Aitola v. New York City Employees' Retirement System

**What Happened** Aitola was a New York City employee who applied for performance-of-duty disability retirement benefits from the city's retirement system. This type of benefit is typically more generous than regular disability retirement and is meant for workers whose disabilities were caused by their job duties. However, the retirement system denied Aitola's request and instead awarded him ordinary disability retirement benefits, which provide less compensation. **What the Court Decided** The appellate court sided with the retirement system and upheld the denial of the enhanced benefits. The court found that the retirement system's decision to award only ordinary disability retirement was reasonable and not arbitrary or unfair. The court respected the retirement system's expertise in evaluating these types of claims. **Why This Matters for Workers** This case shows that winning enhanced disability benefits requires strong evidence that your disability was directly caused by your work duties. Simply being disabled while employed isn't enough – you must prove a clear connection between your job and your condition. Workers should document workplace injuries carefully and gather medical evidence linking their disability to specific job requirements when applying for performance-of-duty benefits.