{"id":458292,"date":"2022-06-06T00:28:54","date_gmt":"2022-06-05T21:28:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/slain-nypd-cops-daughter-in-five-year-battle-for-moms-pension\/"},"modified":"2022-06-06T00:28:54","modified_gmt":"2022-06-05T21:28:54","slug":"slain-nypd-cops-daughter-in-five-year-battle-for-moms-pension","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/slain-nypd-cops-daughter-in-five-year-battle-for-moms-pension\/","title":{"rendered":"#Slain NYPD cop&#8217;s daughter in five-year battle for mom&#8217;s pension"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a413089a7128\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a413089a7128\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/slain-nypd-cops-daughter-in-five-year-battle-for-moms-pension\/#%E2%80%9CSlain_NYPD_cops_daughter_in_five-year_battle_for_moms_pension%E2%80%9D\" >&#8220;Slain NYPD cop&#8217;s daughter in five-year battle for mom&#8217;s pension&#8221;<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9CSlain_NYPD_cops_daughter_in_five-year_battle_for_moms_pension%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>&#8220;Slain NYPD cop&#8217;s daughter in five-year battle for mom&#8217;s pension&#8221;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<div>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignleft\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>The daughter of a slain NYPD cop who was left to raise her younger siblings has been stuck in legal hell for five years over access to her mom\u2019s pension \u2014 and time is running out. <\/p>\n<p>Genesis Villella was forced to step in as primary caregiver when her mom Miosotis Familia was killed execution-style while working in the Bronx in 2017.<\/p>\n<p>And a little-known legal loophole has only exacerbated her grief. Children of single-parent cops who die in the line of duty aren\u2019t entitled to their parents\u2019 pension for life \u2014 unlike spouses and parents of slain cops.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSince I\u2019m raising my brother and sister, my mother\u2019s dependents, as their mother \u2014 and I will be their mother for the rest of their life \u2014 I think we should get the pension for life the same way every other family of a police officer who is killed in the line of duty,\u201d Villella, now 25, told The Post last week.<\/p>\n<p>Twins Peter and Delilah Vega, 17, can only collect their mom\u2019s pension until age 23 \u2014 and under strict caveats. But even now, they must jump through legal hurdles in order to get the benefit, a process that Villella called \u201ctorture\u201d and involves having to first seek <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>roval from the Bronx Surrogate\u2019s Court.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/familia-4.jpg?w=933\" alt=\"Familia was shot and killed in a police car by gunman Alexander Bonds on July 5, 2017 in the Bronx.\" class=\"wp-image-22542293\" width=\"322\" height=\"345\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/familia-4.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=640 644w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/familia-4.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=480 483w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/familia-4.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=320 322w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/familia-4.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=160 161w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/familia-4.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 933w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 322px) 100vw, 322px\"\/><figcaption>Familia was shot and killed in a police car by gunman Alexander Bonds on July 5, 2017 in the Bronx.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cBesides the daily grief of losing my best friend, my hero, I also have to worry if we will have money to pay the bills in a few years,\u201d Villella said through tears. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe financial grief is an added stress. I haven\u2019t had a good night\u2019s sleep in five years.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Familia, a 12-year NYPD veteran, was sitting in a police car on July 5, 2017, when a deranged gunman came out of nowhere, walked up to the car and shot the unsuspecting cop in the head on East 183rd Street near Morris Avenue. <\/p>\n<p>The killer, Alexander Bonds, was eventually gunned down by police. <\/p>\n<p>Familia, 48, who was posthumously promoted to detective, had no beneficiaries for her pension benefits \u2014 and only three dependents, her then-20-year-old daughter and her twin children, who were only 12 at the time. <\/p>\n<p>Villella was forced to quit school to make ends meet and raise her younger siblings \u2014 while learning how to navigate the court process to get her mom\u2019s pension. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt took me four years to finally get my mother\u2019s check deposited directly,\u201d Villella said. \u201cPreviously, I had to take the check to the court where it was Xeroxed, and then I had to deposit it into a bank that the judge picked.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/familia-children.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"Villella was forced to become the primary caretaker for her twin siblings Peter and Delilah, who were 12 years old at the time of their mother's death.\" class=\"wp-image-22542301\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/familia-children.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/familia-children.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/familia-children.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Villella was forced to become the primary caretaker for her twin siblings Peter and Delilah, who were 12 years old at the time of their mother\u2019s death.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Matthew McDermott<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cOriginally, the bank opened up a [certificate of deposit] instead of a savings account,\u201d she added. \u201cThe bank had to correct the mistake. Also, every time, I had to go to the court where \u2026 my mother worked as a cop, and also two miles from where she was heinously executed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Villella herself was cut off from the pension in 2020, when she turned 23. Under the current law, children can go through the lengthy court process until they reach 18, then they are eligible until they turn 23, but only if they meet criteria that include being enrolled in school. <\/p>\n<p>That means Peter and Delilah have just over five years until they\u2019re cut off.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/genesis-villella-1-1.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"Villella was cut of from her mother's pension in 2020 when she turned 23. Her 17-year-old siblings have about five years left until they are ineligible.\" class=\"wp-image-22542314\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/genesis-villella-1-1.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/genesis-villella-1-1.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/genesis-villella-1-1.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Villella was cut off from her mother\u2019s pension in 2020 when she turned 23. Her 17-year-old siblings have about five years left until they are ineligible.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">John Roca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cWhen our single officers give their life in the line of duty, the least we can do as a city is make sure their children are taken care of in a way they are accustomed to, if not better,\u201d Kathy Vigiano, president of <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.survivorsoftheshield.org\/\">the nonprofit Survivors of the Shield<\/a>, told The Post.<\/p>\n<p>Founded in 1988, the group provides benefits and support to families of slain NYPD cops.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere shouldn\u2019t be a cutoff at age 23,\u201d Vigiano said. \u201cThese kids are broken. It may take a few more years to finish college or a trade school. We should make life easier for these children, not harder.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA parent is there to help support their child in every step in their life, right into adulthood. These children have lost that.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/familia-funeral.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"Familia's casket being carried out of her funeral at the World Changers Church in the Bronx in 2017.\" class=\"wp-image-22542329\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/familia-funeral.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/familia-funeral.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/familia-funeral.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Familia\u2019s casket being carried out of her funeral at the World Changers Church in the Bronx in 2017.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">G.N.Miller\/NY Post<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Efforts have been made over the years to try to help Familia\u2019s orphaned children, including by the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, which gifted them an apartment in Riverdale.<\/p>\n<p>Some lawmakers in Albany also tried to step up \u2014 in vain.<\/p>\n<p>Just three weeks after Familia\u2019s death, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nysenate.gov\/newsroom\/press-releases\/jose-peralta\/senator-jose-peralta-unveils-legislation-provide-financial\">Queens state Sen. Jose Peralta submitted a bill <\/a>that proposed paying the cop\u2019s children up to $1,000 a month for up to 10 years. <\/p>\n<p>Peralta, however, died the following year and the legislation never moved forward. <\/p>\n<p>Last month, Brooklyn state Assemblyman Peter Abbate introduced a new bill that proposed reinstating Villella\u2019s benefits until her younger siblings become ineligible.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/familia-memorial.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"Villella said the &quot;city should in turn take care of her children&quot; after her mother was killed in the line of duty.\" class=\"wp-image-22542340\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/familia-memorial.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/familia-memorial.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/familia-memorial.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Villella said the \u201ccity should in turn take care of her children\u201d after her mother was killed in the line of duty.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Matthew McDermott<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The bill was introduced late in the legislative session and failed to garner a required senate sponsor. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe final straw was no senate sponsor,\u201d Abbate said last week. \u201cIt\u2019s taking forever these days to get fiscal notes out of the city.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>While grateful, Villella said the bill would only provide a Band-Aid on an unhealed wound.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt doesn\u2019t address that I am the parent taking care of my mother\u2019s dependents as if they were my own children,\u201d she said. \u201cThey weren\u2019t hearing me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She said she wished the city would step up like her mother did.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBesides being a loving mother, she was also a loyal, faithful civil servant who gave her life protecting the city,\u201d she said of her mom. \u201cThe city should in turn take care of her children.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>Additional reporting by Zach Williams and Craig McCarthy<\/em>\n                        <\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2022\/06\/05\/slain-nypd-cops-daughter-in-five-year-battle-for-moms-pension\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Slain NYPD cop&#8217;s daughter in five-year battle for mom&#8217;s pension&#8221; The daughter of a slain NYPD cop who was left to raise her younger siblings has been stuck in legal hell for five years over access to her mom\u2019s pension \u2014 and time is running out. Genesis Villella was forced to step in as primary&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":458293,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/06\/newspress-collage-22540967-1654463830332.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&1654449474&w=1024","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[129954,5044,73428,71850,70806],"class_list":["post-458292","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-6-5-22","tag-nypd","tag-pensions","tag-police-heroes","tag-the-bronx"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/458292","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=458292"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/458292\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/458293"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=458292"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=458292"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=458292"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}