TRS members who meet the criteria described in this Fact Sheet may retire with a disability benefit. The TRS Board reviews and makes a determination on every disability retirement application.
Who is eligible?
A TRS member may apply for disability retirement if all of the following are true:
Note: Tier Two members eligible for regular service retirement may not apply for disability retirement.
How does TRS calculate the disability retirement benefit amount?
The annual disability Retirement benefit (paid in 12 equal monthly payments) is calculated as the higher of:
How do I apply for disability retirement?
Step 1: Contact TRS to request an estimate of benefits and a disability retirement application
To produce an estimate of benefits, TRS will ask you to provide certain information, such as your anticipated earnings (including termination pay) in your final year of employment and your beneficiary’s date of birth. TRS then will mail you the estimate of benefits along with a disability retirement application packet.
Step 2: Complete, review, and submit the disability retirement application and supporting documentation
The application packet includes several forms that must be completed and signed by you, your employer, and your physician. You must either provide your medical records directly to TRS or authorize your treating physician(s) to submit your medical records to TRS.
You are also encouraged (but not required) to provide other documentation to assist the Board in its review, such as copies of correspondence between you and/or your physician and workers’ compensation, other insurance carriers, and Social Security. Include your Social Security letter of disability determination, if you have received one.
Step 3: TRS staff then will process your application and make a recommendation to the Board
TRS staff will review your application materials for completeness and to confirm you meet the vesting and active member requirements for disability eligibility. If you do not meet these eligibility criteria, TRS staff will recommend disapproval of your disability application to the Board for that reason. If the eligibility criteria are met, your application materials are complete, and all necessary medical records and provider statements have been received, TRS staff may independently determine that you meet medical criteria for disability retirement and may make a recommendation for approval to the Board.
If TRS staff cannot independently determine that all necessary medical records and provider statements have been received, that you meet the active member requirement, and/or that you meet medical criteria for disability retirement, TRS staff, in TRS’s sole discretion, may refer your case to TRS’s medical review contractor for medical review management. The medical review contractor will contact you to obtain any additional medical records or other documentation necessary to determine your eligibility for disability retirement. Following medical review of your case, the medical review contractor will provide a written report to TRS staff of its findings and recommendations.
Step 4: The TRS Board will make a determination on your disability retirement application
During its next scheduled meeting, the TRS Board will review staff’s written recommendation on your application during a session that will be closed to the public to protect your privacy. You may attend, although attendance is not required. The Board may approve or disapprove your application or they may request that you submit to an independent medical evaluation, at TRS’s expense, before making a determination.
Within 10 business days after the meeting, TRS will notify you, in writing, of the Board’s decision. If your application is disapproved, you will be notified of your right to submit a written request for a contested case hearing within 30 days.
If your application is approved, the effective date of disability retirement is the first day of the month following the date on which you terminated employment.
Ongoing requirements following approval
If your Disability Retirement application is approved, the TRS Board will require periodic verification of your continued disability and any postretirement earnings, as described below.
Verification of continued disability
You will be required to undergo a medical examination by a physician once each year for the first five years, and once every three years thereafter, until you reach age 60. If you refuse the required medical examination, the TRS Board may discontinue your benefit. If your refusal continues for one full year, the TRS Board may revoke all rights to your disability retirement benefit. TRS may, at TRS’s sole discretion, refer your disability verification to TRS’s medical review contractor for verification review management.
Verification of postretirement earnings
Important Note: Until you attain retired member status (i.e., you actually receive your first monthly disability retirement benefit payment), you may not perform any work for a preretirement employer after your certified date of termination of employment and you may not enter into a prearranged agreement to perform any work at any time in the future on behalf of a preretirement employer. If you do so, you must be considered to have continued in the status of an active member and not to have separated from service, which means your disability retirement must be cancelled and the retirement benefit payments made to you must be repaid to TRS with interest at the actuarially assumed rate of investment return.
Once you have attained retired member status, you may choose to work while receiving disability retirement benefits, but you will be subject to an annual earnings limitation applicable to all earnings in TRS reportable or non-TRS reportable employment, including self-employment. You will be required to submit an annual earnings statement to TRS each year.
Revised: August 29, 2024
