53 Pa. Stat. § 881.313

Current through Pa Acts 2024-53, 2024-56 through 2024-92
Section 881.313 - Disability retirement
(a) After a contributor has had ten or more years of total service, he may, upon application or on application of one acting in his behalf, or upon application of a head of the department of the municipality by which he is employed, be retired by the board on a disability allowance if he is under superannuation retirement age, and on a superannuation retirement allowance if he has attained or passed such age, if the physician designated by the board, after medical examination of the contributor made at the place of residence of the contributor or at a place mutually agreed upon, shall certify to the board that the contributor is unable to engage in any gainful employment and that said contributor ought to be retired. When the disability of a contributor is determined to be service-connected, as defined in this act, no minimum period of service shall be required for eligibility. Application filing requirements shall be identical to those outlined in clause (1) of section 309.
(b) On retirement for disability, a member shall receive a retirement allowance which shall consist of:
(1) A member's annuity of equivalent actuarial value to his accumulated deductions, plus the balance in the member's excess investment account;
(2) A municipal annuity of equivalent actuarial value to the present value of a municipal annuity, beginning at superannuation retirement age, calculated in accordance with the provisions of section 309; and
(3) A disability annuity payable from the total disability reserve account which, together with the member's annuity and the municipal annuity, shall be sufficient to produce a retirement allowance of thirty per cent of the contributor's final salary. Where the disability of the member is determined to be service-connected, as defined in this act, the retirement allowance shall equal fifty per cent of his final salary. The disability annuity shall be reduced by the amount of any payments for which the member shall be eligible under the act of June 2, 1915 (P.L. 736, No. 338), known as "The Pennsylvania Workmen's Compensation Act", or the act of June 21, 1939 (P.L. 566, No. 284), known as "The Pennsylvania Occupational Disease Act".
(c) Once every year the board may require any disability annuitant, while still under superannuation retirement age, to undergo medical examination by a physician designated by the board, and such examination shall be made at the place of residence of the annuitant or other place mutually agreed upon. Should the physician report and certify to the board that such disabled annuitant is no longer physically or mentally incapacitated for the performance of duty and is able to engage in a gainful occupation, then his disability retirement allowance shall be discontinued, and in lieu thereof an early involuntary retirement allowance shall at that time be granted as if such person had been retired not voluntarily, if such person shall have eight or more years of total service.
(d) Should a disability annuitant, while under superannuation retirement age, refuse to submit to at least one medical examination in any year by a physician designated by the board, his disability retirement allowance shall be discontinued until withdrawal of such refusal, and should such refusal continue for one year, then all his rights in and to any disability retirement allowance or for early involuntary retirement allowance provided by this act shall be forfeited.
(e) Any contributor entitled to retire for disability may, in lieu of such retirement, if he has eight or more years of total service, elect to retire not voluntarily under the provisions of this act.
(f) Should a disability annuitant die before the total disability retirement allowance received shall be at least equal to the amount of his accumulated deductions plus the balance in the member's excess investment account at the time of disability retirement, then the board shall pay to the named beneficiary, if living, or if the named beneficiary predeceased the annuitant, or no beneficiary was named, then to the annuitant's estate, an amount equal to the difference between such total retirement allowance received and the annuitant's accumulated deductions, and if such difference is less than one hundred dollars ($100) and no letters have been taken out on the estate within six months after death, then such difference may be paid to the undertaker or to any person or municipality who or which shall have paid the claim of the undertaker.

53 P.S. § 881.313

1974, Feb. 2, P.L. 34, No. 15, § 313, effective in 90 days. Amended 1980, May 17, P.L. 135, No. 50, § 9, effective in 60 days; 1982, June 10, P.L. 446, No. 131, § 5, imd. effective.