More than two decades after the September 11 attacks, New York lawmakers have approved a bill to restore disability retirement benefits to the family of Suffolk Deputy Sheriff Richard Stueber, who responded to the World Trade Center site and later died by suicide after years of battling post-traumatic stress disorder.
The bill, now awaiting the governor’s signature, corrects a technical loophole in state retirement law that denied Stueber the 75% accidental disability pension he had been awarded for mental illness connected to his Ground Zero service. The legislation ensures that Stueber’s widow, Stacie, will receive the full benefit her husband earned.
Stueber, originally from Riverhead and a 23-year law enforcement veteran, had served as both an NYPD officer and Suffolk deputy sheriff. He was accepted into the federal Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Program in 2020 and received a favorable ruling from the New York State and Local Retirement System. However, due to a change in law that took effect after his application, he was deemed ineligible.
Forced to take his regular pension early, Stueber was later told he had to repay more than $50,000 in pension overpayments and was downgraded to a 50% benefit. The financial strain, on top of his deteriorating mental health, created a devastating burden on the family, who had to navigate a years-long legislative process to correct the error.
The bill passed unanimously in the State Assembly and State Senate. Suffolk County has committed $1 million to fund the reinstated pension, which will support Stueber’s wife and four children, whose ages range from high school to adulthood.
Assemblyman Joe DeStefano, the bill’s sponsor, said the legislation was about justice and honoring Stueber’s service.
“Richard should never have had to fight for benefits he clearly earned,” DeStefano said. “This bill ensures that his wife receives the support he died waiting for. It sends a clear message: New York does not forget its 9/11 heroes or their families.”
DeStefano, a longtime advocate for first responders, said the bill is also structured to prevent other 9/11 veterans from facing the same legal barriers.
Deputy Stueber died in 2023 at age 50. His family and supporters say the horrors he witnessed at Ground Zero haunted him for years, and he struggled with depression and PTSD until the end of his life. Though the compensation cannot undo that suffering, his family says the new law represents long-awaited recognition and relief.