A pension change enacted five years ago says police officers and firefighters hired after July 2009 who become disabled in the line of duty are no longer eligible for the traditional tax-free pension calculated at three-quarters of their final year’s salary. Instead, these newer members of New York’s Finest and Bravest will receive pensions equal to 50 percent of their final year’s salary. And officials say that pension will be further cut by an amount equivalent to half of any Social Security disability payments they receive. Officer Rosa Rodriguez, a 36-year-old mother of four, joined the force in July 2010 and is making $53,270 a year.
