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 retirees who received an accidental disability retirement allowance, as well as those who received an ordinary disability, special retirement, or service retirement, are eligible regardless of the date of death. The bill also eliminates the requirement for a written and sworn statement when applying for accidental death 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 what they have received up to the approval date of their application. This legislation is known as the Trooper I Robert Nagle and Staff Sergeant Bryan McCoy 911 First Responders Act.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 53:5A-14.5