ARP Defined-Contribution Plan Disability Retirement Instructions



An ARP member may be eligible for disability retirement when the following criteria have been satisfied:

  • The member is totally disabled and unable to continue employment, or unable to gain or retain other employment commensurate with his or her education, background, or experience.
  • The member can provide documentation from a doctor attesting to the disability or approval for Disability under the Social Security Administration.

The annual disability benefit under the ARP plan is based on the employee's contributions in their account, and the gain/loss of those investments. For an estimate of this benefit, the employee should contact their ARP provider.

An employee who is considering ARP disability retirement as an option should follow the steps below:

 

1. Contact HR, SSA, & ARP Provider

Contact the UNM Human Resources department to set up an appointment by calling 277-MyHR (6947).

If disability has been approved by Social Security, obtain documentation of approval from the Social Security Administration. If approval is still pending, a notarized letter from a physician attesting to the disability may be used.

Contact the Alternative Retirement Plan (ARP) provider to request a distribution packet due to a disability.

 

2. Complete & Submit Paperwork

The completed distribution paperwork and the Social Security or physician certification must be submitted to the ARP provider for approval and processing. A copy of these documents must also be provided to UNM Human Resources. Failure to do so may impact an employee's right to UNM benefits. Forms can be dropped off or mailed to the address below:


Division of Human Resources
1700 Lomas Blvd. NE #1400
MSC01 1220
1 University of New Mexico
Albuquerque, NM 87131

 

3. Approval

Upon notification of approval from the Alternative Retirement Plan provider, notification must be given to UNM Human Resources to coordinate a feasible retirement date. Retirement dates can only occur on the first day of any calendar month. Once a retirement date has been selected by the employee and Human Resources, the employee needs to request a distribution from the ARP provider effective as of that date. The employee must then notify his or her department in writing of their intended separation date from UNM.

 

4. UNM Benefit Election Form

To continue UNM benefits into retirement (if determined eligible), the employee should download and complete a UNM Benefit Election Form:



Submit the copy of the ARP Distribution paperwork and the appropriate completed UNM Benefit Election Form to UNM Human Resources.