Updated October 21, 2026. Quick answer: The MainePERS State Member Handbook says a member may be eligible for disability retirement after becoming mentally or physically disabled in covered service and being permanently unable to perform the essential functions of the position with reasonable accommodation. The benefit is 66-2/3% of Average Final Compensation in the age-limited plan (members hired and enrolled before October 16, 1992 who were employed on that date and did not elect to change plans) and currently 59% in the no-age-limit plan (later hires, and earlier hires who elected to change), and it may be reduced by workers’ compensation for the same disability.
What this covers
The handbook’s paragraph headed “Disability Retirement Benefit” is short. It sets the test, splits members into two plans by hire date and gives each plan a percentage of Average Final Compensation (AFC). This page follows that paragraph and quotes it.
For the wider set of MainePERS choices, see MainePERS retirement decisions; for what other disability income does at 65, see what happens when long-term disability ends at 65.
Who it applies to
It applies to a member of the Maine Public Employees Retirement System who is in “MainePERS-covered service” when the disability begins. Which of the two plans a member is in depends on the hire date and, for a member hired before October 16, 1992, on whether the member elected to change to the no-age-limit plan, as the table below shows.
The rules, one by one
Each right-hand cell is language from the handbook paragraph.
| Question | What the handbook says |
|---|---|
| Who may apply | “You may be eligible for a disability retirement benefit if you become mentally or physically disabled while you are in MainePERS-covered service” |
| The test | “permanently unable to perform the essential functions of your position with reasonable accommodation” |
| Age-limited plan: who is in it | “You are in the age-limited plan if you were hired and became a MainePERS member before October 16, 1992, were employed on that date, and did not elect to change to the no-age-limit plan.” |
| Age-limited plan: when to apply | “you are eligible to apply for a disability benefit before you reach your normal retirement age.” |
| Age-limited plan: benefit | “The benefit under this plan is 66-2/3% of your AFC.” |
| No-age-limit plan: who is in it | “You are in the no-age-limit plan if you were hired, or rehired, and became a MainePERS member on or after October 16, 1992, or if you were hired before then and you elected to change from the age-limited plan to the no-age-limit plan.” |
| No-age-limit plan: when to apply | “you can apply for a disability benefit at any age.” |
| No-age-limit plan: benefit | “The benefit under this plan is currently 59% of your AFC.” |
| Workers’ compensation | “You must inform MainePERS whenever you receive these benefits”, and the handbook says a member “may have to reimburse MainePERS if you receive retroactive payments or lump-sum settlements” from that program |
How the amount is set
The handbook states the amount as a share of AFC: “The amount of your disability benefit is either 66-2/3% or 59% of your Average Final Compensation”, “depending on whether you are in the” age-limited or the no-age-limit plan. The 59% is described as the current rate, so confirm it with MainePERS before relying on it. The handbook prints no dollar figure.
Other limits
The handbook adds a general caution: “Depending on the circumstances, there may be other limitations on your eligibility to receive a disability benefit.” It points members to “the MainePERS Disability Services Unit” for more detail.
Edition
This page reads the MainePERS State Member Handbook as the Maine Public Employees Retirement System served it on 2026-10-21. It speaks to state employee members; teachers, legislators, judges and local-district employees can have different provisions, and the plan documents control over this summary. The state tax treatment of the pension itself is on whether Maine taxes pensions.
Common mistakes
- Assuming one rate fits everyone. The handbook gives 66-2/3% in one plan and 59% in the other, and the plan depends on when the member was hired and, for earlier hires, on whether they elected to change plans.
- Assuming the benefit is paid in full alongside other income for the same disability. The handbook says it “may be reduced by benefits you receive for the same disability” from workers’ compensation.
- Treating the handbook paragraph as the whole rule. The handbook itself says “there may be other limitations on your eligibility to receive a disability benefit.”
Related: MainePERS retirement decisions, public pension retirement decisions, and whether Maine taxes pensions.
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Answer againSources
- MainePERS State Member Handbook (Maine Public Employees Retirement System): www.mainepers.org
- Related official page (not quoted): MainePERS, Disability Retirement: www.mainepers.org
- Related official page (not quoted): Maine Revised Statutes, Title 5, chapter 421 (MainePERS general provisions): legislature.maine.gov
- Related official page (not quoted): IRS, Retirement topics: Disability: www.irs.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.