If You Become Disabled . . .
If you become permanently disabled in the line of duty through no negligence of your own, you may qualify for a service connected disability retirement allowance. If you become disabled during any other activity after 10 years of service, you may be eligible for an ordinary disability retirement allowance.

The following table summarizes your disability allowances.

The remainder of this section explains:

• Both types of disability allowance
• What happens if you recover from your disability
• The benefits payable to your spouse and dependent children if you die while you are receiving a disability retirement allowance

Ordinary Disability Retirement Allowance
Determining Eligibility
If you become disabled while a member, you may be eligible for a disability benefit allowance from the System. You are eligible to apply for an ordinary disability retirement allowance if you have at least 10 years of service and your disability did not result from a job-related accident.

To receive this allowance, you must apply to the Board of Trustees. The Board will require you to have a medical examination. The exam must show that the disability is likely to be permanent and that it prevents you from performing the duties of your job. After receiving your application and exam results, the Board of Trustees will determine your eligibility.

Once you begin receiving this allowance, the Board of Trustees may ask you to submit to a medical exam once per year during the first five years of your disability retirement and then once every three years.

Calculating Your Ordinary Disability Retirement Allowance
If you become disabled when you are age 55 or older or when you have 20 or more years of service, you will receive a service retirement allowance. To learn how to calculate your service retirement allowance, see page 17 of this handbook.

If you do not qualify for a service retirement allowance, you will receive an ordinary disability allowance. An ordinary disability allowance is the greater of:

• 90% of your service retirement allowance. (See page 17 of this handbook to learn how to calculate your service retirement allowance. Then, multiply your service retirement allowance by 90%.)
  OR
• 25% of your average final compensation

Additional Disability Retirement Allowance for Dependent Children
If you have dependent children, the System will also pay you a monthly benefit equal to 15% of your average final compensation for each of up to three dependent children.

For more information about the additional allowance for your dependent children, see Section 86.260 RSMo.

Maximum Allowance
The maximum ordinary disability allowance is 70% of your average final compensation. This maximum does include the additional 15% benefit for each dependent child. In other words, your calculated ordinary disability allowance plus 15% for each dependent child cannot exceed 70% of your average final compensation.

Service Connected Accidental Disability Retirement Allowance
Determining Eligibility
If you become disabled because of an accident that occurs while you are working (through no negligence of your own), you may receive a service connected accidental disability allowance. You are eligible for this allowance if a medical examination shows that your disability:

• Is permanent;
• Prevents you from performing your police duties;
• Has arisen within 5 years after the accident occurred (unless you reported the accident and were examined within 5 years).

Once you are receiving this allowance, the Board of Trustees may ask you to submit to a medical exam once per year during the first five years of your retirement and then once every three years.

If you are participating in DROP and you apply for and receive benefits for accidental disability retirement allowance while in DROP, you will forfeit all rights, claims or interest in your DROP account. Your accidental disability retirement allowance will be calculated as if you had not elected to participate in DROP.

Calculating Your Service Connected Accidental Disability Retirement Allowance
The minimum service connected disability retirement allowance is 75% of your average final compensation. However, if your disability prevents you from performing any work — not just your police duties — the Board of Trustees may increase the allowance up to 100% of your pay at the time you became disabled. In addition, the Board may also pay an allowance for your medical care.

Becoming a Special Consultant
If you are receiving (or you begin receiving) an accidental disability retirement allowance at any time after October 1, 2001, you can apply to be a special consultant. If the Board of Trustees approves your application, your contributions will be returned to you in a lump sum, without interest. As a special consultant, you may be asked to advise the Board of Trustees on retirement issues.

Recovery From Disability
Your disability allowance will stop if you recover from your disability and return to work as a Police Officer. When you return to your police duties, you will resume your membership in the System.

You will also start earning years of service again as of your date of rehire. Your pre disability years of service and your new years of service will both be used to determine your retirement eligibility and average final compensation. However, in the future, if calculations for a retirement allowance reveal that your new average final compensation is lower than the average final compensation used to determine your disability retirement allowance, your pre-disability average final compensation amount will be used.

Death During Disability
If you die while receiving an ordinary disability retirement allowance or an accidental disability retirement allowance, your surviving spouse will receive a benefit equal to 40% of your average final compensation. This benefit is paid in monthly installments until your spouse dies or remarries, whichever occurs first. The System will pay an additional 15% of your average final compensation for each of your dependent children, up to three. This additional benefit is also paid in monthly installments.

If you die within five years after beginning to receive an accidental disability retirement allowance, your surviving spouse will receive an additional monthly benefit equal to 10% of your average final compensation. In this case, your spouse’s total benefit will be 50% of your average final compensation. This, too, will be paid in monthly installments until your spouse dies or remarries, whichever occurs first.

Your surviving spouse is also eligible to receive the return of your contributions in a lump sum payment, if you have not already received your lump sum contributions.

If you do not have a surviving spouse, or if your spouse dies or remarries, your dependent children will receive the benefit that would have been paid to a spouse (40% or 50% of your average final compensation, as applicable, plus 15% per dependent child, up to three). Each of your dependent children will receive a share of this benefit. (However, if at any time there is only one dependent child, he or she will receive half of the spouse’s benefit amount plus the additional 15% child’s benefit.) Your dependent children will receive this benefit in monthly installments.

For more information about the benefits payable if you die during disability retirement, see Section 86.283 RSMo.