Relates to providing cost-of-living adjustments

This bill increases the monthly pension benefits for surviving spouses of retired New York public employees from fifty percent to one hundred percent of what the deceased partner would have received. The change applies to several retirement systems, including those for city employees, teachers, police, firefighters, and board of education staff, and takes effect on September 1, 2025. Under the new rules, a surviving spouse who chose a lifetime benefit option for their partner will receive the full amount of the pension starting either in September 2025 or the month after the partner's death, whichever occurs later.