STRS Ohio Disability Retirement

Who Qualifies for STRS Ohio Disability Retirement

STRS Ohio offers disability allowance and disability retirement for Defined Benefit Plan members, with a separate disability program for Combined Plan members. A disabling medical condition must prevent you from performing your most recent job duties and be expected to last at least 12 continuous months from the date STRS Ohio receives your completed application packet. Only DB members who were STRS Ohio members on or before July 29, 1992, may participate in disability retirement; applicants must be younger than 60 when the application is filed and stop teaching before age 60.

For DB Plan disability benefits, existing members on June 30, 2013, need at least five years of qualifying service credit on account with STRS Ohio and must submit a completed application packet within two years of their last contributing service with STRS Ohio, OPERS or SERS. New members on or after July 1, 2013, need at least 10 years on account with STRS Ohio and must apply within one year of their last contributing service. Applicants must not be receiving service retirement benefits and must have the most service credit with STRS Ohio among STRS, OPERS and SERS. The disability must have started after STRS Ohio membership began or, after a withdrawal, after returning to covered service. A condition that existed at that point must have increased in severity since then enough to meet the medical criteria. Combined Plan members follow the same five-year/two-year or 10-year/one-year service and filing rules and must not have withdrawn any portion of their account.

Combined Plan members have a separate disability benefit program. Defined Contribution Plan members do not have a disability benefit; after terminating employment, they may withdraw their account, and at age 50 other payment options become available.

How Disability Benefits Are Calculated

For a DB Plan disability allowance, STRS Ohio multiplies your Ohio service credit by 2.2% of your Final Average Salary, subject to a minimum benefit of 45% and a maximum of 60% of FAS. DB Plan disability retirement uses a separate formula: it counts your service credit plus projected service through age 60 at 2% of FAS, with a minimum of 30% and maximum of 75% of FAS.

Combined Plan disability benefits use a different formula: the benefit is based on service credit multiplied by 2.2% of FAS, subject to a 45% minimum and 60% maximum of FAS.

DB members with 32 years can qualify for unreduced service retirement under current rules. Compare the service retirement estimate with the disability retirement formula — service credit plus projected service to age 60 at 2% of FAS, capped at 75% — before choosing; neither formula guarantees the higher benefit for every member.

The Application Process

To apply, call STRS Ohio to request a Disability Application Packet and schedule an appointment with your medical specialist (M.D. or D.O.) to complete the Attending Physician's Report. STRS Ohio reviews the medical evidence as part of its disability determination.

The review process takes longer than a service retirement application. Service retirement is largely administrative — verify eligibility, process the paperwork, start payments. Disability retirement involves a medical determination; allow about four to six months for consideration, with potential delays if STRS Ohio requests additional documentation or treatment.

While your application is pending, you are not receiving pension payments. Members who anticipate a disability claim should explore short-term disability coverage through their employer or union, sick leave banks, and other interim income sources to bridge the gap.

Disability vs. Service Retirement

If you are within a few years of service retirement eligibility and facing a disability, you have a strategic decision to make. Disability retirement may provide benefits sooner, but service retirement benefits are typically higher for members with substantial service credit because the 2.2% multiplier applied to a full career yields a larger monthly payment.

Disability retirees are also subject to periodic medical reviews. STRS Ohio can require you to undergo re-examination to confirm that your disability continues. If you recover sufficiently to return to work, your disability benefit can be terminated. Service retirement benefits, by contrast, are permanent once finalized — no medical reviews, no re-examination risk.

Disability benefit recipients are eligible for STRS Ohio health care coverage. If a recipient later applies for service retirement, at least 20 years of total service credit are required if the disability benefit was granted on or after Aug. 1, 2023; the requirement is 15 years if it was granted before that date.

What to Do If You Are Facing a Disability

Document everything. Keep copies of all medical records, correspondence with your employer about accommodations or leave, and any communications with STRS Ohio. The strength of your application depends on the medical evidence, and gaps in documentation create delays.

Contact STRS Ohio's benefits counseling team to discuss your specific situation before filing. They can walk you through the application requirements, explain how your benefit would be calculated, and clarify whether disability retirement or another option (such as early reduced service retirement, if you are close to eligibility) makes more financial sense for your household.

The STRS Ohio Retirement Guide covers the full range of retirement options including how disability provisions interact with service retirement eligibility, health care coverage, and survivor benefits for your family.

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