Disability Pensions For Teacher In New Jersey

The Basics of New Jersey Disability Pension

In New Jersey, teachers and educational support professionals contribute a percentage of their salary and receive credit for the time they serve public school students in a pension plan that provides a guaranteed income in retirement. This is deferred compensation that members earn as part of their compensation package. Providing quality health benefits for public school employees does not just benefit the employee and their families; they are also critical to protecting students’ health.

An accident at work means a person may not be able to go back to work for a significant period of time, or not at all. He or she may be eligible for an accidental disability pension. If the person is denied an accidental pension he or she can still get an ordinary disability pension. All three types of pensions have different requirements but they all share one thing: the promise of help when you're disabled and unable to work!

If your employer has paid into the state's retirement system, then you are automatically covered by it. You do not need to apply for this type of pension. However, if you want to receive a regular pension after being injured on the job, you must apply for it. This is called an "ordinary" disability pension.

What Are Your New Jersey Disability Pension Options?

Each part of the pension system has slightly different rules. You need to know what your rights are when dealing with the pension system. The two types of disability pensions available to those that are considered public employees of New Jersey are accidental disability or ordinary disability. 

The requirements that must be met in order for a public employee to be eligible for an ordinary or accidental disability pension under one of the state pension systems:

• Public Employees Retirement System
• Teachers Pension and Annuity Fund
• State Police Retirement System
• Judicial Retirement System

While these pension plans have comparable defined benefits and eligibility criteria, each has its own unique characteristics that are distinct to the membership they serve.

Differences Between Ordinary And Accidental Disability Benefits

According to the handbooks of the Public Employees Retirement System ("PERS") and the Teachers Pension and Annuity Fund ("TPAF"), an employee must meet the following criteria to qualify for ordinary disability retirement:

• Have a pension account that is active;
• Have 10 years or more of service credit in New Jersey;
• Be regarded as fully and permanently incapacitated; and
• Submit medical reports attesting to your disability

A member must meet the following criteria to be eligible for accidental disability retirement:

• On the date of the "traumatic event," you must be a member of PERS or TPAF.
• Be regarded totally and permanently incapacitated as a result of a "traumatic event" that occurred while the member was performing his or her regular or assigned job activities;
• Within five (5) years of the date of the "traumatic event," file a disability retirement application; and
• Obtain medical examinations from physicians chosen by the retirement system.

Why Are So Many Disability Pension Claims Denied in New Jersey?

New Jersey disability pension appeals lawyers have seen cases where people who were granted benefits by the Social Security Administration (SSA) were denied by the State of New Jersey. We've seen how some of those decisions are made, and what steps you can take to make sure your case gets the attention it deserves.

We see this happen, and it is too often the case that the decision to deny is both unfair and violates workers’ rights. Our legal team will help you to understand why New Jersey disability pension claims are denied and assist you in you have any questions regarding a potential case.