Bill Text: NY A05091 | 2011-2012 | General Assembly | Amended
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 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2012-01-30 - print number 5091b [A05091 Detail]
Download: New_York-2011-A05091-Amended.html
S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K ________________________________________________________________________ 5091--A 2011-2012 Regular Sessions I N A S S E M B L Y February 11, 2011 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. ABBATE -- read once and referred to the Committee on Governmental Employees -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee AN ACT to amend the retirement and social security law, in relation to benefits payable to, or on behalf of, certain employees of the depart- ment of corrections and community supervision 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 PAROLE OFFICERS, PAROLE REVOCATION 4 SPECIALISTS AND WARRANT OFFICERS IN THE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS AND 5 COMMUNITY SUPERVISION; CERTAIN DISABILITIES. A. NOTWITHSTANDING ANY 6 PROVISION OF THIS CHAPTER OR OF ANY GENERAL OR SPECIAL LAW TO THE 7 CONTRARY, ANY CONDITION OF IMPAIRMENT OF HEALTH CAUSED BY DISEASES OF 8 THE HEART, RESULTING IN DISABILITY OR DEATH TO A PAROLE OFFICER, PAROLE 9 REVOCATION SPECIALIST OR WARRANT OFFICER IN THE DEPARTMENT OF 10 CORRECTIONS AND COMMUNITY SUPERVISION SHALL BE PRESUMPTIVE EVIDENCE THAT 11 IT WAS INCURRED IN THE PERFORMANCE AND DISCHARGE OF DUTY AND THE NATURAL 12 AND PROXIMATE RESULT OF AN ACCIDENT, UNLESS THE CONTRARY BE PROVED BY 13 COMPETENT EVIDENCE. 14 B. AS USED IN THIS SECTION, THE TERM "PAROLE OFFICER", "PAROLE REVOCA- 15 TION SPECIALIST" OR "WARRANT OFFICER" IN THE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS 16 AND COMMUNITY SUPERVISION SHALL MEAN AN EMPLOYEE WHO IS DESIGNATED AS A 17 PEACE OFFICER PURSUANT TO SUBDIVISION TWENTY-THREE OR TWENTY-THREE-A OF 18 SECTION 2.10 OF THE CRIMINAL PROCEDURE LAW, WHO, PRIOR TO ENTRY INTO 19 SERVICE SUCCESSFULLY PASSED A PHYSICAL EXAMINATION WHICH FAILED TO 20 DISCLOSE EVIDENCE OF ANY DISEASE OR OTHER IMPAIRMENT OF THE HEART. EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD01377-03-1 A. 5091--A 2 1 S 2. The retirement and social security law is amended by adding a new 2 section 605-d to read as follows: 3 S 605-D. DISABILITY RETIREMENT FOR PAROLE OFFICERS, PAROLE REVOCATION 4 SPECIALISTS AND WARRANT OFFICERS IN THE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS AND 5 COMMUNITY SUPERVISION; ACCIDENTAL DISABILITY RETIREMENT FOR CERTAIN 6 DISABILITIES. A. NOTWITHSTANDING ANY PROVISION OF THIS CHAPTER OR OF ANY 7 GENERAL OR SPECIAL LAW TO THE CONTRARY, IF AN IMPAIRMENT OF HEALTH 8 CAUSED BY DISEASES OF THE HEART, RESULTS IN DISABILITY OR DEATH TO A 9 PAROLE OFFICER, PAROLE REVOCATION SPECIALIST OR WARRANT OFFICER IN THE 10 DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS AND COMMUNITY SUPERVISION SUCH IMPAIRMENT 11 SHALL BE PRESUMPTIVE EVIDENCE THAT IT WAS INCURRED IN THE PERFORMANCE 12 AND DISCHARGE OF DUTY AND THE NATURAL AND PROXIMATE RESULT OF AN ACCI- 13 DENT, UNLESS THE CONTRARY BE PROVED BY COMPETENT EVIDENCE, AND SUCH 14 PEACE OFFICER SHALL BE PAID A PERFORMANCE OF DUTY DISABILITY RETIREMENT 15 ALLOWANCE EQUAL TO THAT WHICH IS PROVIDED IN SECTION SIXTY-THREE OF THIS 16 CHAPTER SUBJECT TO THE PROVISIONS OF SECTION SIXTY-FOUR OF THIS CHAPTER. 17 SAID PAROLE OFFICER, PAROLE REVOCATION SPECIALIST OR WARRANT OFFICER IN 18 THE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS AND COMMUNITY SUPERVISION MAY MAKE APPLI- 19 CATION FOR ACCIDENTAL DISABILITY RETIREMENT SUBJECT TO THE FILING 20 REQUIREMENTS PROVIDED BY SECTION SIXTY-THREE OF THIS CHAPTER. 21 B. AS USED IN THIS SECTION, THE TERM "PAROLE OFFICER", "PAROLE REVOCA- 22 TION SPECIALIST" OR "WARRANT OFFICER" IN THE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS 23 AND COMMUNITY SUPERVISION SHALL MEAN AN EMPLOYEE WHO IS DESIGNATED AS A 24 PEACE OFFICER PURSUANT TO SUBDIVISION TWENTY-THREE OR TWENTY-THREE-A OF 25 SECTION 2.10 OF THE CRIMINAL PROCEDURE LAW, WHO, PRIOR TO ENTRY INTO 26 SERVICE SUCCESSFULLY PASSED A PHYSICAL EXAMINATION WHICH FAILED TO 27 DISCLOSE EVIDENCE OF ANY DISEASE OR OTHER IMPAIRMENT OF THE HEART. 28 S 3. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall 29 have become a law and shall expire and be deemed repealed July 1, 2013. 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 workers' 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 workers' 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 $96,000. These estimated costs are based on 1,145 members having a total annual salary for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2010 of approximately $87 million. This estimate, dated April 6, 2011, and intended for use only during the 2011 Legislative Session, is Fiscal Note No. 2011-161, prepared by the Actuary for the New York State and Local Employees' Retirement System.