New York lawmakers have filed a trio of bills related to potential workplace injuries for various state employees, including some first responders.
Two of the three measures filed Monday would provide presumptions of heart and lung disease for corrections officers and sheriff’s deputies, respectively, and the third proposal would make presumptions of heart disease for state and local police and firefighters and other government workers.
Assembly Bill 5208 states that any health condition caused by heart disease suffered by a corrections officer, correctional supervisor, deputy sheriff’s patrol member or deputy sheriff’s patrol leader who is a member of the State and Local Employees̵
7; Retirement System shall be considered presumptive. proof that the condition is work-related unless proven otherwise.Nearly identical information to the heart disease bill is contained in Assembly Bill 5205, which includes lung disease as a presumptive occupational injury for corrections officers, corrections officers, assistant sheriff’s patrol officers and deputy sheriff’s supervisors.
Both measures state that the presumptions are provided as long as the covered employees passed pre-employment physical examinations that would have revealed any signs of disease or other impairment of the heart or lungs.
The third measure, Assembly Bill 5201, states that any state or local police officer or firefighter or any other member of the state and local employees’ retirement system who suffers from any disease related to heart disease is presumed to have contracted the disease in the course of their employment duties.
The presumptions under the measure could only be rebutted by “competent evidence” that the disability was not the result of any work-related duties.
All three bills would change New York’s pension and social security laws. They were referred to the Assembly Governmental Employees Committee.
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