For definitions of Postdoctoral Fellows and Associates, click here.

Job Title	Postdoctoral Fellow	Postdoctoral Associate
Upstate Employee	No	Yes
Term Limit	One year appointments, possibility for extension up to 4 years, based on fellowship	Up to 4 years in duration, possibility for extension *This does not convey, grant or guarantee any future benefit(s) or employment right(s).
	Research Foundation	Research Foundation	State of New York
Health Insurance Plans available through Upstate	Eligible under the RF policies to enroll in graduate student's employee health plan provided the fellow receives an annual stipend of at least $4,122 ($158.54 bi-weekly) and will be appointed for at least one semester. Fellow pays full share of premium. Pomco health insurance carrier Delta Dental carrier Davis vision carrier	Eligible for benefits provided RF employee is budgeted to work 50% or more. Employee portion of premium is pre-tax. Empire PPO (traditional or deductible) or MVP Delta Dental carrier Davis vision carrier	Eligible for benefits provided NYS employee is budgeted to earn at least $13,870 annually. Employee portion of premium is pre-tax. Empire Plan, HMO Blue or MVP Delta Dental carrier Davis vision carrier
Coverage	Coverage available date enrollment form is received by our Human Resources Benefits Office or the date of employment (whichever is later).	Coverage available on 43rd day of active employment (42 calendar day waiting period).	Coverage available on 43rd day of active employment (42 calendar day waiting period).
Documentation needed for health insurance coverage	None	None	Copy of social security card(s) and birth certificate(s) for you and all your eligible dependents as well as your marriage license/certificate if enrolling a spouse, are required.
Contact: [email protected]
Leave Policy	No - not considered employee	12 paid holidays per year, for those that fall on regularly scheduled work days. 15 Sick Leave paid per year 16 Vac paid leave per year (after 6 month waiting period) 5 Personal leave per year with no carry over (only if non-exempt) Leave time pro-rated based on FTE	12 paid holidays per year 15 (16 yr2, 18 yr3 & yr4) paid vacation/sick leave per year *Ft employees (pro-rated for PT employees)
Life Insurance	No	$50,000 basic coverage at no employee cost	$6,000 group life insurance plan.
Visa Information	May have J-1 visa. Cannot be sponsored for any employment based visa, such as an H-1B, or be employer sponsored for permanent residency as a fellow. Contact: J-1 visa information: [email protected]	May have H-1B or J-1 visa status. Cannot be sponsored for permanent residency. Contact: J-1 visa information: [email protected] H-1B visa information: [email protected]
Taxes	No tax taken from fellows who are US citizens. IRS requires federal income tax must be withheld from fellowship payments to nonresident aliens unless the person can claim partial or total exemption. A nonresident alien who claims a partial or total exemption from federal income taxes is responsible for providing documentation in support of his or her claim. All claims for exemption are submitted to the RF Payroll Office and are reviewed on a case by case basis to determine the amount, if any, of the payment that is exempt from income tax. Penalties and interest can be severe for not following Internal Revenue Service (IRS) withholding and reporting requirements. Contact: [email protected]	Standard employee taxes apply Contact: [email protected]
Retirement Benefits	None	After 1 year waiting/vesting period, 8% of earnings contribution for first 7 years of service and 10% of earnings thereafter for Tier 4 members (hired after 7/1/94). Ownership of funds after 1 year.	All full-time employees are eligible to elect ERS or the SUNY ORP-(Tier VI) ERS--Immediately upon enrollment. Vested after 10 full-time equivalent years in ERS ORP--Vested after 366 days in the ORP or immediate if employee owns retirement contracts with any of the four vendors through a previous employer. *The state will contribute 8% of the member's salary for the first 7 years of service and 10% thereafter. Employees will follow the below contribution scale based on salary for both the ERS and SUNY ORP: $0 - $45,000: 3% $45,000.01 - $55,000: 3.5%
Tuition Benefit	No tuition benefits	Yes	Union sponsored Contact: [email protected]

Benefits at Upstate Medical University

The Research Foundation of SUNY defines fellowships as nonwage payments in support of the recipient's academic study or fellow-initiated research and in recognition of the recipient's promise as a research or teaching scholar. Fellowship awards administered by the Research Foundation on behalf of SUNY are for scholarly study or research by faculty members, postdoctoral scholars, and undergraduate and graduate students at a SUNY campus or at other locations in conjunction with SUNY academic programs.

If the terms of the award require the recipient to provide a service, the person must be appointed to the Research Foundation payroll as an employee and paid a salary or wage for the service provided.