For SUNY staff at Stony Brook University Hospital, the retirement rules are set by New York State, not by the hospital. Staff in some titles choose a retirement plan once, within 30 days of appointment, and the choice generally cannot be changed while they work for the university. For the rules that apply at every hospital, see the Healthcare professionals page.
On this page
The one-time choice
First, who employs you
- SUNY. Stony Brook Medicine’s human resources office administers the health, welfare and retirement programs the State of New York offers to Stony Brook Medicine employees. The rest of this page is about staff in those programs.
- The Research Foundation. Research Foundation staff have a separate plan, a 401(a) Basic Retirement Plan, which starts after one year of qualified service and in which you are fully vested as soon as you join.
- Greenport and Southampton. Staff at Stony Brook Eastern Long Island Hospital and Stony Brook Southampton Hospital are employed through separate professional employer organizations, so their plans are not SUNY’s.
The one-time choice
Staff in unclassified titles, such as UUP and Management Confidential, may choose the SUNY Optional Retirement Program instead of a state pension. The election “must be made within 30 days of appointment.” SUNY policy says that once made, it “cannot be changed during any period of University employment”; SUNY’s plan comparison notes an exception if you become newly eligible for an alternative system. If you make no timely election, state law places you in the Teachers’ Retirement System or the Employees’ Retirement System, depending on your title.
| State pension, Tier 6 (ERS or TRS) | Optional Retirement Program | |
|---|---|---|
| What you get | A lifetime pension from a formula: 1.66% of final average salary per year of service, higher from 20 years | An account you invest; the income depends on the balance |
| Employer contribution | Funds the pension | From October 1, 2026, 9% of salary for the first seven years, 11% after |
| Your contribution | Required, a percentage set by salary | A percentage set by salary |
| Vesting | 5 years of full-time service | 366 days of service |
| If you leave early | A deferred pension, if vested | The account goes with you |
The ORP employer rates changed on October 1, 2026, and a new law lowered NYSLRS Tier 6 member contribution rates from the same date. The Comptroller’s member contributions page has the salary bands, and the SUNY comparison sheet, revised July 2026, has the full Tier 6 formula. The county employees page explains how ERS tiers and final average salary work.
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Savings, tax and health
The voluntary plans: a 403(b) and a state 457(b)
All active SUNY employees may join the SUNY Voluntary 403(b) Plan and the New York State Deferred Compensation Plan, a government 457(b). Both are funded from your own pay. The 457(b) here is a government plan, so it is held in trust for you and can be rolled over when you leave, unlike the 457(b) at a private nonprofit hospital.
New York tax: three kinds of income, three treatments
- An ERS or TRS pension is a New York public pension and can be subtracted in full from New York income.
- ORP payments can be subtracted only for the part attributable to employment with the State or City University of New York or the New York State Education Department.
- Payments from the 457(b) cannot be subtracted as a government pension, but periodic payments may qualify for the $20,000 pension and annuity exclusion from age 59½. The IT-201 instructions set out separately when 403(b) payments qualify. The New York retirement taxes page covers the exclusion.
Retiree health
To keep state health coverage in retirement you must be 55 or older when you retire, have ten or more years of service in a position eligible for health insurance with SUNY or a participating agency, and be participating in a health insurance plan immediately before your retirement date. Up to 200 days of unused sick leave can be converted to help pay the premium. That last condition is why the retirement date deserves a calendar.
Sources for this page: SUNY, Retirement; SUNY, Optional Retirement Program; SUNY policy on retirement plan election; SUNY, Retirement Plan Comparison, Tier VI (revised July 2026); SUNY Retirement Election Form; Office of the State Comptroller, Member contributions (Tier 6); Stony Brook Medicine Human Resources, About benefits; Stony Brook University Human Resources, Retiring, and Voluntary Retirement Plans; SUNY, Voluntary Savings Plans; Stony Brook University, Research Foundation retirement plans; Stony Brook Southampton Hospital and Eastern Long Island Hospital employment pages; New York State Department of Taxation and Finance, Form IT-201 instructions (2025) and Information for seniors. This page is general information about how the rules work and is not advice about your situation.
Several of these choices come with deadlines.
The ORP election is made once, within 30 days, and generally cannot be changed while you work for SUNY; the retiree health conditions are tested at your retirement date. We can go through yours in a short conversation.
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