Assemblyman Will Barclay (R,C,I--Pulaski) announced today that Gov. Andrew Cuomo has signed the extension of the Military Service Credit Law (A.9531/S.7160) into law last night, which would provide all military veterans enrolled in the public retirement system the option to buy back military service time. Despite overwhelming support in the Assembly and in the Senate, Gov. Cuomo vetoed this legislation twice before.

“Our nation owes a debt of gratitude to our veterans for their service. The sacrifices that they have made are why we enjoy the freedoms we have today. Expanding the eligibility for military service credit to all honorably discharged veterans is the right thing to do and it has been a priority of mine. I am glad the Governor sign this bill into law,” said Barclay. “This was a long time coming and I am honored to have been one of the many members who had sponsored and supported the bill.”

Prior to enactment, the New York State Military Service Credit Law only applied to active public employees who served in the military during certain conflicts, in some selected countries, or received some selected medals. The law allows veterans to purchase up to three years of credit for their military service. One of the biggest criticisms of the credit was that it was discriminatory to women who served because eligibility for credit was based combat service. The recently-signed law will now remove all limitations and requirements and extend the credit to all honorably-discharged veterans.