S 351 New Jersey Senate · 2026-2027 Regular Session

Establishes presumption for accidental disability retirement in PERS and PFRS that emergency medical technician, firefighter, and police officer has Parkinson's disease as result of employment.

S 351 establishes a presumption that Parkinson's disease in emergency medical technicians, firefighters, and police officers is caused by their job duties, allowing them to qualify for accidental disability retirement under New Jersey's Public Employees’ Retirement System (PERS) and Police and Firemen’s Retirement System (PFRS). This means affected first responders no longer need to prove a specific traumatic event caused their condition to access retirement benefits. The bill amends existing retirement law to explicitly include Parkinson's disease as a qualifying condition for this presumption. It directly affects current and future PERS/PFRS members who develop Parkinson's disease during their service as first responders.
Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Jan 13, 2026 Last action Jan 13, 2026
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Jan 13, 2026
Introduced
Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate State Government, Wagering, Tourism & Historic Preservation Committee
upper
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Photo of Doug Steinhardt
Doug Steinhardt
RRepublican
NJ
23