KPPA has contracted with Managed Medical Review Organization, Inc. (MMRO) for administration of disability retirement claims. MMRO may reach out to members regarding their application for disability retirement and members who are disability retirement recipients. Any member wishing to apply for disability retirement should submit their Form 6000 - Notification of Retirement to KPPA to begin the process.
If you meet the
eligibility requirements for disability retirement and wish to apply, you should follow the steps listed below:
NOTE: If the disabling condition resulted from a duty-related injury (nonhazardous) or as a result of an act in line of duty injury (hazardous) an incident report must accompany the Form 6000. Once KPPA receives a valid Form 6000 from you, a disability packet will be mailed to you, which includes the forms referenced below.
You will need to obtain all medical information pertaining to the disabling condition for which you are applying for disability and submit the information to KPPA.
You will need to accurately complete a
Form 8035, Employee Job Description, listing and describing the duties of the job performed as of the last day of paid employment and submit the form to KPPA. You must request reasonable accommodations from your employer unless you have terminated your employment.
You will need to accurately complete a
Form 8040, Prescription and Non-prescription Medications, listing all current medications that you are taking and submit the form to KPPA.
After completion of the steps above, you will need to complete and submit
Form 8001, Certification of Application for Disability Retirement and Supporting Medical Information. The form 8001 certifies that the application for disability retirement and all supporting medical information are ready to be reviewed by the medical examiners.
KPPA will send your employing agency Form 8030, Employer Job Certification. This forms allows your employer to certify the job duties of your position, as well as verify that you have requested reasonable accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
NOTE: If you or your employer fail to complete and file the above forms and supporting medical information at KPPA within 180 calendar days of the date you filed the Form 6000, Notification of Retirement, your application for disability retirement shall be void. This could possibly prevent you from qualifying for disability retirement benefits in the future or delay the disability decision by our medical examiners, which may delay your retirement benefit and may delay health insurance coverage with KPPA.
What happens next?
Upon receipt of the Form 8001 and all other documentation, KPPA will submit all evidence for review to our medical examiners. The medical examiners must determine if you, since your last day of paid employment, have been mentally or physically incapacitated to perform the job, or job of like duties, from which you received your last paid employment. The incapacity must be expected to last at least 12 months or result in death to be considered permanent. In addition, the incapacity cannot be directly or indirectly related to a condition that pre-existed membership or re-employment for persons with less than 16 years of service, unless objective medical evidence demonstrates that an injury or accident arising out of or in the course of employment substantially aggravated the underlying pre-existing condition.
If your disability retirement is
approved, the retirement benefit will be effective the first day of the month following the last day of paid employment.
If you are
denied disability retirement benefits by the medical examiners, you will be notified of your right to appeal. For more information about Administrative Hearings, visit our Administrative Hearings page.
If you began participating prior to August 1, 2004, disability benefits are calculated in the same manner as normal retirement benefits except that additional months of service may be added to your account depending on age and years of service.
If you began participating on or after August 1, 2004, you will be eligible for disability benefits based upon a different formula.
The formula for nonhazardous members provides a disability benefit that is the highest of:
20% of your final rate of pay,
your early or normal benefit based on your actual service, age, and Final Compensation with any early retirement penalties
a retirement allowance determined in the same manner as your retirement at your normal retirement date with years of service and Final Compensation being determined as of the date of your disability.
The formula for hazardous duty members provides a disability benefit that is the highest of:
25% of final rate of pay,
your early or normal benefit based on your actual service, age, and Final Compensation with any early retirement penalties
a retirement allowance determined in the same manner as your retirement at your normal retirement date with years of service and Final Compensation being determined as of the date of your disability.