Seneca Falls- New York State Senator Michael Nozzolio criticized the State Comptroller's Office for their failure to ensure that more than 60,000 New York State Pension checks were received on time.
The pension checks, which had been issued by the New York State Comptroller’s Office, were given to the Post Office for delivery on December 30th. The Post Office has since acknowledged that many of the checks were lost or misplaced.
“So many of our New York State residents live paycheck-to-paycheck,” said Senator Nozzolio, “This delay has hit our retirees at a difficult time of the year, when items like heating and weatherization costs are the highest and they can least afford this kind of setback.”
The missing pension checks are said to have impacted Western New York and the Southern Tier the greatest. However, other retirees around the State have been impacted as well.
A spokeswoman for the New York State Comptroller’s Office has indicated that if individuals do not receive their checks by Wednesday, January 6th, they can call the Comptroller’s Office to have their checks reissued. The Comptroller can be reached at 1-866-805-0990 or 1-518-474-7736.
Pension checks in the Syracuse region are said to have been located on January 4th and are being delivered promptly. The Comptroller’s Office is also encouraging retirees to consider using the direct deposit system to avoid any delays in the future.
“This delay is unconscionable and I am calling on the Comptroller’s Office and the United States Post Office to take the necessary steps to make sure that a situation like this never happens again,” concluded Senator Nozzolio.
