I am a recently hired uniformed employee of New York City. Are there any proposed increases scheduled for my disability pension?

Many of New York City’s uniformed officers rely on the availability of disability pension funds in the event of an unforeseen injury or disability. With the costs of living steadily rising and disability claims congruently increasing across the city, Mayor De Blasio recently unveiled his plan to recalculate the amount available for the city’s police, firefighters, and other workers enduring dangerous and hazardous work conditions.

Under the new plan, which covers the New York Police Department, the Fire Department of New York, the Department of Corrections and the Department of Sanitation, the calculation of disability payments would rely on the employee’s final average salary or “basic maximum salary,” whichever happens to be greater. Moreover, the calculation would remove the offset currently in place to adjust for the payment of Social Security benefits. Lastly, De Blasio proposes an updated formula to adjust for cost of living expenses.

Using several commonplace examples, the Mayor’s office explained that many of the city’s hardworking employees would see increases as high as 65 percent. Of course, the measure will require final approval by the New York General Assembly, which meets regularly in Albany.

Currently, disability pensions are calculated using a tiered system based on the date the employee joined the pension system. This tiered system has caused significant conflict between the mayor and groups like the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association and the Uniformed Firefighters Association. Another bill being considered by the legislature would restore 75% of disability pay to police and fire members. The bill should be amended to include uniform correction officers and sanitation workers.

If you are a NYC employee and have questions about your disability benefits, we encourage you to contact the disability law attorneys at the Seelig Law Offices as soon as possible. You can reach our office by calling (212)766-0600 today.