Nassau County’s Voluntary Separation Incentive Program – Proceed with Caution
By Legislator Scott M. Davis
On Monday, Jan. 26, the Nassau County Legislature voted unanimously to approve the Voluntary Separation Incentive Program (VSIP) for union members of any age with more than 10 consecutive years of full-time County employment. Participants will receive a lump sum payment of $2,000 for each year of their consecutive, full-time County service as of the date of their resignation.
Employees who wish to take advantage of the program must do so by March 5, 2026. The County Executive retains authority to extend the VSIP period for up to 90 days at his sole discretion and may defer an employee’s participation for up to a year if their departure would undermine the County’s ability to perform essential government functions.
The Corrections Officers Benevolent Association (COBA), the Nassau County Detectives Association (DAI), Inspectors Police Benevolent Association (IPBA), Police Benevolent Association (PBA), Superior Officers Association (SOA) and Civil Service Employee Association (CSEA) Local 830 have all signed agreements to offer this incentive to their members.
According to the experts at Nassau County’s independent, nonpartisan Office of Legislative Budget Review, as many as 3,401 union members within the County’s 7,585-person workforce are eligible thanks to their 10-plus consecutive years of service. While the County administration estimates that approximately 40 percent will accept the offer, early projections suggest that many prospective retirees will come from a pool of 1,332 eligible workers across all bargaining units who have more than 10 years of service and are over age of 55.
Within the group of 55-and-above employees, there are 123 members from COBA, 75 from the PBA, 71 from SOA, 40 from DAI and 24 from IPBA. The 999 CSEA civil servants are employed in a variety of Nassau County departments including 192 in the Nassau County Police Department, 174 in the Department of Social Services, 150 in Public Works, 50 in the Health Department, and 43 in Parks, Recreations and Museums.
Projected annual savings from the 55-and-over subset are estimated to range from $27 million to $36.5 million in salaries. Initial payouts will be funded through $39.9 million set aside in the County’s operating budget, and any sums in excess of that allocation will be drawn from reserves.
Whether responding to 911 emergency calls, protecting children and families from abuse and neglect, maintaining our infrastructure, or beautifying our parks and open spaces, each of these departments and their dedicated staff members provide essential and, in some cases, life-saving services that cannot be undermined.
One of the most important of these is Nassau’s Department of Social Services, which continues to experience chronic understaffing while being tasked with the mission of providing essential services to our most vulnerable residents. Additionally, many of these positions, and the caseloads they handle, provide the County with much-needed state and/or federal revenue in the form of reimbursements for the work they do. In other words, fewer employees could lead to less revenue, thereby reducing the savings the VSIP could achieve.
As a fiduciary of the County, I am mindful that affordability is one of - if not the top - concerns for county residents. I applaud the pursuit of meaningful, long‑term cost savings whenever those opportunities arise, especially when those savings can provide a measure of financial relief to our residents and also serve as a once-in-a-career financial benefit to those who have devoted years of service to the people of Nassau County. This is why I voted to approve the VSIP - but we must move forward responsibly.
This program has the very real potential to create challenges for staffing as many of those eligible for VSIP are the most knowledgeable and experienced in their respective fields. Additionally, several county departments which will be impacted by the VSIP are already understaffed and stretched thin.
There must be proactive planning and thoughtful implementation of the VSIP to preserve public safety and maintain the quality of services our residents pay for and rely upon, and it would be prudent to have more than an ill-defined promise to backfill positions as needed. Already, the County workforce has 312 vacancies, and if projections for 40 percent acceptance hold true, that number would soar to 845.
Specifically, the County administration must have a concrete plan for addressing vacancies. The Legislature should be regularly updated so that it is kept abreast of staffing numbers in all affected county departments, which will equip us to address any potential concerns proactively.
Proceeding with caution and operating transparently will help to ensure that the buyout program achieves its desired goal of delivering cost savings without diminishing essential county services.
Scott M. Davis, of Rockville Centre, has represented the Nassau County Legislature’s First District since 2024.