Home -> Law Blog Directory -> Labor & Employment Law Blogs -> New York Public Personnel Law

Labor & Employment Law

: New York Public Personnel Law

New York State Task Force on Public Retiree Health Benefits created by Executive Order of the Governor

New York State Task Force on Public Retiree Health Benefits created by Executive Order of the Governor
Executive Order 7.15

Governor David A. Paterson issued an Executive Order, Executive Order 7.15,* establishing the New York State Task Force on Public Retiree Health Benefits. The Task Force will study health care benefits provided to employees of the State and local governments in New York by specifically addressing the preservation of quality retiree health care, and ways to make health care more affordable for local governments. Richard A. Berman has been designated to serve as Chairman of the Task Force. Mr. Berman has extensive experience in health policy and State government.

The Task Force is charge to gather information on benefits received by public retirees and will explore policy approaches to improving the current system of public retiree health benefits to advance goals such as maintaining quality and affordable health coverage for retirees, ensuring that retirees are treated equitably and fairly, limiting government health care costs, and maintaining sufficient flexibility for health care benefit management by the State and localities.

The Task Force will be comprised of representatives from New York State agencies including the Department of Civil Service, the Department of Health, the Office for the Aging, the Division of Budget and the Insurance Department, and the Governor will ask the New York State Comptroller, the Speaker of the Assembly and the Senate Majority Leader to make appointments as well. In addition to representatives from State government, the Task Force will include representatives from labor unions, retiree groups [the Retired Public Employees Association, Inc. and the Alliance of Retired Public Employee Organizations of New York, Inc., are authorized to recommend a ?joint representative?], and organizations representing local governments.

The Executive Order sets June 1, 2009 as the target date for the Task Force Report. However, this date may be changed to a later date by majority vote of the Task Force.

* Executive Order 7.15 indicates that this is the 15th Executive Order issued by Governor Paterson. Executive Orders issued by previous governors are designated 1.xx, 2.xx, 3.xx, etc., commencing with Executive Order 1.1 issued by the late Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller. Executive Order 7.15 will be published in the March 25, 2009 issue of the State Register.

Full post as published by New York Public Personnel Law on March 06, 2009 (boomark / email).