Empire Center Wins Access to Full NYC Pension Records

As of 2016, NYCERS had 137,694 total retirees, including those from the Transit Authority, Health and Hospitals Corporation, Department of Health and the Housing Authority. Of departments with at least 1,000 retirees since the last full data set was released in 2009, Department of Correction retirees received the highest average pensions ($52,683), followed by the Department of Sanitation ($49,405).

In 2014, NYCERS began redacting from responses to FOIL requests the names of members retired from certain law enforcement job titles, likely including corrections officers, public safety officers and others. Following a successful Article 78 challenge, the court ordered these names to be released in 2016. After waiting the maximum allotted time to file and withdraw an appeal, NYCERS provided the Empire Center with the requested records for calendar year 2016.

The Empire Center recently filed another FOIL request for updated records from NYCERS and has not yet been given a response. The deadline for acknowledgement was February 16. The Center has filed an appeal with NYCERS today.

Press Release from The Empire Center, a not-for-profit, non-partisan think tank