ERB Defined-Benefit Disability Retirement Instructions

An ERA member may be eligible for disability retirement under the Education Retirement Board (ERB) defined-benefit plan when the following criteria have been satisfied:

• The member has completed ten years of earned service credit.
• 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 annual disability benefit under the ERA for the defined-benefit plan is approximately one-third of a member's Final Average Salary.

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

1. Contact HR and ERB

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

Contact the Education Retirement Board and request a disability packet. This packet will include all forms needed to start the ERA process. These forms will include paperwork that needs to be completed by a physician familiar with the employee's disability.

2. Complete & Submit Paperwork

Once the physician has completed the appropriate forms, the entire application needs to be submitted to the Education Retirement Board at the address below:

New Mexico Educational Retirement Board
Attention: Disability Retirement
PO Box 26129
Santa Fe, New Mexico 87502-0129

Upon receipt of the application, the case will be submitted to the next available disability review board meeting. For confirmation of this review date, the employee must contact the Educational Retirement Board directly.

3. Approval

Once approved, the ERB will notify UNM's Human Resources Retiree Services for a certification of separation of employment. At this time, it is important for the employee to work closely with his or her department to ensure a timely separation, so that Human Resources can certify his or her application for the Educational Retirement Board.

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:

• Retiree Benefit Election Form (65+)
• Retiree Benefit Election Form (Pre-65)

Submit the UNM Benefit Election Form to Human Resources. Human Resources will process the employee's retirement benefits upon separation and disability retirement approval.