New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is proposing local legislation to create parity for all city employees who die of a 9/11 illness by providing health insurance coverage to their survivors.
"On our city's darkest day, thousands of city employees answered the call. They didn't hesitate. We need to be there for their families, now and always," Mayor de Blasio said in a statement.
Currently, survivors of police officers, firefighters, and emergency medical technicians ("EMTs") and higher rank employees in those titles who die in the line of duty receive health insurance from the city regardless of whether their family members die while in active service or after retirement. At the same time, survivors of Uniformed Correction Officers and Uniformed Sanitation Workers only receive health insurance if their family members die while in active service, and survivors of employees in other titles who die from a 9/11 illness currently do not qualify for city-sponsored health insurance.
The mayor said that the proposed legislation would close any gaps in current law so that all city employees who die of a 9/11 illness are treated the same, allowing their survivors to receive city health insurance upon approval of their World Trade Center accidental death pension by the applicable city public retirement system.
According to the mayor, approximately 5,000 employees across several city agencies and in various titles could be covered by this legislation over time. This population represents city employees who have been verified by their respective city public retirement system and employing agency as having participated in World Trade Center rescue, recovery and cleanup operations.
Steven A. Meyerowitz
Steven A. Meyerowitz, a Harvard Law School graduate, is the founder and president of Meyerowitz Communications Inc., a law firm marketing communications consulting company. He may be contacted at [email protected].