SURS and SUAA? What’s the Difference?

 

 

SURS (State Universities Retirement System) administers benefits for the “public employee retirement system that provides retirement, survivor, disability, and death benefits for employees of Illinois state universities, community colleges, and certain other affiliated organizations and agencies.”  www.surs.org

 

SUAA (State Universities Annuitants Association) advocates for the protection of these benefits.  www.suaa.org

 

 

What does SUAA do?

 

• SUAA actively advocates to preserve and to protect higher education, the SURS pension system, the healthcare plans, and other benefits provided for community college and university employees and retirees, their spouses and survivors.  SUAA is not a union.

 

•  SUAA is the only advocacy organization that focuses solely on protecting benefits for all SURS members and beneficiaries.  In addition, SUAA works closely with SURS to educate employees about benefit changes resulting from recent legislation.

 

 

How do you become a member of these groups?

 

• SURS—As a university or community college employee, you automatically become a member of SURS. The cost is 8% of your gross salary which is deducted from each and every paycheck.

 

• SUAA--You must join SUAA to become a member. SUAA has local chapters on each community college and state university campus in Illinois.

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