HARTFORD – The number of retired state employees collecting annual pensions of more than $100,000 has risen to 299 people, a new analysis by the Yankee Institute shows. Of those, 81 individuals receive more than $120,000, or at least $10,000 a month. The top ten biggest pensioners in 2009:
| Name | Employer | Position | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Veiga, John F | UCONN | Professor | $257,362.21 |
| Blechner, Jack N | UConn Health Center | MD, Professor | $248,602.86 |
| Hartley, Harry J | UCONN | Former President | $197,099.63 |
| Judd, Richard L | Central CT State U | Former President | $194,010.69 |
| Sigman, Eugene | UConn Health Center | Former Dean | $187,994.24 |
| Dibenedetto, Anthony | UCONN | Former Vice President | $187,296.69 |
| Raye, John R | UConn Health Center | Former chief, Children’s Med Center | $186,804.90 |
| Cutler, Leslie S | UConn Health Center | Former Chancellor | $184,682.17 |
| Anderson, Gregory J | UCONN | Former Dean, Grad School | $174,744.78 |
| Surapaneni, Bujji B | CT Valley Hospital | Psychiatrist | $171,772.93 |
The Yankee Institute has just updated its CTSunlight.org website to include 2009 pension data for all retired state employees. The original data was supplied by the Comptrollers Office in response to a Freedom of Information Act request made by the Yankee Institute.
In 2008, 175 individuals received pensions worth at least $100,000. That number rose to 299 people in 2009 and is expected to continue rising.
“Government workers receive compensation and benefit packages that are much more generous than those available to private sector workers,” said Fergus Cullen, Executive Director of the Yankee Institute for Public Policy.
Top ranked pensioner John Veiga retired on July 1, 2009, and his compensation includes a combination of salary and pension for the year. Contacted by the Yankee Institute, Mr. Veiga confirmed the accuracy of his total compensation for the year.
