S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   6500
 
                        2021-2022 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                              March 19, 2021
                                ___________
 
 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 accidental disability retirement  benefits  for  chief  fire
   marshals,  assistant  chief  fire  marshals, division supervising fire
   marshals, supervising fire marshals, fire marshals  and  fire  marshal
   trainees in Nassau county
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. The retirement and social security law is amended by adding
 a new section 607-j to read as follows:
   § 607-J. PERFORMANCE OF DUTY, DISABILITY  RETIREMENT  FOR  CHIEF  FIRE
 MARSHALS,  ASSISTANT  CHIEF  FIRE  MARSHALS,  DIVISION  SUPERVISING FIRE
 MARSHALS, SUPERVISING FIRE MARSHALS,  FIRE  MARSHALS  AND  FIRE  MARSHAL
 TRAINEES IN NASSAU COUNTY. A.  THE COUNTY OF NASSAU SHALL MAKE THE BENE-
 FITS  PROVIDED  HEREIN AVAILABLE TO CHIEF FIRE MARSHALS, ASSISTANT CHIEF
 FIRE MARSHALS, DIVISION  SUPERVISING  FIRE  MARSHALS,  SUPERVISING  FIRE
 MARSHALS,  FIRE  MARSHALS  AND  FIRE  MARSHAL  TRAINEES IN THE EMPLOY OF
 NASSAU COUNTY.
   B. A MEMBER SHALL BE ENTITLED TO RETIREMENT FOR DISABILITY INCURRED IN
 THE PERFORMANCE OF DUTY IF, AT THE TIME APPLICATION THEREFOR  IS  FILED,
 HE OR SHE IS:
   1. PHYSICALLY OR MENTALLY INCAPACITATED FOR PERFORMANCE OF DUTY AS THE
 NATURAL  AND  PROXIMATE RESULT OF A DISABILITY, NOT CAUSED BY HIS OR HER
 OWN WILLFUL NEGLIGENCE SUSTAINED IN SUCH SERVICE AND  WHILE  ACTUALLY  A
 MEMBER OF THE RETIREMENT SYSTEM; AND
   2.  ACTUALLY  IN  SERVICE  UPON  WHICH HIS OR HER MEMBERSHIP IS BASED.
 HOWEVER, IN A CASE WHERE A MEMBER IS DISCONTINUED FROM  SERVICE,  EITHER
 VOLUNTARILY  OR  INVOLUNTARILY, SUBSEQUENT TO SUSTAINING A DISABILITY IN
 SUCH SERVICE, APPLICATION MAY BE MADE NOT LATER THAN TWO YEARS AFTER THE
 MEMBER IS FIRST DISCONTINUED FROM SERVICE; AND PROVIDED THAT THE  MEMBER
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
              

                                                            LBD04835-02-1

 A. 6500                             2
 
 MEETS  THE REQUIREMENTS OF SUBDIVISION A OF THIS SECTION AND THIS SUBDI-
 VISION.
   C.  APPLICATION FOR A PERFORMANCE OF DUTY DISABILITY RETIREMENT ALLOW-
 ANCE FOR SUCH A MEMBER MAY BE MADE BY:
   1. SUCH MEMBER; OR
   2. THE HEAD OF THE DEPARTMENT IN WHICH SUCH MEMBER IS EMPLOYED; OR
   3. ANY PERSON ACTING ON BEHALF OF AND AUTHORIZED BY SUCH MEMBER.
   D. 1. AFTER THE FILING OF SUCH AN APPLICATION, SUCH  MEMBER  SHALL  BE
 GIVEN  ONE  OR  MORE  MEDICAL EXAMINATIONS. NO SUCH APPLICATION SHALL BE
 APPROVED, HOWEVER, UNLESS THE MEMBER OR SOME OTHER PERSON ON HIS OR  HER
 BEHALF  SHALL HAVE FILED WRITTEN NOTICE IN THE OFFICE OF THE COMPTROLLER
 WITHIN NINETY DAYS AFTER SUCH OCCURRENCE WHICH  IS  THE  BASIS  FOR  THE
 DISABILITY INCURRED IN THE PERFORMANCE OF DUTY, SETTING FORTH:
   (A) THE TIME AND THE PLACE OF SUCH OCCURRENCE; AND
   (B) THE PARTICULARS THEREOF; AND
   (C) THE NATURE AND EXTENT OF THE MEMBER'S INJURIES; AND
   (D) HIS OR HER ALLEGED DISABILITY.
   2. THE NOTICE HEREIN REQUIRED NEED NOT BE GIVEN:
   (A) IF THE NOTICE OF SUCH OCCURRENCE SHALL BE FILED IN ACCORDANCE WITH
 THE  PROVISIONS  OF  THE  WORKERS'  COMPENSATION LAW OF ANY STATE WITHIN
 WHICH A PARTICIPATING EMPLOYER IN NASSAU COUNTY SHALL HAVE ITS EMPLOYEES
 LOCATED OR PERFORMING FUNCTIONS AND DUTIES WITHIN THE  NORMAL  SCOPE  OF
 THEIR EMPLOYMENT; OR
   (B)  IF  THE APPLICATION FOR PERFORMANCE OF DUTY DISABILITY RETIREMENT
 IS FILED WITHIN ONE YEAR AFTER THE DATE OF THE  OCCURRENCE  WHICH  FORMS
 THE BASIS FOR THE APPLICATION; OR
   (C)  IF A FAILURE TO FILE NOTICE HAS BEEN EXCUSED FOR GOOD CAUSE SHOWN
 AS PROVIDED BY RULES AND REGULATIONS PROMULGATED BY THE COMPTROLLER.
   E. IF THE COMPTROLLER DETERMINES THAT  THE  MEMBER  IS  PHYSICALLY  OR
 MENTALLY  INCAPACITATED FOR THE PERFORMANCE OF DUTY PURSUANT TO SUBDIVI-
 SION B OF THIS SECTION AND OUGHT TO BE RETIRED, SUCH MEMBER SHALL BE  SO
 RETIRED. SUCH RETIREMENT SHALL BE EFFECTIVE AS OF A DATE APPROVED BY THE
 COMPTROLLER.
   F.  THE  ANNUAL RETIREMENT ALLOWANCE PAYABLE UPON RETIREMENT FOR DISA-
 BILITY INCURRED IN THE PERFORMANCE OF DUTY SHALL BE A  PENSION  OF  ONE-
 HALF  OF  HIS OR HER FINAL AVERAGE SALARY PLUS AN ANNUITY WHICH SHALL BE
 THE ACTUARIAL EQUIVALENT OF THE MEMBER'S ACCUMULATED  CONTRIBUTIONS,  IF
 ANY.
   G.  IF  THE  MEMBER, AT THE TIME OF THE FILING OF AN APPLICATION UNDER
 THE PROVISIONS OF SUBDIVISION C OF  THIS  SECTION,  IS  ELIGIBLE  FOR  A
 SERVICE RETIREMENT BENEFIT, THEN AND IN THAT EVENT, HE OR SHE MAY SIMUL-
 TANEOUSLY  FILE AN APPLICATION FOR SERVICE RETIREMENT IN ACCORDANCE WITH
 THE PROVISIONS OF SECTION SEVENTY OF THIS  CHAPTER,  PROVIDED  THAT  THE
 MEMBER  INDICATES  ON  THE  APPLICATION FOR SERVICE RETIREMENT THAT SUCH
 APPLICATION IS FILED  WITHOUT  PREJUDICE  TO  THE  APPLICATION  FOR  THE
 RETIREMENT FOR DISABILITY INCURRED IN PERFORMANCE OF DUTY.
   H.  ANY BENEFIT PROVIDED PURSUANT TO THIS SECTION SHALL NOT BE CONSID-
 ERED AS AN ACCIDENTAL DISABILITY BENEFIT WITHIN THE MEANING  OF  SECTION
 SIXTY-FOUR OF THIS CHAPTER.
   I.  ANY BENEFIT PAYABLE PURSUANT TO THE WORKERS' COMPENSATION LAW TO A
 MEMBER RECEIVING A DISABILITY ALLOWANCE PURSUANT TO THIS  SECTION  SHALL
 BE IN ADDITION TO SUCH RETIREMENT FOR DISABILITY INCURRED IN PERFORMANCE
 OF DUTY ALLOWANCE.
   J.  A  FINAL  DETERMINATION  OF THE COMPTROLLER THAT THE MEMBER IS NOT
 ENTITLED TO RETIREMENT BENEFITS PURSUANT TO THIS SECTION  SHALL  NOT  IN
 ANY  RESPECT  BE, OR CONSTITUTE, A DETERMINATION WITH REGARD TO BENEFITS

 A. 6500                             3
 
 PAYABLE PURSUANT TO SECTION TWO HUNDRED SEVEN-A OF THE GENERAL MUNICIPAL
 LAW.
   § 2. All costs associated with implementing the provisions of this act
 shall be borne by Nassau county.
   §  3.  All  past  service  costs  incurred  due  to  implementing  the
 provisions of this act will be borne by Nassau County, and may be  amor-
 tized over a 10 year period.
   § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.
   FISCAL NOTE.--Pursuant to Legislative Law, Section 50:
   This  bill would grant any Nassau County Tier 3, 4, 5 and 6 chief fire
 marshal,  assistant  chief  fire  marshal,  division  supervising   fire
 marshal, supervising fire marshal, fire marshal and fire marshal trainee
 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 2021 legislative session, we antic-
 ipate that there will be an increase of  approximately  $27,000  in  the
 annual  contributions  of Nassau County for the fiscal year ending March
 31, 2022. In future years, this cost will vary as the billing rates  and
 salaries of the affected members change.
   In addition to the annual contributions discussed above, there will be
 an  immediate  past service cost of approximately $154,000 which will 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, 2022. If Nassau
 County elects to amortize this cost over a 10 year period, the cost  for
 the first year including interest would be approximately $20,300.
   These  estimated costs above are based on 50 fire marshals employed by
 Nassau County having a total annual salary of approximately $5.2 million
 for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2020.
   Summary of relevant resources:
   Membership data as of March 31, 2020 was used in measuring the  impact
 of the proposed change, the same data used in the April 1, 2020 actuari-
 al  valuation.  Distributions  and  other statistics can be found in the
 2020 Report of the Actuary and the 2020 Comprehensive  Annual  Financial
 Report.
   The  actuarial  assumptions and methods used are described in the 2020
 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, 2020
 New York State and Local  Retirement  System  Financial  Statements  and
 Supplementary Information.
   I am a member of the American Academy of Actuaries and meet the Quali-
 fication 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 judgment of an attorney.
   This  estimate,  dated  December  28,  2020, and intended for use only
 during the  2021  Legislative  Session,  is  Fiscal  Note  No.  2021-12,
 prepared  by  the  Actuary  for  the New York State and Local Retirement
 System.