Bill > S4402

This bill provides medical documentation requirements and expands eligibility for members of the Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS), Police and Firemen's Retirement System (PFRS), and State Police Retirement System (SPRS) to receive accidental disability retirement allowances for those who participated in World Trade Center rescue, recovery, or cleanup operations between September 11, 2001, and October 11, 2001. The bill removes previous filing deadlines and allows members who previously participated in these operations to petition for reconsideration or resubmit registration forms, even if they were previously denied. The bill expands the definition of qualifying health conditions to include various respiratory, psychological, and other medical issues potentially resulting from exposure during the rescue and cleanup efforts. Members who participated for at least eight hours in these operations can now more easily receive presumptive disability status, and those who retired previously can apply to have their retirement allowance recalculated as an accidental disability retirement allowance. The bill increases the application window for recalculation from 30 to 180 days and allows members to use medical examinations from before or after public service entry to demonstrate their health status. Additionally, the bill gives retirement system boards more flexibility in creating rules and notification processes for affected members and retirees.

Budget and Finance, Government Affairs

https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/bill-search/2024/S4402