits payable to, or on behalf of, certain employees of  the  divi-
         sion  of  parole  injured  or  killed  in the performance of duty; and
         providing for the repeal of such provisions upon expiration thereof
         THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
       BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
    1    Section 1. The retirement and social security law is amended by adding
    2  a new section 63-g to read as follows:
    3    S  63-G.  DISABILITY  RETIREMENT FOR PEACE OFFICERS OF THE DIVISION OF
    4  PAROLE; CERTAIN DISABILITIES. A. NOTWITHSTANDING ANY PROVISION  OF  THIS
    5  CHAPTER  OR OF ANY GENERAL OR SPECIAL LAW TO THE CONTRARY, ANY CONDITION
    6  OF IMPAIRMENT OF HEALTH CAUSED BY DISEASES OF THE  HEART,  RESULTING  IN
    7  DISABILITY  OR  DEATH  TO  A  PEACE  OFFICER EMPLOYED BY THE DIVISION OF
    8  PAROLE SHALL BE  PRESUMPTIVE  EVIDENCE  THAT  IT  WAS  INCURRED  IN  THE
    9  PERFORMANCE  AND  DISCHARGE OF DUTY AND THE NATURAL AND PROXIMATE RESULT
   10  OF AN ACCIDENT, UNLESS THE CONTRARY BE PROVED BY COMPETENT EVIDENCE.
   11    B. AS USED IN THIS SECTION, THE TERM "PEACE OFFICER"  SHALL  MEAN  ANY
   12  EMPLOYEE  OF THE DIVISION OF PAROLE WHO IS DESIGNATED AS A PEACE OFFICER
   13  PURSUANT TO SUBDIVISION TWENTY-THREE OR TWENTY-THREE-A OF  SECTION  2.10
   14  OF  THE  CRIMINAL  PROCEDURE  LAW, WHO, PRIOR TO ENTRY INTO SERVICE AS A
   15  PAROLE OR SENIOR PAROLE OFFICER SUCCESSFULLY PASSED A PHYSICAL  EXAMINA-
   16  TION  WHICH FAILED TO DISCLOSE EVIDENCE OF ANY DISEASE  OR OTHER IMPAIR-
   17  MENT OF THE HEART.
   18    S 2. The retirement and social security law is amended by adding a new
   19  section 605-d to read as follows:
   20    S 605-D. DISABILITY RETIREMENT FOR PEACE OFFICERS OF THE  DIVISION  OF
   21  PAROLE;  ACCIDENTAL  DISABILITY  RETIREMENT FOR CERTAIN DISABILITIES. A.
   22  NOTWITHSTANDING ANY PROVISION OF THIS  CHAPTER  OR  OF  ANY  GENERAL  OR
   23  SPECIAL  LAW  TO  THE  CONTRARY,  IF  AN  IMPAIRMENT OF HEALTH CAUSED BY
        EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                             [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                  LBD04960-03-3
       A. 4922                             2
    1  DISEASES OF THE HEART, RESULTS IN DISABILITY OR DEATH TO A PEACE OFFICER
    2  EMPLOYED BY THE DIVISION OF PAROLE SUCH IMPAIRMENT SHALL BE  PRESUMPTIVE
    3  EVIDENCE  THAT  IT WAS INCURRED IN THE PERFORMANCE AND DISCHARGE OF DUTY
    4  AND THE NATURAL AND PROXIMATE RESULT OF AN ACCIDENT, UNLESS THE CONTRARY
    5  BE  PROVED BY COMPETENT EVIDENCE, AND SUCH PEACE OFFICER SHALL BE PAID A
    6  PERFORMANCE OF DUTY DISABILITY RETIREMENT ALLOWANCE EQUAL TO THAT  WHICH
    7  IS  PROVIDED  IN  SECTION  SIXTY-THREE  OF  THIS  CHAPTER SUBJECT TO THE
    8  PROVISIONS OF SECTION SIXTY-FOUR OF THIS CHAPTER.   SAID  PEACE  OFFICER
    9  MAY MAKE APPLICATION FOR ACCIDENTAL DISABILITY RETIREMENT SUBJECT TO THE
   10  FILING REQUIREMENTS PROVIDED BY SECTION SIXTY-THREE OF THIS CHAPTER.
   11    B.  AS  USED  IN THIS SECTION, THE TERM "PEACE OFFICER" SHALL MEAN ANY
   12  EMPLOYEE OF THE DIVISION OF PAROLE WHO IS DESIGNATED AS A PEACE  OFFICER
   13  PURSUANT  TO  SUBDIVISION TWENTY-THREE OR TWENTY-THREE-A OF SECTION 2.10
   14  OF THE CRIMINAL PROCEDURE LAW, WHO, PRIOR TO ENTRY  INTO  SERVICE  AS  A
   15  PAROLE  OR SENIOR PAROLE OFFICER SUCCESSFULLY PASSED A PHYSICAL EXAMINA-
   16  TION WHICH FAILED TO DISCLOSE EVIDENCE OF ANY DISEASE OR  OTHER  IMPAIR-
   17  MENT OF THE HEART.
   18    S  3.  This  act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall
   19  have  become a law and shall expire and be deemed repealed July 1, 2014.
         FISCAL NOTE.--Pursuant to Legislative Law, Section 50:
         This bill would amend  the  Retirement  and  Social  Security  Law  in
       relation  to heart disease related disabilities and deaths. It would add
       a "heart presumption" for parole officers, parole revocation specialists
       and warrant officers in the  Department  of  Corrections  and  Community
       Supervision who are designated as a peace officer and are members of the
       New  York  State and Local Employees' Retirement System. The presumption
       would help individuals, or those filing on their behalf, who sustained a
       job related accident establish that their heart disability or  death  is
       the  natural and proximate result of such accident. The accidental disa-
       bility benefit would be  75%  of  final  average  salary  less  worker's
       compensation.
         If  this bill is enacted, it could increase benefits from 1/3 of final
       average salary to 3/4 of final average  salary,  less  worker's  compen-
       sation.  We  anticipate  that  very  few members would receive increased
       benefits under this proposal, since the member, or the person filing  on
       behalf  of the member, would have to prove that such heart related disa-
       bility or death was the result of an accident. The estimated increase in
       the annual contributions for the State of New York would be approximate-
       ly $93,000.
         These estimated costs are based on 1,081 members having a total annual
       salary for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2012  of  approximately  $84
       million.
         Summary of relevant resources:
         Data:  March  31,  2012  Actuarial Year End File with distributions of
       membership and other statistics displayed in  the  2012  Report  of  the
       Actuary and 2012 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report.
         Assumptions  and  Methods:  2010,  2011  and 2012 Annual Report to the
       Comptroller on Actuarial Assumptions, Codes Rules and Regulations of the
       State of New York: Audit and Control.
         Market Assets and GASB Disclosures: March 31, 2012 New York State  and
       Local  Retirement System Financial Statements and Supplementary Informa-
       tion.
         Valuations of Benefit Liabilities and Actuarial Assets: summarized  in
       the 2012 Actuarial Valuations report.
         I am a member of the American Academy of Actuaries and meet the Quali-
       fication Standards to render the actuarial opinion contained herein.
       A. 4922                             3
         This  estimate,  dated  December  17,  2012, and intended for use only
       during the  2013  Legislative  Session,  is  Fiscal  Note  No.  2013-18,
       prepared  by  the  Actuary  for  the New York State and Local Employees'
       Retirement System.