If you earned and maintained five or more years of membership service with the Consolidated Judicial Retirement System, you may be eligible to receive disability retirement benefits. Your eligibility is based upon approval by the Medical Review Board and your benefit is based in part on the amount of service that you would have earned had you been able to work until you otherwise would have been eligible for an unreduced service retirement benefit.

Disability Retirement Eligibility

• Must be a contributing member of CJRS at the time of disability;
• Must be permanently and totally disabled for the further performance of duty as determined by the Medical Review Board;
• Must have at least five (5) years of creditable service in CJRS and be younger than age 65 and have less than 24 years of service;
• If the CJRS member is already eligible for service retirement at the time of disability, the CJRS member is not eligible to apply and receive a disability retirement benefit. In this situation, the CJRS member would apply for service retirement. 

If you are eligible for and elect to receive disability retirement benefits, your benefit under the maximum allowance will be calculated using the same formula as a service retirement benefit. Under disability retirement, you may choose any payment option except Option 4. If you choose a survivorship option, it will be calculated using disability reduction percentages.