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A 11531

Relates to disability claims for a qualifying World Trade Center

2025 Regular Session

Extends the filing deadline to Sept 11, 2030 for WTC-related disability notices and allows reconsideration of certain past disallowed claims.

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Bill Summary · A 11531

Bill overview

  • Bill: A 11531
  • Session: 2025-2026
  • Jurisdiction: New York
  • Title: Relates to disability claims for a qualifying World Trade Center
  • Status: Introduced May 29, 2026; referred to the Committee on Governmental Employees

Purpose: Extend the deadline for filing notices of participation in World Trade Center (WTC) rescue, recovery, or cleanup operations for certain NY State and NYC retirement systems and to modify related workers’ compensation provisions. The aim is to broaden eligibility windows for disability and death benefits tied to qualifying WTC conditions and to ensure potential claims can be reconsidered or filed timely.

Key provisions

  1. Retirement and Social Security Law (RSSL)
  2. Amends subdivision 36, paragraph (a), to redefine and extend the deadline for filing a written/sworn notice of participation in WTC-related operations.
  3. New deadline: September 11, 2030 (previous deadline was September 11, 2026) for members or eligible beneficiaries (including deaths) of retirement systems.
  4. Applies to:
    • Members who participated in WTC rescue/recovery/cleanup for the qualifying period,
    • Members who file a notice via paper or secure online portal, with validated identity, indicating dates/locations of employment.
  5. Conditions to qualify: The member must meet other existing criteria (e.g., physical examination for entry into public service or authorization to release medical records; no prior evidence of the qualifying condition predating September 11, 2001 except in certain NYC local retirement systems and education law contexts).

  6. Requirement to retain copies: Every retirement system must keep a copy of every notice filed by the new deadline, including those rejected as untimely.

  7. Workers’ Compensation Law

  8. Section 162 amended to extend the deadline for filing a written/sworn statement of WTC participation to September 11, 2030. The statement must include dates and locations of participation and employer during the period of participation. Transmission to the employer or carrier is required. Filing the statement does not constitute a workers’ compensation claim by itself.

  9. Workers’ Compensation Law – New Discretionary Provision

  10. New subdivision 6 added to Section 168:

    • For claims where disablement occurred between September 11, 2021 and September 11, 2025, the claim shall not be disallowed as barred by sections 18 or 28 if filed on or before September 11, 2030.
    • Any such previously disallowed claims within that window shall be reconsidered by the board.

  11. Non-Applicability Clause

  12. Section 4 states that none of the act’s provisions are subject to Section 25 of the RSSL.

  13. Effective Date

  14. Section 5: Act takes effect immediately and is deemed to have been in effect since September 11, 2001. However, specific amendments to workers’ compensation provisions apply to all open and closed claims within the WTC board’s purview.

Affected parties

  • Members of New York State and local retirement systems (including NYSLRS/NYC retirement systems and NYC teachers’ retirement system referenced in the fiscal notes)
  • Eligible beneficiaries of such members
  • Employers and insurers/carriers for retirement system participants
  • Workers’ compensation claimants who participated in WTC operations and whose disablements occurred between 2021-2025
  • Administrative bodies within the WTC worker protection framework (board, retirement systems, and employers)

Procedural and timeline considerations

  • Extended filing window: Sept. 11, 2030 for notices of participation and related WTC disability eligibility.
  • Reconsideration: The bill creates a mechanism to reconsider previously disallowed WTC-related disability claims if the disablement occurred 2021-2025 and was disallowed under current law.
  • Immediate effect: The act is stated to take effect immediately, with retroactive alignment to Sept. 11, 2001 for general purposes, but specific amendments applicable to open/closed workers’ compensation claims.
  • Recordkeeping: Retirement systems must retain all filed notices by the new deadline, including those deemed untimely.

Financial and actuarial note highlights (as described in the fiscal notes)

  • NYSLRS impact: Cost largely dependent on the number of additional accidental disability or death benefits granted; overall cost expected to be negligible because few additional benefits are anticipated.
  • NYC retirement systems (NYCRS) note: Potential increase in employer contributions depends on how many members timely file and qualify; most eligible members have already filed under current law, so impact presumed to be de minimis.
  • Open/close claims: The bills’ changes apply to all open/closed WTC-related claims within the board’s purview.
  • Administrative costs: Noted as a potential modest increase due to implementation and recordkeeping.

Note: Fiscal notes emphasize uncertainty and reliance on actuarial assumptions; exact costs depend on actual participation and benefit determinations.

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

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