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Bill

S 10590

Relates to age and service eligibility requirements for ordinary retirement for members of the unified court system

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Robert Jackson

The bill allows unified court system peace officers to retire without a benefit reduction at age 55 with 30+ years of service, while raising normal retirement age for most new entr

RETURNED TO SENATE
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Bill Summary · S 10590

Bill Summary: S 10590 (2025-2026) - New York Unified Court System retirement eligibility

Purpose and intent

  • Relates to eligibility rules for retirement benefits for members of the unified court system who are part of New York’s state retirement systems.
  • Specifically aims to adjust age requirements, early retirement reductions, and benefit calculations for certain uniformed court officers and peace officers within the unified court system.
  • Does not require an appropriation (per §5).

Key provisions and changes

1) Normal service retirement age and eligibility
- For general members (non-elective) receiving normal service retirement:
- Current baseline: retirement at age 62 with minimum service.
- New provision for unified court system peace officers: may retire without a reduction of retirement benefits at age 55 with 30+ years of service.
- For members who joined NYS/Local Retirement System on or after April 1, 2012:
- Normal service retirement age increases to 63 (instead of 62) for general members.
- Unified court system peace officers remain eligible for no-reduction retirement at age 55 with 30+ years of service.

2) Service retirement for newer members (post-2012 entrants)
- Subdivision a-1 (section 603): For members who first become part of a public retirement system on/after April 1, 2012 (except uniformed court officers or peace officers in the unified court system):
- Normal service retirement age is 63.
- Applied to service retirement benefit rules in section 604.

3) Calculation of service retirement benefit (section 604)
- For members with less than 20 years of credited service (or less than 25 years for certain teachers’ system entrants):
- Benefit = (1/60) of final average salary times years of credited service.
- Normal retirement age for these new entrants is 63 (62 for unified court system uniformed officers/peace officers).
- For members with 20+ years of credited service (and who joined on/after 4/1/2012):
- Benefit formula becomes: 35% of final average salary plus 1/50 of final average salary for each year of service in excess of 20 years, times years of credited service.
- Minimum benefit cannot be less than the actuarially equivalent value of the member’s contributions with 5% interest, ensuring a floor on benefits without optional modification.

4) Early retirement reduction (section 603, subdivision i, paragraph 3)
- Members may retire before normal retirement age (ages 55+), but benefits are reduced.
- Generally, reduction is 6.5% for each year the retirement precedes age 63.
- For uniformed court officers or peace officers in the unified court system, reductions align with the applicable early retirement rules for those positions (as per the bill’s adjustment to subdivision a).

5) Fiscal and status notes
- The act clarifies that none of its provisions are subject to the statutory appropriation requirement for retirement benefits.
- Fiscal note highlights:
- Estimated annual state contributions increase by about $5.5 million beginning FY 2027 (around 1.7% of salary for affected participants, rising from 13.9% to 15.6%).
- Immediate past service cost of approximately $41.7 million as a one-time payment (payable around March 1, 2027).
- Estimated 3,515 affected members with a combined annual salary around $265 million (as of March 31, 2025).
- Long-term costs projected to average about 1.4% of salary.

Who would be affected

  • Uniformed court officers and peace officers employed by the Unified Court System who are members of NYS retirement systems (Tier 6 classifications).
  • Other public retirement system members affected by changes in normal retirement age and benefit calculations if they meet the specified service thresholds.
  • Beneficiaries and future retirees who qualify under the revised age and service requirements.

Timeline and status

  • Introduced and referred to the Senate Civil Service and Pensions Committee on May 27, 2026.
  • Subsequent actions: passed Senate (June 2, 2026), moved through Ways and Means, and passed Assembly (June 3, 2026); substituted and returned to Senate, then to Rules for third reading, etc. (as of the provided action history).

Practical impact

  • Enables earlier unreduced retirement eligibility (age 55 with 30 years) for unified court system peace officers and uniformed court officers.
  • Shifts normal retirement age for most new entrants from 62 to 63, increasing the time many employees must work before eligibility under standard rules.
  • Adjusts the retirement benefit formula for those with 20+ years of service to a blended percentage-based approach, potentially increasing benefits for some with long service while maintaining a minimum actuarial floor.
  • Requires state funding adjustments to accommodate higher potential retirement liabilities.

If you’d like, I can provide a side-by-side comparison table of current law versus the bill’s proposed changes.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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