Special Service members have two disability benefit options.
Ordinary Disability Benefits
Ordinary disability means you have a permanent disability, resulting in mental or physical incapacity, that prevents you from performing the assigned duties of your job. An ordinary disability comes from an injury or illness that did not occur on the job.
Annual Ordinary Disability Benefits are determined as one of the following, whichever is greater:
- 50% of your highest three-year average salary.
- The amount of retirement benefits you had earned at the time of your disability, without reduction for retiring before normal retirement age.
In-Service Disability Benefits
In-Service Disability means you have a total and permanent (expected to last more than one year) incapacity resulting from an on-the-job injury, disease or exposure that occurred at a specific time and place and prevents you from performing your job.
Annual In-Service Disability Benefits equal one of the following, whichever is greater:
- 60% of your highest three-year average salary.
- The amount of the retirement benefit you earned at the time of your disability, without reduction for retiring before normal retirement age.
IPERS presumes certain disabling conditions began on the job (unless there is credible evidence to the contrary). These conditions are called presumptions. They may help you meet the requirements to become eligible for in-service disability benefits.