Gov. Andrew Cuomo will back pension benefit for combat veterans

Women and men who are combat area veterans and work in state and local government jobs will now be able to benefit from a credit to their public pensions based on their military service.

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo on Wednesday said he will agree to the measure he had vetoed twice previously. The Veterans Day announcement will, if enacted as promised in the 2016 legislative session, provide up to three years of additional pension credit for more state and local government employees who were in the military. The agreement will also extend the credit to women in the military who were barred from service in combat areas.

"Because of the way the law was structured, women were excluded because the medals and ribbons that were required to qualify weren't eligible to women," said Assmb. Amy Paulin (D-Scarsdale), a longtime sponsor of the legislation.

"I am confident this is going to happen," she said in an interview on Veterans Day.

Cuomo had previously vetoed the bill because of its expense. Supporters say the cost will be about $20 million a year, but that along with how many veterans will benefit will be determined in coming weeks.

Until 2013, women were barred from being deployed to combat areas. The final bill will also expand the pension credit to more veterans including those who served in Iraq and other wars before war was declared, the officials said.

Current law allows state and local workers in the pension system to gain service credits to give them up to three years of military service for those who were honorably discharged from qualified service.

Veterans who qualify for the credit in state pension system may buy additional credits priced at 3 percent to 6 percent of their salary, but the benefit after retirement is much greater.

"I am pleased that Governor Cuomo has agreed to work to improve New York's service credit law during the upcoming budget negotiations," said Sen. William Larkin (R-Cornwall on Hudson), an Army combat veteran who rose to the rank of colonel.

"I look forward to continue working with my colleagues to ensure that all of New York State's veterans are treated equitably under the law," Larkin said.

Current law covers veterans of World War II, the Korean and Vietnam wars and recipients of certain combat medals in Lebanon, Grenada, Panama, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Behrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, the Gulf of Aden, the Gulf of Oman, the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea.