Authorizes Susan Gillinder, the widow of Robert C. Ritchie, to file a new service retirement application and an option election form on behalf of her deceased husband with the New York state and local employees' retirement system.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
1607
2021-2022 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 14, 2021
___________
Introduced by Sen. MARTUCCI -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Civil Service and Pensions
AN ACT to authorize Susan Gillinder, the widow of Robert C. Ritchie, to
file a new service retirement application and option election form
with the New York state and local employees' retirement system on
behalf of such deceased member
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contra-
2 ry, Susan Gillinder, the widow of Robert C. Ritchie, who was a member of
3 the New York state and local employees' retirement system, who died
4 after he filed for retirement but prior to his selected retirement date,
5 shall be authorized to file a new service retirement application and an
6 option election form on behalf of her deceased husband with a joint
7 allowance full option, if, within one year from the effective date of
8 this act, she shall submit a request therefor to the state comptroller.
9 In addition, his date of retirement shall be deemed to have been August
10 15, 2016. Once such application is received, any rights or benefits to
11 the pre-retirement ordinary death benefit payable upon the death of a
12 member in service pursuant to section 448 of the retirement and social
13 security law shall be waived. Any amounts paid by the New York state and
14 local employees' retirement system as the result of the death of Robert
15 C. Ritchie prior to the filing of the request for a service retirement
16 benefit pursuant to this section shall be deducted from the service
17 retirement benefit payable thereafter.
18 § 2. Any additional costs for this act shall be paid by the state of
19 New York.
20 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
FISCAL NOTE.--Pursuant to Legislative Law, Section 50:
This bill would deem deceased member Robert C. Ritchie eligible to
receive a service retirement benefit effective on August 15, 2016. Susan
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD07271-02-1
S. 1607 2
Gillinder shall be authorized to file for the service retirement benefit
on his behalf with a joint allowance full option. Upon enactment of
this legislation, all rights and benefits to the ordinary death benefits
Susan Gillinder would otherwise be entitled to receive shall be waived.
Any payments received from such ordinary death benefit will be deducted
from the benefits payable under this legislation.
If this bill is enacted during the 2021 legislative session, there
would be a one-time cost to the State of New York of approximately
$398,000. This estimate is based on the assumption that payment will be
made on March 1, 2022.
Summary of relevant resources:
Membership data as of March 31, 2020 was used in measuring the impact
of the proposed change, the same data used in the April 1, 2020 actuari-
al valuation. Distributions and other statistics can be found in the
2020 Report of the Actuary and the 2020 Comprehensive Annual Financial
Report.
The actuarial assumptions and methods used are described in the 2020
Annual Report to the Comptroller on Actuarial Assumptions, and the
Codes, Rules and Regulations of the State of New York: Audit and
Control.
The Market Assets and GASB Disclosures are found in the March 31, 2020
New York State and Local Retirement System Financial Statements and
Supplementary Information.
I am a member of the American Academy of Actuaries and meet the Quali-
fication Standards to render the actuarial opinion contained herein.
This fiscal note does not constitute a legal opinion on the viability
of the proposed change nor is it intended to serve as a substitute for
the professional judgment of an attorney.
This estimate, dated January 11, 2021, and intended for use only
during the 2021 Legislative Session, is Fiscal Note No. 2021-39,
prepared by the Actuary for the New York State and Local Retirement
System.
