This bill amends the existing law regarding accidental death benefits for survivors of certain retirees from the State Police Retirement System (SPRS). It removes the previous limitation that only allowed survivors of retirees who died before July 8, 2019, to apply for these benefits. Now, survivors of any qualifying SPRS retiree, regardless of the date of death, can apply for accidental death benefits if the retiree had received an accidental disability retirement allowance or other types of retirement allowances. The bill also eliminates the requirement for a written and sworn statement when applying for these benefits and allows the World Trade Center Health Program to determine if a death was caused by participation in World Trade Center rescue, recovery, or cleanup operations.

Additionally, the bill modifies the application timeline for survivors, allowing them to submit applications within two years of the retiree's death or two years after the bill's effective date, whichever is later. It mandates that the board of trustees notify eligible survivors of these changes within 60 days of the bill's enactment. Furthermore, it clarifies that survivors will not receive retroactive payments based on the difference between the benefits they would have received had the new provisions been in effect at the time of the retiree's death and the benefits they have received since then. Overall, this legislation aims to provide broader access to accidental death benefits for the families of SPRS retirees.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 53:5A-14.5