Retirement > SERS > Disability Retirement
3. What is the difference between a service-connected disability and a non-service-connected disability?
A “service-connected disability” is a disability that results from an injury the employee suffered while in the performance of his or her duty as a state employee. A SERS member who suffers a service-connected disability is eligible for retirement, regardless of how long he or she has been employed by the State.
All other cases of disability are “non-service-connected disabilities.” Only SERS members who have completed at least ten (10) years of vesting service in SERS are eligible to retire under a non-service-connected disability retirement.
The amount of the retirement benefit that SERS will pay is the same for service-connected and non-service-connected disability retirements.