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Eligibility
To qualify for an Article 15 disability retirement benefit, you must have at least ten years of credited service, unless your disability results from an accident you sustain on the job. If your disability results from an on-the-job accident, not due to your own willful negligence, there is no minimum service requirement.
“Accident” has a special meaning when used in connection with Retirement System disability benefits. Whether an incident is an “accident” is determined on a case by case basis, using court decisions for guidance.
The Benefit
If approved, this is a benefit equal to the greater of:
- 1.66 percent of your FAS for each year of credited service; or
- 1.66 percent of your FAS for each year of credited service, plus 1.66 percent of your FAS for each year of service you might have earned before age 60, but not more than one-third of your FAS.
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Example:
Member is age 57 with 19 years of service
Three possible years of additional service to age 60
FAS = $30,000
| $30,000 × 1.66% × 19 years = | $9,462 |
| or | |
| $30,000 × 1.66% × 22 years (19 years + 3 additional) = | $10,956 |
| Maximum benefit = ⅓ of FAS: ⅓ × $30,000 = | $10,000 |
| Benefit payable is $10,000 | |
Example:
Member is age 57 with 12 years of service
Three possible years of additional service to age 60
FAS = $30,000
| $30,000 × 1.66% × 15 years (12 years + 3 additional) = | $7,470 |
| Maximum benefit = ⅓ of FAS: ⅓ × $30,000 = | $10,000 |
| Benefit payable is $7,470 | |
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If your disability is the result of an on-the-job accident, the minimum benefit payable is at least one-third of your FAS.
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If you are 60 or older at the effective date of your disability retirement and you have less than 20 years of credited service, your disability benefit would be equal to the benefit payable to you at the normal retirement age of 62, not to exceed one-third of your FAS.
If you are 60 or older at the effective date of your disability retirement and you have 20 or more years of credited service, your disability benefit would be equal to 1.66 percent of your FAS for each year of credited service.
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Filing
You, your employer, or someone authorized with your power of attorney may file your Article 15 Disability Retirement Application (RS6340). The application must be filed while you are still on the payroll, or within:
- Three months of the last date you were paid on the payroll; or
- Twelve months after receiving notification of termination of employment, provided you were on an authorized medical leave of absence or receiving Workers’ Compensation or other similar employer-funded benefits.