You may be eligible for a disability benefit if you meet the eligibility requirements, including age, service credit and timeliness for application and medical documentation, as well as other factors.
You should apply for a disability benefit before you exhaust other benefits available to you. If approved, your disability benefit will go into effect on whichever of the following dates occurs later:
The first day of the month in which we receive your application.
The day after your last day of compensation, including sick leave and subdifferential pay.
We encourage you to apply while you are working or receiving sick leave or differential pay from your employer so that you have income while your application is pending. If you are no longer working, contact us for information on filing timelines.
Don’t delay submitting your application while waiting for your medical documents. You may submit medical documents after we receive your application.
If you are applying for disability and are also eligible to retire from service, you may wish to receive a service retirement benefit while your disability application is being evaluated.
