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Benefits
Sustainable Benefit Changes Timeline

Timeline July 1, 2010 - Retirement Plan Changes
The University's contribution to an eligible participant's retirement plan will be 10 percent of eligible earnings. Employees who wish to increase their voluntary contributions (subject to plan limits) may do so at any time by contacting Human Resources.

Fall 2010 - Remitted Tuition Benefit Changes
An employee's spouse or same-sex domestic partner who qualifies for benefits under the Remitted Tuition Policy will receive a tuition waiver of 85 percent. Remitted tuition will not be offered to spouses and same-sex domestic partners of graduate assistants and fellows. Employees, graduate assistants and fellows may be eligible to claim the federal Lifetime Learning Tax Credit to help offset their share of tuition costs paid for a participating spouse or same-sex domestic partner (if claimed as a dependent on the tax return of the employee, graduate assistant, or fellow).

November 2010 - Open Enrollment for calendar year 2011 benefits

PLEASE NOTE: Employees wishing to change their benefits, including adding a qualified opposite-sex domestic partner, for calendar year 2011 must do so during the November open enrollment period.

January 1, 2011 - Health Care and Retirement Plan Changes

2011 Health Care Changes

  • Employees in lower-income households, graduate assistants, and fellows will contribute 21.9 percent of medical and prescription drug premiums. All other eligible employees will contribute 25 percent. Eligible employees (other than graduate assistants and fellows) must provide documentation to verify household income.
  • Four-tier employee contribution schedule for health care plans begins.
  • Health care benefits begin for eligible opposite-sex domestic partners and their eligible dependents who were added during open enrollment.
  • Employees who enrolled an eligible same-sex domestic partner in SU's medical and prescription drug plan will begin to receive taxable health care credits up to $1,000 per year to help offset the tax liability associated with the coverage, provided there is no legal remedy for the employee to address the tax liability.

2011 Retirement Changes

  • Employees have the option to make post-tax salary deferrals using the new Roth 403(b) feature.
  • Employees who already contribute the plan maximum to their voluntary TIAA-CREF account may also have the option to defer salary into a 457(b) retirement plan subject to the applicable legal and plan eligibility requirements.

Fall 2011 - SU Dependent Tuition Benefit Changes
Tuition waiver for Dependent Tuition Benefits changes to 90% for those employees who earn $150,000 or more. Employees who earn less than $150,000 will continue to receive a 100% tuition waiver for their dependents subject to the terms of the policy. Employees with salaries of $150,000 or more whose dependents are matriculated and using the dependent tuition benefit at SU prior to Fall 2011 will continue to receive full tuition waiver subject to the terms of the policy.*

Fall 2014 - Further SU Dependent Tuition Benefit Changes
Tuition benefits for newly matriculated eligible dependent children will be based on an employee's salary. Qualified dependents of employees with salaries under $50,000 will receive a full tuition waiver. Qualified dependents of employees with salaries of $50,000 or more and less than $100,000 will receive a 95 percent tuition waiver. Qualified dependents of employees with salaries of $100,000 or more will receive a 90 percent tuition waiver.*

Employees whose eligible dependents are matriculated and using the dependent tuition benefit at SU prior to the Fall 2014 semester (or the Fall 2011 semester if the employee's salary is more than $150,000) will continue to receive full tuition waiver as long as they satisfy the applicable requirements of the University's Dependent Tuition Benefits Policy.*

* The salary thresholds for dependent tuition benefits are measured as of FY 2011
  but increase in future years by the budgeted salary pro-forma increase.
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The web pages summarize your Syracuse University benefit options. Every effort has been made to ensure this information is accurate. However, the benefits are governed by legal documents (which, in certain circumstances, may include insurance contracts). If there is any difference between the information on these web pages and the official documents, the official documents will control.

Eligible employees electing to participate in SU benefit plans, programs or policies are bound by the terms of the governing plan, program and policy documents. If you have any questions regarding the plans, programs or policies, you may request a copy of the governing document by contacting the HR Service Center at the number indicated at the end of this page.

As is the case with all benefits offered by SU, (1) the SU administrator of the applicable benefit plan, program or policy has the discretionary authority to interpret the terms of that plan, program or policy, and such interpretation will be binding on all interested parties to the fullest extent permitted by law, and (2) the University reserves the right to modify or terminate its benefit plans, programs and/or policies from time to time.