(a) An active member is eligible for a disability allowance if he or she has (1) become disabled as a result of any sickness or injury incurred in the performance of his or her duty as a teacher, without regard to the member's accumulated years of service at the time the disability is incurred; or (2) accumulated at least five years of service in the public schools and becomes disabled, without regard to whether the disability was incurred in the performance of his or her duty as a teacher.

(b) The disability allowance is computed as follows: Two per cent times credited service to the date of disability multiplied by average annual salary, provided such allowance shall not be less than fifteen per cent or more than fifty per cent of the member's average annual salary. In no case shall such disability allowance, less cost of living adjustments, plus any initial award of Social Security benefits and workers' compensation, exceed seventy-five per cent of the member's average annual salary.

(c) The board shall designate a medical committee to be composed of no more than five physicians. If required, other physicians may be employed to report on special cases. Such medical committee shall review each application for a disability allowance and shall make findings and recommendations in writing to the board. The medical committee shall perform additional examinations or case reviews as deemed necessary by the board. Members of such committee shall receive compensation for their services at a rate to be determined by the board.

(d) The disability allowance being paid to a member shall cease when and if the disability ends. The board may determine that a member's disability has ended if it finds, upon the recommendation of its medical committee, that the member has failed to pursue an appropriate program of treatment. In either event, such member shall receive credited service for the years he received such disability allowance subject to a maximum total credit of thirty years, or actual years of credited service to the date the disability commenced, whichever is greater. Such member, if eligible, may then (1) retire on a normal, early or proratable retirement benefit or (2) retain a vested right to a deferred normal, early or proratable retirement benefit. Upon attainment of the member's normal retirement date, as determined by his age and credited service, including the credited service granted by this subsection, the member's disability allowance shall convert to a normal or other service retirement, which shall be payable either in the normal form or under an optional payment form under section 10-183j. The board may require periodic medical examinations.

(e) No credit for a period of service of any kind prior to the months in which contribution therefor is made shall be given under this chapter or any special act in determining service in connection with an application for disability allowance other than for injury received in performance of duty as a teacher if such disability occurred within five years after contributions and required interest on account of such period were paid in full. The foregoing limitation shall not apply to (1) any reinstatement of prior Connecticut teaching service, or (2) credit obtained immediately after transfer from the state employees retirement system under this chapter for service previously credited in said system; but in the case of such transfer, no allowance on account of disability occurring within such five-year period, other than for injury received in performance of duty as a teacher, shall exceed the benefit which would have been payable by said system if transfer had not been made.

(f) During the first twenty-four months of payment of the disability allowance to a member, twenty per cent of all of such member's outside earned income or wages shall be offset against the disability allowance payable, unless the board determines that such earned income or wages are being paid as part of the rehabilitation of the member. At the expiration of such twenty-four-month period, if the total of the disability allowance and outside earned income exceeds one hundred per cent of average annual salary, the disability allowance will be reduced by the amount of such excess over one hundred per cent. The board shall adopt regulations, in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54, concerning procedures for verification of the income of members in receipt of a disability allowance.

(g) All members of the teachers' retirement system who are receiving disability payments under subsection (e) of section 10-183g of the general statutes, revision of 1958, revised to 1979, may, using a form provided by the board, elect to have their disability payments recomputed with regard to the percentage basis and pursuant to the provisions of this section and section 10-183bb. Such election shall not be revocable.

(P.A. 79-541, S. 2, 4, 6; P.A. 83-449, S. 4, 5; P.A. 89-276, S. 2, 3; P.A. 93-353, S. 46, 52.)

History: P.A. 83-449 changed “disability retirement allowance” to “disability allowance”, amended Subsec. (b) to repeal provision that in no case shall allowance exceed 75% of average annual salary plus social security benefits and workers' compensation and substituted provision that in no case shall allowance “less cost of living adjustments, plus any initial award of social security benefits and workers' compensation” exceed 75% of average annual salary, amended Subsec. (c) to add provision that medical committee shall perform additional examinations or case reviews as deemed necessary by the board, amended Subsec. (d) to specify that the board may determine that a member's disability has ended if it finds, upon recommendation of its medical committee, that the member has failed to pursue appropriate program or treatment, and that upon attainment of normal retirement date, as determined by age and credited service, the member's disability allowance shall convert to a normal or other service retirement, payable in normal or optional payment form, amended Subsec. (f) to add provision that during first 24 months of payment of allowance, 20% of all outside earned income shall be offset against the allowance “unless the board determines that such earned income or wages are being paid as part of the rehabilitation of the member”, repealed Subsec. (g) which provided that disability retirement payments being made to a member receiving payments under the federal Social Security Act shall be reduced by the amount of any such social security payment and relettered Subsec. (h) as Subsec. (g); P.A. 89-276 amended Subsec. (e) to exempt any reinstatement of prior Connecticut teaching service from the limitation re service credit; P.A. 93-353 amended Subsec. (a) to delete requirement that the active member not have attained age 60 and amended Subsec. (b) to change 3% to 2% and to change the cap, effective July 1, 1993.

Cited. 197 C. 91.