Attention Current Duty Disability Recipients

March 16, 2023

Proposed HF1234 – Impact on Current Duty Disability Recipients

Updated March 20, 2023

HF1234, a proposed bill providing early mental health treatment for public safety members, also contains provisions related to PERA benefit eligibility and benefit amounts. PERA is committed to ensuring a disability process that provides fair and equitable treatment among our members. The bill and the PERA related changes were supported by our Board.

PERA’s handout, Impact on Current Duty Disability Recipients, provides information related to the reapplication process for a duty disability benefit. Members who are receiving a duty disability benefit have already gone through the disability eligibility process. The proposed legislation does not require a member to go through that process again.

Members who are receiving duty disability benefits are currently required to provide adequate proof via a written statement by a medical expert that the member remains disabled pursuant to Minn. Stat. 353.031, subd. 8. PERA’s administrative process requires members to submit a written statement by a medical expert annually for the first five years and every three years after that. HF 1234 codifies the current administrative process. It is important to note that the bill does not change eligibility or requirements for the reapplication process. PERA does not anticipate any change to the member experience in the reapplication process as the result of this bill. This process remains the same and there are no additional costs to the member.

HF1234 also contains Police & Fire provisions that may impact the amount of the disability benefit if you have reemployment income. If you do not have reemployment income, your Police & Fire benefit will not change. The purpose for the offset changes are to make total compensation for disability recipients who return to work (income = disability benefit + reemployment earnings) comparable to compensation for active members (income = salary – PERA contributions). Please review the handout for more information.

To learn more about PERA’s legislative agenda, please visit our web page at mnpera.org/legislation.