Newsday: NY lawmakers move to shore up 9/11-linked death benefits
A rarely discussed cost of the 9/11 World Trade Center attack continues to soar year by year for the New York state and city pension systems — and it now totals about $3.4 billion, according to new estimates.
After the attacks, the Federal Emergency Management Administration reimbursed the pension funds $290 million to cover the death benefits for 343 firefighters and 28 active-duty and retired NYPD officers.
But since then, the federal government has not made any more payments as the costs to the pension systems have continued to mount.
An indicator of just how much the expenses to the pension systems have soared comes from the New York City Office of the Actuary and the New York State Comptroller: In the past three years, the costs have jumped by about $1 billion, up from the estimate of $2.35 billion in 2021.
On the 9/11 anniversary this week, a bipartisan group of New York lawmakers in the U.S. House filed legislation to correct that by requiring FEMA to cover the $3.4 billion cost.
"We lost nearly 3,000 Americans that day, but no one knew that we’d lose thousands more in the aftermath to 9/11-related illnesses. It’s an unimaginable truth and one that only amplifies the horror of these attacks," said Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-Bayport), the bill’s lead sponsor.