Legislation Extending Disability Benefits to 9/11 First Responder Richard Stueber Signed

Gov. Kathy Hochul has signed legislation to extend accidental disability retirement benefits to the family of Suffolk County Deputy Sheriff Richard Stueber, a 9/11 first responder who participated in World Trade Center rescue, recovery and cleanup operations.

The bill, sponsored by state Sen. Monica R. Martinez and Assemblymember Joe DeStefano, provides Stueber’s surviving spouse with the 75% accidental disability retirement benefits he earned through his service.

This is the second 9/11-related bill sponsored by Martinez to be signed by the governor on this 24th anniversary of the September 11 attacks.  Earlier today, Hochul also signed legislation designating the Route 231 Bridge over the Southern State Parkway in North Babylon as the Port Authority Detective Thomas M. Inman Memorial Bridge.  Detective Inman, a Vietnam veteran and decorated Port Authority Police Department officer, worked for 15 months at Ground Zero and later died from cancer linked to his recovery work.

“For responders of the September 11th terrorist attacks, the pain of that day has never faded, nor have the physical and emotional burdens they’ve carried in the years since,” Sen. Martinez said.  “Deputy Sheriff Richard Stueber served with honor at Ground Zero, but the toll of that commitment was the loss of his life and a financial hardship left to his family.  I thank Gov. Hochul for signing this legislation to provide Stacie Stueber with the benefits her husband earned through his service and sacrifice.”

Stueber served as a New York City Police Department officer from 1996 to 2002 and as a Suffolk County Deputy Sheriff from 2002 to 2019.  He developed severe health complications tied to his service at the World Trade Center site, was accepted into the Zadroga World Trade Center Program, and became permanently disabled as a result. While he was awarded a 75% 9/11 accidental disability retirement by the New York State and Local Retirement System in 2020, he was ultimately ruled ineligible for the benefits due to a technical change in the law.  He died in December 2024 before the error was able to be corrected.  

Deputy Sheriff Stueber is survived by his wife of more than 25 years, Stacie, and their four children: Richard (RJ), Robert, Delanie and Ryan.