Ky. Rev. Stat. » Chapter 16

Ky. Rev. Stat. § 16.582

Disability retirement

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(1) (a) Total and permanent disability means a disability which results in the member's incapacity to engage in any occupation for remuneration or profit. Loss by severance of both hands at or above the wrists, or both feet at or above the ankles, or one (1) hand above the wrist and one (1) foot above the ankle, or the complete, irrevocable loss of the sight of both eyes shall be considered as total and permanent. (b) Hazardous disability means a disability which results in the member's total incapacity to continue as a regular full-time officer or as an employee in a hazardous position, as defined in KRS 61.592, but which does not result in the member's total and permanent incapacity to engage in other occupations for remuneration or profit. (c) In determining whether the disability meets the requirement of this section, any reasonable accommodation provided by the employer as provided in 42 U.S.C. sec. 12111(9) and 29 C.F.R. pt. 1630 shall be considered. (d) If the board determines that the total and permanent disability of a member receiving a retirement allowance under this section has ceased, then the board shall determine if the member has a hazardous disability. (2) Any person may qualify to retire on disability, subject to the following: (a) The person shall have sixty (60) months of service, twelve (12) of which shall be current service credited under KRS 16.543(1), 61.543(1), or 78.615(1). The service requirement shall be waived if the disability is a total and permanent disability or a hazardous disability and is a direct result of an act in line of duty; (b) For a person whose membership date is prior to August 1, 2004, the person shall not be eligible for an unreduced retirement allowance; (c) The person's application shall be on file in the retirement office no later than twenty-four (24) months after the person's last day of paid employment, as defined in KRS 16.505, as a regular full-time officer or in a regular full-time hazardous position under KRS 61.592; (d) The person shall receive a satisfactory determination pursuant to KRS 61.665; and (e) A person's disability application based on the same claim of incapacity shall be accepted and reconsidered for disability if accompanied by new objective medical evidence. The application shall be on file in the retirement office no later than twenty-four (24) months after the person's last day of paid employment as a regular full-time officer or in a regular full-time hazardous position. (3) Upon the examination of the objective medical evidence by licensed physicians pursuant to KRS 61.665, it shall be determined that: (a) The incapacity results from bodily injury, mental illness, or disease. For purposes of this section, "injury" means any physical harm or damage to the human organism other than disease or mental illness; (b) The incapacity is deemed to be permanent; and (c) The incapacity does not result directly or indirectly from: 1. Injury intentionally self-inflicted while sane or insane; or 2. Bodily injury, mental illness, disease, or condition which pre-existed membership in the system or reemployment, whichever is most recent, unless: a. The disability results from bodily injury, mental illness, disease, or a condition which has been substantially aggravated by an injury or accident arising out of or in the course of employment; or b. The person has at least sixteen (16) years' current or prior service for employment with employers participating in the retirement systems administered by the Kentucky Retirement Systems or the County Employees Retirement System. For purposes of this subparagraph, "reemployment" shall not mean a change of employment between employers participating in the retirement systems administered by the Kentucky Retirement Systems or the County Employees Retirement System with no loss of service credit. (4) (a) 1. An incapacity shall be deemed to be permanent for the purpose of hazardous disability if it is expected to result in death or can be expected to last for a continuous period of not less than twelve (12) months from the person's last day of paid employment in a position as a regular full-time officer or a hazardous position. 2. The determination of a permanent incapacity for the purpose of hazardous disability shall be based on the medical evidence contained in the member's file and the member's residual functional capacity and physical exertion requirements. 3. The determination of a total and permanent incapacity shall be based on the medical evidence contained in the member's file and the member's residual functional capacity. (b) The person's residual functional capacity shall be the person's capacity for work activity on a regular and continuing basis. The person's physical ability shall be assessed in light of the severity of the person's physical, mental, and other impairments. The person's ability to walk, stand, carry, push, pull, reach, handle, and other physical functions shall be considered with regard to physical impairments. The person's ability to understand, remember, and carry out instructions and respond appropriately to supervision, coworkers, and work pressures in a work setting shall be considered with regard to mental impairments. Other impairments, including skin impairments, epilepsy, visual sensory impairments, postural and manipulative limitations, and environmental restrictions, shall be considered in conjunction with the person's physical and mental impairments to determine residual functional capacity. (c) The person's physical exertion requirements shall be determined based on the following standards: 1. Sedentary work shall be work that involves lifting no more than ten (10) pounds at a time and occasionally lifting or carrying articles such as large files, ledgers, and small tools. Although a sedentary job primarily involves sitting, occasional walking and standing may also be required in the performance of duties. 2. Light work shall be work that involves lifting no more than twenty (20) pounds at a time with frequent lifting or carrying of objects weighing up to ten (10) pounds. A job shall be in this category if lifting is infrequently required but walking and standing are frequently required, or if the job primarily requires sitting with pushing and pulling of arm or leg controls. If the person has the ability to perform substantially all of these activities, the person shall be deemed capable of light work. A person deemed capable of light work shall be deemed capable of sedentary work unless the person has additional limitations such as the loss of fine dexterity or inability to sit for long periods. 3. Medium work shall be work that involves lifting no more than fifty (50) pounds at a time with frequent lifting or carrying of objects weighing up to twenty-five (25) pounds. If the person is deemed capable of medium work, the person shall be deemed capable of light and sedentary work. 4. Heavy work shall be work that involves lifting no more than one hundred (100) pounds at a time with frequent lifting or carrying of objects weighing up to fifty (50) pounds. If the person is deemed capable of heavy work, the person shall also be deemed capable of medium, light, and sedentary work. 5. Very heavy work shall be work that involves lifting objects weighing more than one hundred (100) pounds at a time with frequent lifting or carrying of objects weighing fifty (50) or more pounds. If the person is deemed capable of very heavy work, the person shall be deemed capable of heavy, medium, light, and sedentary work. (5) (a) The disability retirement allowance shall be determined as provided in KRS 16.576, except if the member's total service credit on his or her last day of paid employment in a regular full-time position is less than twenty (20) years, service shall be added beginning with his or her last date of paid employment and continuing to his or her fifty-fifth birthday. The maximum service credit added shall not exceed the total service the member had on his or her last day of paid employment, and the maximum service credit for calculating his or her retirement allowance, including his or her total service and service added under this section, shall not exceed twenty (20) years. (b) For a member whose participation begins on or after August 1, 2004, but prior to January 1, 2014, the disability retirement allowance shall be the higher of twenty-five percent (25%) of the member's monthly final rate of pay or the retirement allowance determined in the same manner as for retirement at his or her normal retirement date with years of service and final compensation being determined as of the date of his disability. (c) For a member who begins participating on or after January 1, 2014, in the hybrid cash balance plan as provided by KRS 16.583, the disability retirement allowance shall be the higher of twenty-five percent (25%) of the member's monthly final rate of pay or the retirement allowance determined in the same manner as for retirement at his or her normal retirement date under KRS 16.583. (6) If the member receives a satisfactory determination of hazardous disability pursuant to KRS 61.665 and the disability is the direct result of an act in line of duty as defined in KRS 16.505, the member's retirement allowance shall be calculated as follows: (a) For the disabled member, benefits as provided in subsection (5) of this section except that the monthly retirement allowance payable shall not be less than twenty-five percent (25%) of the member's monthly final rate of pay; and (b) For each dependent child of the member on his or her disability retirement date, who is alive at the time any particular payment is due, a monthly payment equal to ten percent (10%) of the disabled member's monthly final rate of pay; however, total maximum dependent children's benefit shall not exceed forty percent (40%) of the member's monthly final rate of pay. The payments shall be payable to each dependent child, or to a legally appointed guardian or as directed by the system. (7) If the member receives a satisfactory determination of total and permanent disability pursuant to KRS 61.665 and the disability is the direct result of an act in line of duty as defined in KRS 16.505, the member's retirement allowance shall be calculated as follows: (a) For the disabled member, the benefits as provided in subsection (5) of this section except that the monthly retirement allowance payable shall not be less than seventy-five percent (75%) of the member's monthly average pay; and (b) For each dependent child of the member on his or her disability retirement date, who is alive at the time any particular payment is due, a monthly payment equal to ten percent (10%) of the disabled member's monthly average pay, except that: 1. Member and dependent children payments under this subsection shall not exceed one hundred percent (100%) of the member's monthly average pay; and 2. Total maximum dependent children's benefits shall not exceed twenty-five percent (25%) of the member's monthly average pay while the member is living and forty percent (40%) of the member's monthly average pay after the member's death. The payments shall be payable to each dependent child, or to a legally appointed guardian or as directed by the system, and shall be divided equally among all dependent children. (8) No benefit provided in this section shall be reduced as a result of any change in the extent of disability of any retired member who is the age of normal retirement or older. (9) If a regular full-time officer or hazardous position member has been approved for benefits under a hazardous disability, the board shall, upon request of the member, permit the member to receive the hazardous disability allowance while accruing benefits in a nonhazardous position, subject to proper medical review of the nonhazardous position's job description by the system's medical examiner. (10) For a member of the State Police Retirement System, in lieu of the allowance provided in subsection (5) to (7) of this section, the member may be retained on the regular payroll and receive the compensation authorized by KRS 16.165, if he or she is qualified. Effective:April 14, 2022 History: Amended 2022 Ky. Acts ch. 216, sec. 1, effective April 14, 2022. -- Amended 2021 Ky. Acts ch. 102, sec. 37, effective April 1, 2021; and ch. 106, sec. 2, effective June 29, 2021. -- Amended 2017 Ky. Acts ch. 32, sec. 3, effective June 29, 2017. -- Amended 2013 Ky. Acts ch. 120, sec. 41, effective July 1, 2013. -- Amended 2004 Ky. Acts ch. 33, sec. 1, effective July 13, 2004; and ch. 36, sec. 4, effective July 13, 2004. -- Amended 2000 Ky. Acts ch. 385, sec. 4, effective July 14, 2000. -- Amended 1998 Ky. Acts ch. 105, sec. 3, effective July 15, 1998. -- Amended 1996 Ky. Acts ch. 167, sec. 4, effective July 15, 1996. -- Created 1994 Ky. Acts ch. 485, sec. 6, effective July 15, 1994. Legislative Research Commission Note (6/29/2021). See 2021 Ky. Acts ch. 106, secs. 10, 11, 12, and 13 for information regarding the application of the amendments to this statute made in that Act.

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 10 cases (4 in the last 5 years), 2005–2026 · leading case: Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Jefferson County Sheriff's Department
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Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Jefferson County Sheriff's Department, Kentucky Retirement Systems, and Commo (2005) ca6 · cites it 4× “” Ky.Rev.Stat. § 16.582(2)(b) (1999), Ky.Rev.”
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Jefferson County Sheriff's Department (2006) ca6 · cites it 4× “Ky. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 16.582 (6). The parties do not dispute that an otherwise-identical employee who becomes disabled in the line of duty but because of her age at the time of disability is ineligible for disability-retirement benefits could not receive these additional…”
Kentucky Public Pensions Authority v. Brian Swint (2025) kyctapp · cites it 14× “The Agency disputed Swint’s arguments, stating he was attempting to bypass the pre-existing condition section of KRS 16.582 by dropping the argument that he was disabled due to depression and anxiety, even though he listed those conditions in his application.”
Kentucky Retirement Systems v. Halfhill (2005) ky · cites it 7× “595(2)(a), as of the last day of paid employment, shall not be eligible to apply for disability retirement under KRS 16.582 or KRS 61.600. KRS 16.576 provides in relevant part: Any member with at least five (5) years of service credit may retire at his normal retirement date, or…”
EEOC v. Jefferson Cnty (2005) ca6 · cites it 4× “” Ky. Rev. Stat. § 16.582(2)(b) (1999), Ky.”
Carroll v. City & County of S.F. (2025) calctapp · cites it 2× “, citing Ky. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 16.582 (5)(a) (Baldwin 2003)5.”
Carroll v. City and County of S.F. (2026) calctapp · cites it 2× “, citing Ky. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 16.582 (5)(a) (Baldwin 2003)5.”
Kevin Thomas v. Kentucky Public Pensions Authority (2025) kyctapp “In November 2023, Thomas filed a motion challenging the amount of his benefits, arguing that he should be receiving additional compensation pursuant to KRS 16.582 because he was a tier 1 employee; in other words, ILOD benefits.”
In Re Air Crash at Lexington Ky, August 27, 2006 (2008) kyed “505(17) which defines "dependent child" as "a natural or legally adopted child of the member who has neither attained age eighteen (18) nor married or who is an unmarried full-time student who has not attained age twenty-two (22).”
Combs v. Comair (2008) kyed “505(17) which defines “dependent child” as “a natural or legally adopted child of the member who has neither attained age eighteen (18) nor married or who is an unmarried full-time student who has not attained age twenty-two (22).”
— Ky. Rev. Stat. § 16.582(1)(a) — 1 case
Kentucky Public Pensions Authority v. Brian Swint (2025) kyctapp “The Agency disputed Swint’s arguments, stating he was attempting to bypass the pre-existing condition section of KRS 16.582 by dropping the argument that he was disabled due to depression and anxiety, even though he listed those conditions in his application.”
— Ky. Rev. Stat. § 16.582(2)(b) — 4 cases
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Jefferson County Sheriff's Department, Kentucky Retirement Systems, and Commo (2005) ca6 “” Ky.Rev.Stat. § 16.582(2)(b) (1999), Ky.Rev.”
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Jefferson County Sheriff's Department (2006) ca6 “Ky. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 16.582 (6). The parties do not dispute that an otherwise-identical employee who becomes disabled in the line of duty but because of her age at the time of disability is ineligible for disability-retirement benefits could not receive these additional…”
EEOC v. Jefferson Cnty (2005) ca6 “” Ky. Rev. Stat. § 16.582(2)(b) (1999), Ky.”
Kentucky Retirement Systems v. Halfhill (2005) ky “595(2)(a), as of the last day of paid employment, shall not be eligible to apply for disability retirement under KRS 16.582 or KRS 61.600. KRS 16.576 provides in relevant part: Any member with at least five (5) years of service credit may retire at his normal retirement date, or…”
— Ky. Rev. Stat. § 16.582(3)(a) — 1 case
Kentucky Public Pensions Authority v. Brian Swint (2025) kyctapp “The Agency disputed Swint’s arguments, stating he was attempting to bypass the pre-existing condition section of KRS 16.582 by dropping the argument that he was disabled due to depression and anxiety, even though he listed those conditions in his application.”
— Ky. Rev. Stat. § 16.582(3)(c) — 1 case
Kentucky Public Pensions Authority v. Brian Swint (2025) kyctapp “The Agency disputed Swint’s arguments, stating he was attempting to bypass the pre-existing condition section of KRS 16.582 by dropping the argument that he was disabled due to depression and anxiety, even though he listed those conditions in his application.”
— Ky. Rev. Stat. § 16.582(4) — 1 case
Kentucky Public Pensions Authority v. Brian Swint (2025) kyctapp “The Agency disputed Swint’s arguments, stating he was attempting to bypass the pre-existing condition section of KRS 16.582 by dropping the argument that he was disabled due to depression and anxiety, even though he listed those conditions in his application.”
— Ky. Rev. Stat. § 16.582(5)(a) — 2 cases
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Jefferson County Sheriff's Department, Kentucky Retirement Systems, and Commo (2005) ca6 “” Ky.Rev.Stat. § 16.582(2)(b) (1999), Ky.Rev.”
EEOC v. Jefferson Cnty (2005) ca6 “” Ky. Rev. Stat. § 16.582(2)(b) (1999), Ky.”
— Ky. Rev. Stat. § 16.582(5)(b) — 3 cases
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Jefferson County Sheriff's Department, Kentucky Retirement Systems, and Commo (2005) ca6 “” Ky.Rev.Stat. § 16.582(2)(b) (1999), Ky.Rev.”
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Jefferson County Sheriff's Department (2006) ca6 “Ky. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 16.582 (6). The parties do not dispute that an otherwise-identical employee who becomes disabled in the line of duty but because of her age at the time of disability is ineligible for disability-retirement benefits could not receive these additional…”
EEOC v. Jefferson Cnty (2005) ca6 “” Ky. Rev. Stat. § 16.582(2)(b) (1999), Ky.”
— Ky. Rev. Stat. § 16.582(6) — 3 cases
Kentucky Public Pensions Authority v. Brian Swint (2025) kyctapp “The Agency disputed Swint’s arguments, stating he was attempting to bypass the pre-existing condition section of KRS 16.582 by dropping the argument that he was disabled due to depression and anxiety, even though he listed those conditions in his application.”
In Re Air Crash at Lexington Ky, August 27, 2006 (2008) kyed “505(17) which defines "dependent child" as "a natural or legally adopted child of the member who has neither attained age eighteen (18) nor married or who is an unmarried full-time student who has not attained age twenty-two (22).”
Combs v. Comair (2008) kyed “505(17) which defines “dependent child” as “a natural or legally adopted child of the member who has neither attained age eighteen (18) nor married or who is an unmarried full-time student who has not attained age twenty-two (22).”
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