Bill Text: NY A05324 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Relates to providing performance of duty disability retirement benefits for ambulance medical technician supervisors, ambulance medical technician coordinators and ambulance medical technicians in Nassau county.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-0)
Status: (Vetoed) 2019-12-20 - VETOED MEMO.274 [A05324 Detail]
Download: New_York-2019-A05324-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 5324 2019-2020 Regular Sessions IN ASSEMBLY February 8, 2019 ___________ 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 providing performance of duty disability retirement benefits for ambu- lance medical technician supervisors, ambulance medical technician coordinators and ambulance medical technicians in Nassau county 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 607-i to read as follows: 3 § 607-i. Performance of duty disability retirement benefits for ambu- 4 lance medical technician supervisors, ambulance medical technician coor- 5 dinators and ambulance medical technicians in Nassau county. a. The 6 county of Nassau shall make the benefits provided herein available to 7 ambulance medical technician supervisors, ambulance medical technician 8 coordinators and ambulance medical technicians in the employ of Nassau 9 county. 10 b. A member shall be entitled to retirement for disability incurred in 11 the performance of duty if, at the time application therefor is filed, 12 he or she is: 13 1. Physically or mentally incapacitated for performance of duty as the 14 natural and proximate result of a disability not caused by his or her 15 own willful negligence sustained in such service and while actually a 16 member of the retirement system; and 17 2. Actually in service upon which his or her membership is based. 18 However, in the case where a member is discontinued from service, either 19 voluntarily, or involuntarily, subsequent to sustaining a disability in 20 such service, application may be made not later than two years after the 21 member is first discontinued from service; and provided that the member 22 meets the requirements of subdivision a of this section and this subdi- 23 vision. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD07954-02-9A. 5324 2 1 c. Application for a performance of duty disability retirement allow- 2 ance for such a member may be made by: 3 1. Such member; or 4 2. The head of the department in which such member is employed; or 5 3. Any person acting on behalf of and authorized by such member. 6 d. 1. After the filing of such an application, such member shall be 7 given one or more medical examinations. No such application shall be 8 approved, however, unless the member or some other person on his or her 9 behalf shall have filed written notice in the office of the comptroller 10 within ninety days after the occurrence which is the basis for the disa- 11 bility incurred in the performance of duty, setting forth: 12 (a) The time when and the place of such occurrence; and 13 (b) The particulars thereof; and 14 (c) The nature and extent of the member's injuries; and 15 (d) His or her alleged disability. 16 2. The notice herein required need not be given: 17 (a) If the notice of such accident shall be filed in accordance with 18 the provisions of the workers' compensation law of any state within 19 which a participating employer in Nassau county shall have its employees 20 located or performing functions and duties within the normal scope of 21 their employment; or 22 (b) If the application for performance of duty disability retirement 23 is filed within one year after the date of the occurrence which forms 24 the basis for the application; or 25 (c) If a failure to file notice has been excused for good cause shown 26 as provided by rules and regulations promulgated by the comptroller. 27 e. If the comptroller determines that the member is physically or 28 mentally incapacitated for the performance of duty pursuant to subdivi- 29 sion b of this section and ought to be retired, such member shall be so 30 retired. Such retirement shall be effective as of a date approved by the 31 comptroller. 32 f. The annual retirement allowance payable upon retirement for disa- 33 bility incurred in the performance of duty shall be a pension of one- 34 half of his or her final average salary plus an annuity which shall be 35 the actuarial equivalent of the member's accumulated contributions, if 36 any. 37 g. If the member, at the time of the filing of an application under 38 the provision of subdivision c of this section, is eligible for a 39 service retirement benefit, then and in that event, he or she may simul- 40 taneously file an application for service retirement in accordance with 41 the provision of section seventy of this chapter, provided that the 42 member indicates on the application for service retirement that such 43 application is filed without prejudice to the application for the 44 retirement for disability incurred in performance of duty. 45 h. Any benefit provided pursuant to this section shall not be consid- 46 ered as an accidental disability benefit within the meaning of section 47 sixty-four of this chapter. 48 i. Any benefit payable pursuant to the workers' compensation law to a 49 member receiving a disability allowance pursuant to this section shall 50 be in addition to such retirement for disability incurred in performance 51 of duty allowance. 52 j. A final determination of the comptroller that the member is not 53 entitled to retirement benefits pursuant to this section shall not in 54 any respect be, or constitute, a determination with regard to benefits 55 payable pursuant to section two hundred seven-c of the general municipal 56 law.A. 5324 3 1 § 2. All costs associated with implementing the provisions of this act 2 shall be borne by Nassau county. 3 § 3. All past costs incurred due to implementing the provisions of 4 this act will be borne by Nassau county, and may be amortized over a ten 5 year period. 6 § 4. This act shall take effect immediately. FISCAL NOTE.--Pursuant to Legislative Law, Section 50: This bill would grant Nassau County Tier 3, 4, 5 and 6 ambulance medical technician supervisors, ambulance medical technician coordina- tors and ambulance medical technicians an enhanced disability benefit for injuries sustained in the performance of duty. The benefit for a performance of duty disability would be 50% of final average salary. If this bill is enacted during the 2019 legislative session, there will be an estimated increase of approximately $270,000 in the annual contributions of Nassau County for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2020. In addition to the annual contributions discussed above, there will be an immediate past service cost of $1.82 million which may be borne by Nassau County as a one-time payment. This estimate is based on the assumption that payment will be made on February 1, 2020. If Nassau County elects to amortize this cost over a 10 year period, the cost for the first year would be $243,000. These estimated costs are based on 123 members having an annual salary for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2018 of approximately $14 million. Summary of relevant resources: The membership data used in measuring the impact of the proposed change was the same as that used in the March 31, 2018 actuarial valu- ation. Distributions and other statistics can be found in the 2018 Report of the Actuary and the 2018 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report. The actuarial assumptions and methods used are described in the 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 Annual Report to the Comptroller on Actuarial Assumptions, and the Codes, Rules and Regulations of the State of New York: Audit and Control. The Market Assets and GASB Disclosures are found in the March 31, 2018 New York State and Local Retirement System Financial Statements and Supplementary Information. I am an member of the American Academy of Actuaries and meet the Qual- ification Standards to render the actuarial opinion contained herein. This fiscal note does not constitute a legal opinion on the viability of the proposed change nor is it intended to serve as a substitute for the professional judgement of an attorney. This estimate, dated January 31, 2019, and intended for use only during the 2019 Legislative Session, is Fiscal Note No. 2019-42, prepared by the Actuary for the New York State and Local Retirement System.
