Duty Disability Eligibility

You may be eligible for Duty Disability benefits if you are disabled as a result of an injury or illness that occurs due to the performance of your position. An application must be completed and filed with Cook County Pension Fund (CCPF) while you are disabled.

Before any action can be taken by the Board on your application for Duty Disability, you must file a timely claim for workers' compensation with the Cook County Department of Risk Management and you must receive compensation or payment for the claim or the claim must otherwise be finally settled.

You are required to maintain an active and complete application with CCPF while waiting for a decision on your workers' compensation claim. Failure to complete your application in a timely fashion will result in a recommendation to the Board for a denial of benefit.

Eligibility Exceptions and Timeline

You may not be eligible for Duty Disability under any of the following conditions:

• You do not complete an application within 6 months after your disability ends (for claims arising after February 2009).
• You do not submit complete supporting documentation within 120 days after your application is submitted.
• You are employed by another public body supported by taxation.
• You requested benefits for a period that is not granted and paid by workers’ compensation, either through standard workers compensation approval or via settlement or decision. 
• A physician is unable to approve disability based on the medical documentation.
• You are paid full salary for the period of disability.

Benefit Amount

Duty Disability provides a benefit payment based on 75% of your salary (50% if the disability resulted from any physical defect or disease that existed at the time injury was sustained).

Duty Disability benefit payments are subject to an offset/reduction by any payment received from the County under the Worker's Compensation Act or the Workers' Occupational Disease Act.

Pension Service Credit

Pension service credit is granted for all periods of approved disability.  You must apply and be approved for your disability benefit with CCPF in order to receive your pension service credit.

For a comprehensive review of the administrative and eligibility rules associated with this benefit, please refer to the Disability Benefits Handbook.