ASSEMBLY STATE GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

ASSEMBLY, No. 467

with committee amendments

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED: MARCH 11, 1996

      The Assembly State Government Committee reports without recommendation and with committee amendments Assembly Bill No. 467.

      This bill provides State-paid health benefits under the State Health Benefits Program (SHBP) for a retired State employee and the dependents of the employee covered under the program, but not including survivors, if the retired employee is a veteran who retired from the Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS) on a benefit based on at least 20 but less than 25 years of service credited in the retirement system and has attained 65 years of age.

      This bill was prefiled for introduction in the 1996 session pending technical review. As reported, the bill includes the changes required by technical review which has been performed.

COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS

      The committee adopted technical amendments to the bill to: (1) specify that the term "veteran" under the bill refers to a person meeting the definition of that term under the PERS statute; (2) eliminate overlap between the class of persons covered for paid post-retirement health benefits under this bill and the class covered for such benefits under the more general provisions of N.J.S.A.52:14-17.32; and (3) clarify that the requirement that a retirant have attained age 65 refers to the point at which free coverage for that retirant commences, and does not establish as a condition of eligibility for the coverage that the retirant have attained that age prior to retirement.