Bill Text: NY A00550 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Establishes the payment of certain volunteer firefighter and volunteer ambulance worker death benefits shall be within ninety days of the filing of application to receive such death benefit.

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Republican 12-4)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-01-08 - referred to local governments [A00550 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-A00550-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                           550
                               2019-2020 Regular Sessions
                   IN ASSEMBLY
                                       (Prefiled)
                                     January 9, 2019
                                       ___________
        Introduced  by  M. of A. CAHILL, BYRNE, BRABENEC, RAIA, D'URSO, WALLACE,
          BRONSON, DiPIETRO, ASHBY -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A.  McDONOUGH,
          WALSH -- read once and referred to the Committee on Local Governments
        AN  ACT  to amend the volunteer firefighters' benefit law and the volun-
          teer ambulance workers' benefit law, in relation  to  the  payment  of
          death benefits
          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
     1    Section 1. The volunteer  firefighters'  benefit  law  is  amended  by
     2  adding a new section 7-b to read as follows:
     3    §  7-b. Payment of death benefits. 1. All death benefits payable under
     4  section seven of this article shall be paid to  the  person  or  persons
     5  entitled  to  such benefit within ninety days of the date such person or
     6  persons files an application with the  workers'  compensation  board  to
     7  receive  such benefit, except if the employer or insurance carrier files
     8  a notice of controversy with the  chair  of  the  workers'  compensation
     9  board  in  accordance  with  section twenty-five of the workers' compen-
    10  sation law; provided that if there is a discrepancy  in  the  claim  for
    11  benefits that would prevent the claim from being processed within ninety
    12  days,  the  workers'  compensation board shall provide written notice to
    13  the claimant within such ninety day period  explaining  the  discrepancy
    14  and why the claim cannot be processed within the ninety day period.
    15    2.  The workers' compensation board shall conduct outreach services to
    16  provide coordinated information to the person or persons entitled  to  a
    17  death  benefit  payable  under  section  seven of this article regarding
    18  assistance available to help such person or persons with the death bene-
    19  fit program's application procedures.
    20    § 2. The volunteer ambulance workers' benefit law is amended by adding
    21  a new section 7-b to read as follows:
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD03108-01-9
        A. 550                              2
     1    § 7-b. Payment of death benefits. 1. All death benefits payable  under
     2  section  seven  of  this  article shall be paid to the person or persons
     3  entitled to such benefit within ninety days of the date such  person  or
     4  persons  files  an  application  with the workers' compensation board to
     5  receive  such benefit, except if the employer or insurance carrier files
     6  a notice of controversy with the  chair  of  the  workers'  compensation
     7  board  in  accordance  with  section twenty-five of the workers' compen-
     8  sation law; provided that if there is a discrepancy  in  the  claim  for
     9  benefits that would prevent the claim from being processed within ninety
    10  days,  the  workers'  compensation board shall provide written notice to
    11  the claimant within such ninety day period  explaining  the  discrepancy
    12  and why the claim cannot be processed within the ninety day period.
    13    2.  The workers' compensation board shall conduct outreach services to
    14  provide coordinated information to the person or persons entitled  to  a
    15  death  benefit  payable  under  section  seven of this article regarding
    16  assistance available to help such person or persons with the death bene-
    17  fit program's application procedures.
    18    § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.