UFT Paras on Accident Disability from TRS
Members Helping Members
Recently, the Teachers Retirement System (TRS) emailed an updated letter to paras affected by this re-interpretation of the disability law that granted them a pension since 2002. They reduced the pension for 183 people, as directed by the NYC Law Department, by half, effective the July check.
TRS is seeking to recover no more than three years' worth of overpayments, even for members who have been retired longer.
For members who retired less than three years ago, TRS is seeking to recover overpayments back to the retirement date.
Members will repay this amount gradually through 1% deductions from future monthly payments (not for a three-year period).
Most importantly, consistent with TRS' intentions all along, and TRS' communications from the beginning of this process, stated members who file the appeal form will have no further 1% deductions from future payments (i.e., no overpayment recovery)
Their latest advisory allows you to file an appeal to them, to stop the collection of the overpayment, not the half reduction.
While we understand that the larger reduction is what will financially trouble these paras, this smaller reduction is the only one open to an appeal. But, you can ask them to defer that reduction until the February 1st check, and they WILL.
In order for TRS to stop that collection, you MUST file the appeal and we explain that here in a video.
TRS also updated their message to you here>> TRS WEBSITE
In part, they state, "Attention, retired paraprofessionals whose accident disability retirement allowance is being corrected: It has come to our attention that you may have received misinformation on how to complete the appeal form to stop your overpayment recovery plan. Please follow the instructions on the form TRS previously provided and file it within 90 days of the date of your notification letter from TRS. There is no August 31 filing deadline. After filing, no further action is necessary. TRS will notify you by letter when your appeal is approved. If you have any questions, please contact TRS at the special number provided to you."
The Power of Collective Action: Fix Para Pay, Fix Retiree Benefits and NYC Retirees
We began sending the Press this information in June, and the below statement in July. Several Paras reached out to us after the UFT repeatedly told them "there was nothing the UFT can do."
We all said, oh yea? Hold our beer. And we organized with Fix Para Pay and Fix Retiree Benefits and we contacted the media and TRS and said lets fix this. We are working with elected officials and were hoping the UFT would change their mind. And they did, on August 6, 2026, two months after paras were first notified if this pension change, they emailed paras advising they were going to be there to help. We had been emailing the UFT and AFT for weeks asking them to intervene. We now asked them to work with us to fix this. Our three organizations emailed them several times, never receiving a response.
We are going to keep advancing our advocacy, as TRS has agreed to waive an overpayment collection if you submit the appeal, and they are postponing the reduction if you ask - until 2027, which we are thankful for.
We gave you the following guidance:
1. File the appeal NOW.
2. Write to the TRS and copy the UFT and ask them not to reduce your pension as the alleged mis-interpretation was not your fault. You received pension consultations by both the UFT and TRS and they both told you the same information. There is no law that requires them to collect any overpayment, and since both the UFT and TRS both interpreted the RSSL 605 the same way, the intent of the law was to provide TRS members with an accidental disability pension that was 2/3 your final average salary. UFT and TRS Board Chair Tom Brown said you could have your Comp on top of your pension since teachers are allowed to sue the City and that is considered a settlement. Ask to be grandfathered in and they should fix the law going forward.
Write that this will cause you a financial hardship and if they must reduce your pension, urge them NOT TO REDUCE YOUR PENSION TIL 2027. This way you have to time to get your affairs in order and us time to change the law or convince the Board to do something. YOU MUST ASK FOR THE DEFERRAL!! Keep it simple!
Since there is no email for the Board of Trustees, you need to write to the Director, and ask her to send your request to the full Board.
Patricia Reilly
Teachers Retirement System, City of NY
Executive Director
55 Water Street
New York, NY 10041
E-Mail the letter above to:
Michael Mulgrew: Mmulgrew@uft.org
Randi Weingarten: Rweingar@aft.org
UFT Counsel Beth Norton: Bnorton@uft.org
Christine McGrath: Cmcgrath@uft.org
Victoria Lee: Vlee@uft.org
Chair of the Board, Tom Brown: Tbrown@uft.org
3. We need you to call your NYS senator and assemblymember and tell them RSSL 605 needs to be fixed. If they have questions, send them our way or get their info and we will call them.
Connect with these sister organizations:
Fix Retiree Benefits (Arthur Goldstein & Daniel Alicea)
