Updated October 21, 2026. Quick answer: The Indiana 1977 Police Officers’ and Firefighters’ Retirement Fund member handbook says disability retirement is paid to a member who becomes disabled while active and is found by the INPRS Medical Authority to have a covered impairment. Which of two disability plans applies depends on the member’s first hire date, and a local board hearing comes before any benefit. The handbook sends members to the Member Forms page of the INPRS website for the application.
What this section covers
Section 6.4.4 of the 1977 Fund member handbook is titled Disability Retirement. It begins: “Disability retirement benefits are paid to a member who becomes disabled while an active member of the 1977 Fund”, and the handbook adds that the benefit “can be paid as either a line-of-duty or non-line-of-duty benefit.” The Indiana Code adds a route for a retired member. Section 12(c) of IC 36-8-8 says “If a retired fund member who has not yet reached the member’s fifty-second birthday is found by the system board to be permanently or temporarily unable to perform all suitable work for which the member is or may be capable of becoming qualified, the member is entitled to receive during the disability the retirement benefit payments payable at fifty-two (52) years of age.” That benefit is reduced by insurance, Social Security, workers’ compensation and wages listed in the same subsection.
The sections that follow it cover the application, the local board process, the classes of impairment and the special rules for catastrophic injury and mental illness. For the wider choices facing a member of this fund, see Indiana 1977 Fund retirement decisions.
Who it applies to
The handbook sorts members into two plans by hire date. For the older plan it says “You are covered under the Pre-1990 Disability Plan if you were first hired before January 1, 1990, and elected not to be covered under the current plan or made no election at all.” Section 13.3(a) of IC 36-8-8 says “This section applies only to a fund member who: (1) is hired for the first time before January 1, 1990; and (2) does not choose coverage by sections 12.5 and 13.5 of this chapter under section 12.4 of this chapter. This section does not apply to a fund member described in section 12.3(c)(2) of this chapter.” For the current plan it says “You are covered under the 1990 Disability Plan (current plan) if you were hired for the first time, or after December 31, 1989, or before January 1, 1990, and chose the current plan.” Section 12.4 of IC 36-8-8 sets the conditions on that choice: “A fund member who is hired for the first time before January 1, 1990, may choose to be covered by sections 12.5 and 13.5 of this chapter (instead of section 13.3 of this chapter) if the fund member files an election with the system board before January 1, 1991. However, an election may not be filed after the fund member has a covered impairment. An election filed under this section is irrevocable.” Section 13.5(a) says “This section applies only to a fund member who: (1) is hired for the first time after December 31, 1989; (2) chooses coverage by this section and section 12.5 of this chapter under section 12.4 of this chapter; or (3) is described in section 12.3(c)(2) of this chapter.”
Under either plan the starting point is the same: the benefit is for a member “who becomes disabled while an active member of the 1977 Fund”. Check which plan applies to you on your own member account.
The rules, one by one
Each row is a rule from section 6.4.4, in the handbook’s own words. Some rows show only part of a sentence, so read the full handbook text for the rest.
| Rule | What the handbook says |
|---|---|
| Who is covered | “paid to a member who becomes disabled while an active member of the 1977 Fund” |
| Who decides impairment | “determined by the INPRS Medical Authority to have a covered impairment.” |
| Two plans | “there have been two (2) disability plans for the 1977 Fund, Pre-1990 Disability Plan and 1990 Disability Plan.” |
| Pre-1990 coverage | “You are covered under the Pre-1990 Disability Plan if you were first hired before January 1, 1990, and elected not to be covered under the current plan or made no election at all.” |
| 1990 coverage | “You are covered under the 1990 Disability Plan (current plan) if you were hired for the first time, or after December 31, 1989, or before January 1, 1990, and chose the current plan.” |
| Hearing comes first | “The hearing must happen before you qualify for a disability benefit.” |
| Request before leaving service | “You must request a hearing with your local board before separating from covered service.” |
| Hearing deadline | “Your local board must conduct a hearing no later than 90 days after you submitted your application” The statute starts the clock when the member asks for the hearing. Section 12.7(c) of IC 36-8-8 says “The local board must hold a hearing not more than ninety (90) days after the fund member requests the hearing.” Section 12.7(i) says “If the local board: (1) does not hold a hearing within the time required under subsection (c); or (2) does not issue its determination within the time required under subsection (h); the fund member shall be considered to be totally impaired for purposes of section 13.5 of this chapter and, if the issue before the local board concerns the class of the member’s impairment, the member shall be considered to have a Class 1 impairment.” |
| Written determination | “After the hearing, the local board has 30 days to submit its written determination to both you and the safety board” |
| Appeal | “You, the local board, or your employer may appeal the initial determination issued by INPRS within 15 days of receipt of the determination.” The statute names who may object and when the 15 days start. Section 13.1(e) of IC 36-8-8 says “The fund member, the safety board, or the local board may object in writing to the director’s initial determination within fifteen (15) days after the determination is issued.” An appeal of the local board’s determinations under section 12.7(o) “must be filed with the local board and the system board’s director no later than thirty (30) days after the date on which the fund member received a copy of the local board’s determinations.” |
| Application signatures | “The application must be signed by you and the chief of your department.” |
| What goes in the application | “The local board’s determinations of impairment and the minutes of the hearing of the local board, with an authorized signature” |
| Documents for INPRS | “Medical records from all treating physicians presented at the hearing.” and “An explanation of how the disability occurred.” |
| Ineligible conditions | “Benefits may not be provided for a disability resulting from a noncovered impairment (IC 36-8-8-12.3) if:” the listed circumstances apply, including “You are currently engaging in any use of a controlled substance or unlawful use of a prescription drug that cause, in whole or in part, a disability.” |
| Class 3 pre-existing condition | “you will not qualify for a Class 3 disability benefit when the impairment is related in any manner to the pre-existing condition.” The statute makes this depend on hire date and on a listed excludable condition. Section 13.5(d) of IC 36-8-8 says “For applicants hired before March 2, 1992, a fund member who is determined to have a Class 3 impairment and for whom it is determined that there is no suitable and available work within the fund member’s department, considering reasonable accommodation to the extent required by the Americans with Disabilities Act, is entitled to a monthly base benefit equal to the product of the member’s years of service (not to exceed thirty (30) years of service) multiplied by one percent (1%) of the monthly salary of a first class patrolman or firefighter in the year of the local board’s determination of impairment.” Section 13.5(e)(4) says “A fund member is not entitled to a monthly base benefit for a Class 3 impairment if: (A) the fund member had a Class 3 excludable condition under section 13.6 of this chapter at the time the fund member entered or reentered the fund; and (B) the Class 3 impairment is related in any manner to the Class 3 excludable condition.” Subsection (e) applies to “For applicants hired after March 1, 1992, or described in section 12.3(c)(2) of this chapter”. |
| Annual medical review | “The local board or INPRS may request a yearly medical review while you are receiving disability” |
| Recovery and return | “You have recovered and you return to active employment with your department, your disability benefit will end.” |
| Benefit paid after return | “If you receive any disability benefits after you return to work, it must be repaid to INPRS.” |
| Mental illness classes | “As of July 1, 2020, mental illness disabilities are classified as Class 1 or Class 3 impairments.” |
The figures the handbook prints
Most dollar and percent amounts in this section sit in class descriptions that depend on salary and degree of impairment, and this page does not restate them. Two sit inside plain sentences. On the base benefit under the handbook’s Class 1 impairment heading it says “You will receive a monthly base benefit equal to 45% of the first-class salary, plus an additional amount based on your degree of impairment as determined by the INPRS Medical Authority.” Section 13.5(b) of IC 36-8-8 says “A fund member who is determined to have a Class 1 impairment and for whom it is determined that there is no suitable and available work within the fund member’s department, considering reasonable accommodation to the extent required by the Americans with Disabilities Act, is entitled to a monthly base benefit equal to forty-five percent (45%) of the monthly salary of a first class patrolman or firefighter in the year of the local board’s determination of impairment.” Section 13.5(f) says “If a fund member is entitled to a monthly base benefit under subsection (b), (c), (d), or (e), the fund member is also entitled to a monthly amount that is no less than ten percent (10%) and no greater than forty-five percent (45%) of the monthly salary of a first class patrolman or firefighter in the year of the local board’s determination of impairment.”
On catastrophic injury it says “if you suffer a personal physical injury in the line of duty resulting in permanent impairment of 67% (as determined by the INPRS Medical Authority) or greater you may be entitled to special retirement benefits. If you are eligible, you will receive 100% of the certified salary for your department.” The statute states more conditions. Section 13.5(m) of IC 36-8-8 says “Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, a fund member who has a permanent and total covered impairment that is the direct result of a catastrophic physical personal injury that: (1) occurs in the line of duty after July 1, 2008; and (2) permanently prevents the fund member from performing any gainful work; shall receive, after July 1, 2017, a disability benefit equal to the monthly salary of a first class patrolman or firefighter at the commencement of the disability.”
What to do and where to look
The handbook says “The disability retirement benefit application for the 1977 Fund is available on the Member Forms page of the INPRS website.” It also says “You must request a hearing to determine if you have a covered impairment before separating from covered employment.”
On mental illness claims the handbook adds “INPRS does not make determinations regarding when or how a member will return to active-duty status with an employer.” Questions about that go to the employer.
For related reading see pension and annuity decisions, survivor benefits from a government pension and public pension retirement decisions.
Edition
This page reads Indiana Public Retirement System, 1977 Police Officers’ and Firefighters’ Retirement Fund Member Handbook (Effective 07/01/2025), the current file the Indiana Public Retirement System served on October 21, 2026. Check the edition and your own tier or plan on your own member account; the handbook’s text controls over this summary.
Common mistakes
- Leaving employment before asking for the hearing. The handbook says “You must request a hearing with your local board before separating from covered service.”
- Missing the appeal window after the INPRS decision letter. The handbook says “You, the local board, or your employer may appeal the initial determination issued by INPRS within 15 days of receipt of the determination.”
- Assuming a benefit can be kept after going back to work. The handbook says “You have recovered and you return to active employment with your department, your disability benefit will end.”
Related: Indiana 1977 Fund retirement decisions, pension and annuity decisions, survivor benefits from a government pension, and public pension retirement decisions.
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- Indiana Public Retirement System, 1977 Police Officers’ and Firefighters’ Retirement Fund Member Handbook (Effective 07/01/2025): www.in.gov
- Related official page (not quoted): INPRS 1977 Fund member forms and information: www.in.gov
Read from the pension system handbooks linked above on October 21, 2026. General information, not tax advice. Your own facts decide the outcome, and a pension system or a qualified professional is the right place to confirm anything consequential.