South Queens, NY – Assemblywoman Stacey Pheffer Amato (D-South Queens) scored an enormous win for members of the New York State Local Police, Fire Retirement System and the New York State and Local Employees' Retirement System by having her bill included in the State budget the other week. Members of those pension systems, like police officers, correction officers, firefighters, court officers and other uniformed officers were given the full ensurement that any condition of impairment of health caused by a disease of the heart, resulting in disability, shall be presumptive evidence that such disability was incurred in the performance and discharge of duty.

This legislation, A.5201, was needed due to the lack of clarity in the existing law, along with conflicting court rulings on heart disease disability. “This was an unacceptable problem and I was happy to partner with some amazing unions and members to get this over the finish line. It is intolerable to think that our first responders and uniformed officers, the heroes of our community, had to jump through hoops to get their disability pension. That is now over and any uncertainty in the law is now abated,” said Assemblywoman Stacey Pheffer Amato.

Police Conference of New York State (PCNY), the largest police organization in the State which serves as the umbrella organization for all law enforcement unions, thanked Assemblywoman Pheffer Amato for delivering for the men and women within law enforcement. “When Assemblywoman Pheffer Amato became the Chair of the Governmental Employees Committee it was clear that she would have a positive effect. She sought out to do right by police officers and their families across the State; and she delivered The hard work police officers do is being recognized and the law now says if you have a heart problem, the State will take care of you, like you took care of its residents.,” said Michael O’Meara, 2nd Vice President of PCNY.