Bill Text: NY S05495 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Provides for the continuation of state health benefit plans for certain survivors of employees of the state and/or of a political subdivision or of a public authority.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2023-06-07 - SUBSTITUTED BY A6806 [S05495 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-S05495-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          5495

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                      March 6, 2023
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  Sen. JACKSON -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on Civil Service and Pensions

        AN ACT to amend the civil service law, in relation  to  continuation  of
          state  health  benefit plans for certain survivors of employees of the
          state and/or of a political subdivision or of a public authority

          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section 1. The opening paragraph of section 165-a of the civil service
     2  law,  as  amended  by  section  6 of part T of chapter 56 of the laws of
     3  2010, is amended to read as follows:
     4    Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, the presi-
     5  dent shall permit the unremarried spouse and the  dependents,  otherwise
     6  qualified  as  eligible for coverage under regulations of the president,
     7  of a person who was an employee of  the  state  and/or  of  a  political
     8  subdivision  thereof  or  of  a  public  authority for not less than ten
     9  years, provided however, that the ten-year service requirement shall not
    10  apply to such employees on active military duty in connection  with  the
    11  Persian  Gulf  conflict  who  die  on  or  after August second, nineteen
    12  hundred ninety while in the Persian Gulf combat zone or while performing
    13  such military duties, or the  unremarried  spouse  and  the  dependents,
    14  otherwise  qualified  as  eligible for coverage under regulations of the
    15  president, to any employee of the state and/or of a  political  subdivi-
    16  sion  thereof  or  of  a public authority who retires with less than ten
    17  years of service with an accidental disability retirement benefit  or  a
    18  performance  of  duty  disability pension, who had been a participant in
    19  any of the state health benefit plans, to continue  under  the  coverage
    20  which  such  deceased  employee had in effect at the time of death, upon
    21  the payment at intervals determined by the president of the full cost of
    22  such coverage, provided, however, that  the  unremarried  spouse  of  an
    23  active  employee  of the State who died on or after April first nineteen
    24  hundred seventy-five and before April first  nineteen  hundred  seventy-

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD07630-01-3
        S. 5495                             2

     1  nine who timely elected to continue dependent coverage, or such unremar-
     2  ried spouse who timely elected individual coverage shall continue to pay
     3  at intervals determined by the president one-quarter of the full cost of
     4  dependent  coverage and provided further, that, with regard to employees
     5  of the State, where and to the extent  that  an  agreement  pursuant  to
     6  article  fourteen  of this chapter so provides, or where the director of
     7  employee relations, with respect to employees of the State who  are  not
     8  included  within  a negotiating unit so recognized or certified pursuant
     9  to article fourteen of  this  chapter  whom  the  director  of  employee
    10  relations determines should be declared eligible for the continuation of
    11  health  benefit  plans for the survivors of such employees of the State,
    12  the president shall adopt regulations providing for the continuation  of
    13  such  health  benefit or benefits by the unremarried spouse of an active
    14  employee of the State who died on or after April first nineteen  hundred
    15  seventy-nine who elects to continue dependent coverage, or such unremar-
    16  ried spouse who elects individual coverage, and upon such election shall
    17  pay  at  intervals  determined  by the president one-quarter of the full
    18  cost of  dependent  coverage  and,  provided  further  with  respect  to
    19  enrolled  employees  of a political subdivision or public authority in a
    20  negotiating unit recognized or certified pursuant to article fourteen of
    21  this chapter, where an agreement negotiated pursuant to said article  so
    22  provides, and with respect to enrolled employees of a political subdivi-
    23  sion  or  public  authority  not  included  within a negotiating unit so
    24  recognized or certified, at the discretion of the appropriate  political
    25  subdivision  or  public  authority,  the unremarried spouse of an active
    26  employee of the political subdivision or of  the  public  authority  who
    27  died on or after April first nineteen hundred seventy-five, may elect to
    28  continue  dependent  coverage or such unremarried spouse may elect indi-
    29  vidual coverage and upon such election shall pay at intervals determined
    30  by the president one-quarter of the full cost of dependent coverage.
    31    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.