If you become disabled while serving as a permanent employee under TSERS or the Optional Retirement Program (ORP), and you meet certain eligibility requirements, DIPNC provides you with monthly replacement income in the form of short-term, extended short-term and long-term disability benefits. Your employer pays for your DIPNC coverage.

TSERS Disability Benefit

If you earned and maintained five or more years of membership service with TSERS before January 1, 1988, you may be eligible to receive disability retirement benefits instead of DIPNC benefits. Your eligibility is based upon approval by the Medical Review Board and 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.

If you earned and maintained five or more years of membership service with TSERS before July 1, 1982, you may be eligible to receive disability retirement benefits instead of DIPNC benefits based in part on the amount of service that you would have earned had you been able to work until age 65. In either case, if you earned and maintained five or more years of membership service with TSERS before January 1, 1988, and subsequently become disabled, as approved by the Medical Review Board, you may elect either to receive DIPNC benefits or TSERS disability retirement benefits and you are eligible for State Health Plan coverage and the state will pay the Retirement Systems’ share of the premium.

If you are eligible for and you 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.