BILL NUMBER: S8667
SPONSOR: HARCKHAM
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act granting Michael Quatrocci a presumption of disability regarding
accidental disability retirement
 
PURPOSE:
Grants Michael Quatrocci a presumption of disability regarding acci-
dental disability retirement.  
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1 declares Michael Quatrocci shall have presumptive evidence
that his Long-Covid disability was incurred during performance of his
service and that accidental disability retirement shall be extended to
him, unless the contrary is proved by competent evidence.
Section 2 states the effective date.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
Officer Michael Quatrocci was a highly active member of the Yonkers
police force, boasting an impressive arrest record and reportedly only
calling in sick twice during his thirteen years of public service. In
addition to his career in public safety, Officer Quatrocci stood as a
pillar of the Yonkers community by coaching softball and hockey. He was
no mere spectator, the Officer himself was a voracious hockey player and
a consistent runner. All of that changed in a matter of weeks, trag-
ically, when Officer Quatrocci was told by four different doctors that
he could no longer fulfill his duties as a police officer after
contracting Covid-19 in the line of duty.
Officer Quatrocci was forced to retire from service at the start of his
battle with Long-Covid and Covid Pneumonia in March of 2020. He spent
five weeks in quarantine, sought the assistance of sleep doctors,
neurologists, and even the world's 2 cough specialist. The extensive
treatments and medication failed to fully restore the Officer, and he
reports that he is still struggling with breathing and memory. At the
time, the City of Yonkers gave the presumption that disability retire-
ment would not be denied to public servants suffering from Covid. Unfor-
tunately, there is no state legislation to include Covid related disa-
bilities on the enumerated list of acceptable conditions for disability
retirement.
This legislation retroactively includes Long-Covid and Covid related
disabilities as acceptable conditions for disability retirement for
Officer Michael Quatrocci, specifically and exclusively.
 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
This is a new bill.
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
There will be an immediate past service cost of $832,000 if enacted.
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.