There are two types of disability for which public employees may be retired: Accidental and Ordinary.
Accidental Disability
Generally, if a member’s permanent incapacitation prevents him/her from performing the essential duties of his/her position because of a personal injury sustained or a hazard undergone while in the performance of his/her duties at a definite time and place and without serious and willful misconduct on his/her part, he/she is eligible to apply.
- If you have an accident on the job, or are exposed to a health hazard, it is critically important that a notice of injury is filed with your retirement board, in addition to the notice filed with your employer. The notice should be filed within 90 days of the occurence of the injury or exposure. This establishes the time, place, and occurance of the accident or hazard for future reference should you become disabled because of the event.
- The pension allowance is typically equal to 72% of the annual rate of regular compensation that you were earning on the date your injury was sustained.
- An application for disability retirement must be filed with your retirement board. The approval process may take six months or more to complete. The application includes a member form, an employer form, and a physician form. The applicant will be required to meet with three doctors as determined by the Public Employee Retirement Administration Commission. The Guide_To_Disability_Retirement has additional information regarding the process.
Ordinary Disability
Any member who has been granted a minimum of 10 years of service and whose permanent incapacitation, due to sickness or injury that is not job-related, prevents him/her from performing the essential duties of his/her position is eligible for Ordinary Disability. An ordinary disability retirement allowance is calculated as though the non-veteran is being retired for superannuation at age 55 if under age 55, or the actual age if over 55, with the amount of creditable service the member has actually achieved. A veteran retired for ordinary disability will receive an allowance consisting of an annuity based on age and accumulated deductions, plus related interest, and a pension equal to 50% of the annual rate of regular compensation for the last year immediately preceding retirement for which he/she received regular compensation. In either case, the allowance for ordinary disability will not be less than the allowance he/she would receive if retired for superannuation.
See the Guide to Disability Retirement on the Members page.