The Governor has signed into law a bill that the New York State Association of PBAs, led by DEA President Michael J. Palladino, along with all other police organizations, has been vigorously supporting: the Military Buyback Bill.
This new law now allows all honorably discharged veterans the ability to purchase up to three (3) years of service credit in the retirement system. The previous law only included those who served in certain conflicts and during certain periods of time. The effective date of the legislation is June 1, 2016 and contains no retroactivity clauses. As a result, it does not apply to current retirees.
The legislative committee of the New York State Association of PBAs worked strenuously on this bill (including DEA Legislative Director Lou Matarazzo), attending numerous meetings and voicing our position on this issue. They lobbied the Senate and the Assembly to inform them of the importance of this legislation, and we thank them for all their efforts. A special thanks goes to Bing Markee, a Marine Corps Vietnam veteran and the Legislative Director of the New York State Association of PBAs.
The DEA has taken the position that all veterans honorably discharged should have the same right to purchase time. Our members who served our country gave up a big part of their lives in doing so, and this law now gives them the ability to use that time towards their pension service credit. This was the right thing to do.
This legislation was vetoed two years in a row, citing the cost related to the enactment of the law. Yet, all the labor organizations, along with several veterans groups, kept lobbying efforts active and alive. The New York State Senate and Assembly passed the bill again this year and then, finally, after the third attempt, the Governor signed it into law.
Current police officers, teachers, firefighters, and all other public employees who are honorably discharged military veterans will have the opportunity to purchase up to three years of credit after five years of employment. This is a small price for the State to pay to recognize the training and leadership skills that our veterans received during their honorable service to our country.
