Allows for certain participants in World Trade Center rescue, recovery, or cleanup operations to be eligible for disability benefits

• Republican3
• Democratic2

◆ The sponsor's argument

Why Jessica Scarcella-Spanton says this is needed

After the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center (WTC), numerous agency employees responded and were involved in the rescue, recovery, and clean-up operations. During their participation after the attacks, and throughout the years following, many responders fell ill with respir- atory tract diseases, gastroesophageal tract diseases, and onset pulmo- nary, asbestos-related musculoskeletal diseases and cancers, becoming unable to work. To help those responders, the World Trade Center Disa- bility Law was signed into law in 2005. Under the World Trade Center Disability Law, certain public employees and retirees who were on duty and involved in a 9/11 related rescue, recovery or cleanup, and became disabled as a result, are eligible for a rebuttable presumption that his/her disability was the result of a work related accident. This law allowed most of the uniformed first respon- ders, such as police, fire, emergency response personnel, correction, and sanitation to qualify for a three-fourths or 75% salary disability pension benefit. Later legislation expanded those eligible to receive the WTC enhanced disability pension benefits to include all non-uniform municipal employ- ee responders of 9/11 regardless of their tiers and positions. This legislation seeks to expand WTC enhanced disability pension bene- fits to individuals who did not have an active membership in the New York state and local employee's retirement system or the New York state teachers' retirement system at the time of their participation in the World Trade Center rescue, recovery, and cleanup operation but are now currently employed by the state, a public authority, or any municipal corporation with an active membership in the New York state and local employees' retirement system or the New York state teachers' retirement system if such employee is determined to have incurred a qualifying World Trade Center condition in the performance and discharge of their duties. Past legislation has expanded eligibility for WTC rescue, recovery, and cleanup operations line of duty sick leave in a similar fashion. This bill seeks to do the same for retirement benefits. With this expansion, every public officer or employee who engaged in the World Trade Center rescue, recovery or cleanup activities will be eligible to receive a 75% salary retirement benefit. This expansion acknowledges that every public employee who puts his or her life on the line to help in our time of crisis should receive the same benefits. In this instance, the benefit is a 75% salary disability benefit.

This is the sponsor's own case for the bill, quoted from their memorandum. It is not Agora's description of what the bill does.