ELIGIBILITY FOR DISABILITY BENEFITS
Disability coverage is available for active members of the Pension Plan and Investment Plan. If you are a retiree of either plan with renewed membership or if you are in DROP, you are not eligible for disability benefits. To qualify for disability retirement under the Pension Plan or Investment Plan, you must be totally and permanently disabled, that is, prevented by reason of a medically diagnosed physical or mental impairment from performing useful and efficient service as an officer or employee. Your disabling injury or illness must have occurred or become symptomatic before you terminated covered employment.

Reference: Sections 121.091(4)(a)-(c), 121.4501(16), and 121.591(2),
Florida Statutes
Rule 60S-4.007, Florida Administrative Code

  1. In-line-of-duty disability retirement covers you from your first day of employment. But your injury or illness has to arise out of and in the actual performance of your job duties.  You have to apply and your doctors must say in writing that you are totally and permanently disabled due to an on-the-job injury or illness.  You also must give the Florida Retirement System a copy of the Notice of Injury, as filed with Workers Compensation.
  2. You must have eight years of creditable service to be eligible for regular disability retirement, unless you were terminated prior to July 1, 2001, when you needed ten years of creditable service to be eligible for regular disability. Generally, Pension Plan members initially enrolled prior to July 1, 2011, vest for service retirement with six years of creditable service. If the members were initially enrolled on or after July 1, 2011, the vesting requirement is eight years of creditable service. If you are vested for service retirement under the Pension Plan but have fewer than eight years of creditable service, you may be eligible to purchase optional service credit to meet the vesting requirement for regular disability retirement, such as credit for an approved leave of absence, military service, in-state service, or out-of-state public service.