Under a new state law, local governments will be allowed to provide public employees who are combat veterans paid time off to obtain health care services relating to their military service.
CSEA fought to pass the legislation (A.1093B – Paulin / S.5285A – Brooks) during the 2019 state legislative session earlier this year.
In recent weeks, our members made calls to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office urging him to sign the legislation.
The governor signed the bill on Veterans Day, along with 13 other bills that address veterans’ issues.
This legislation is vital to our local government members who served in uniform. State employees are already entitled to this benefit, which allows combat veterans to get up to five days of paid leave to receive health services related to their combat experience.
To finalize this benefit for local government employees, local government entities must adopt a resolution or local law in order for an employee to be eligible for this benefit. This law will go into effect in 120 days.
Military veterans face an immense physical and emotional toll to their health during combat. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs estimates 20 percent of soldiers who served in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom returned from their deployment with post-traumatic stress syndrome and other mental and physical health issues.
“This legislation allows local governments to provide employees who served in combat with needed time off to receive the health care treatment that veterans rightly deserve, which will allow them to continue to be successful at their jobs,” CSEA President Mary E. Sullivan said. “The men and women who have served our nation in uniform deserve our recognition, respect and thanks.”
