As an active member of the Arkansas Teacher Retirement System (ATRS) with five (5) or more years of actual credited service with ATRS and under the age of 60, you may apply for disability retirement benefits if you demonstrate total and permanent incapacity to perform the duties of your position and meet all eligibility requirements.  Reciprocal service may be used to meet this five (5) year minimum requirement; however purchased service, such as out-of-state or private school, does not qualify.

Important Beginning July 1, 2015, ATRS disability retirees under the age of 57 must receive a Social Security Disability determination within 36 months of their effective date of ATRS disability retirement. If a member is approved and declared disabled by the Social Security Administration within the 36 months, they will remain on ATRS Disability. A member who fails to be declared disabled by the Social Security Administration may seek to extend their ATRS disability status and benefits by submitting an Application for Disability Review to ATRS within three (3) months of the date their benefits would otherwise end.

A MEMBER DOES NOT NEED TO BE APPROVED FOR SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY BEFORE APPLYING FOR ATRS DISABILITY 

Eligibility

• You must be an active member that is currently working for an ATRS covered employer and eligible to receive service credit, or you must be considered active status for the purpose of Disability Retirement eligibility.

• You must have a minimum of five (5) years of service credit with ATRS.  Reciprocal service can be used to meet the minimum requirement, but you must be active with ATRS.  Purchased service, such as out-of-state or private school, cannot be used to meet the minimum 5 year requirement, however, these years count towards your actual years once vested with the 5 years if applying for Disability Retirement.

• Final determination of the existence of a qualifying disability is based upon the recommendation of the ATRS Medical Committee. The ATRS Medical Committee reviews the application and supporting medical documents to determine the following

Once a Disability Retirement Application is received by ATRS, your completed application and required supporting documents will be submitted to the ATRS Medical Committee for review at the next regularly scheduled meeting. If the member does not submit the required documentation or submits an incomplete application, they will be allowed six (6) months from the date of receipt to provide the required documentation and/or completed application. At the end of that six (6) month period, an incomplete application will be withdrawn. A member may re-apply, provided they meet eligibility requirements, by submitting a new Disability Retirement Application and supporting medical reports.

Important - ACTIVE STATUS   A member must be active (see above) to be eligible to apply for Disability.  Please contact ATRS to confirm your eligibility in regards to your status as an active member.

The Medical Committee Meeting is scheduled to meet on the following dates:

• June 4, 2025
• July 9, 2025
• August 6, 2025
• September 3, 2025
• October 1, 2025
• November 5, 2025
• December 3, 2025
• January 7, 2026
• February 4, 2026
• March 4, 2026
• April 1, 2026
• May 6, 2026
• June 4, 2026

 *Dates are subject to change.

Effective Date and Payment of Disability Retirement Annuity

NO LONGER EMPLOYED

If you are no longer employed with an ATRS covered employer upon approval by the ATRS medical committee for disability benefits, the effective date of your disability retirement will be the month your application was received by ATRS.

Once ATRS has received all the necessary documents to begin the annuity payment process, the payment of Disability Retirement Benefits will begin with the next monthly annuity distribution. If for some reason (lack of required documents, payroll deadline, etc.) ATRS is unable to distribute your check, you may receive your payment the following month, including the prior month's benefit.

EMPLOYED 

If you are still employed by an ATRS covered employer upon approval by the ATRS medical committee for disability benefits, you will have up to two (2) full calendar months to terminate employment/active membership with the ATRS covered employer. Please contact ATRS for information regarding termination of employment/active membership.

• Your disability retirement will become effective the first day of the calendar month following the last day you were employed by an ATRS covered employer.

• ATRS issues the monthly annuity near the end of the month. There will be no retroactive payments granted to the member in this situation.

• If you fail to terminate employment/active membership by the end of two (2) months, your Disability Retirement will be withdrawn. A member may re-apply, provided they meet eligibility requirements, by submitting a new Disability Retirement Application and supporting medical reports.

For more information, see: Disability FAQs

By naming a beneficiary (or beneficiaries) a member can determine who receives certain death benefit(s) if eligibility requirements are met. You have the ability to name beneficiaries for two (2) different types of death benefits:

 1.  A Lump Sum Death Benefit Beneficiary that receives any Lump Sum Death benefit in an amount as may be designated by the Board of Trustees to members who qualify; and

2.   A Residue Beneficiary that receives accumulated member contributions, if any, that remain credited to your retirement account upon your death.

If a member of the Arkansas Teacher Retirement System (ATRS) dies with residual account balance(s) standing to the member’s credit at his/her death, the residual balance(s) will be paid to such person(s) as the member has designated in writing and filed with ATRS. Note that the residual contribution and T-DROP balances are only paid to beneficiaries if a survivor or retirement option annuity does not become payable at the member’s death.

Important: If a member chooses someone other than their spouse as one of their primary residue beneficiaries, the member waives any right their spouse may have to a survivor benefit based on the member's service in the Arkansas Teacher Retirement System.

The beneficiary(ies) that you name on your Beneficiary Designation Form will be applied to both your residue and lump sum death benefit (if applicable). 

If you would like to name a separate beneficiary(ies) for the Lump Sum Death Benefit, you may do so by completing Form 9-Lump Sum Death Benefit Designation form with ATRS.

Each time you complete and submit a new beneficiary form, it cancels and replaces all prior forms you have completed for that type of death benefit.

You must complete all requested information for a beneficiary form to be accept and processed (including notary). The member's completed beneficiary form(s) must be received by ATRS in order to become effective.

It is important to keep your beneficiary forms up to date. You can contact ATRS at (501) 682-1517 or info@artrs.gov to review your designations periodically or whenever you have a significant life event such as marriage, divorce, birth or adoption of a child, address change for a designated beneficiary, or a death in the family.

PLEASE NOTE:

• If you do not name a beneficiary or all of your named beneficiaries are not living at the time of your death, then your estate will receive the benfits as the default beneficiary under the ATRS plan statues.

Eligible Beneficiaries

You can choose:

• A living person (including a minor*)

• A trust**

• Your estate**

• A charitable organization

• A corporation

• A partnership

If you choose more than one beneficiary, each will share in your benefits equally. You can also name a contingent beneficiary to receive your benefits if your primary beneficiary is not living upon payment of the death benefits.

Only members can complete beneficiary forms. If a member has a conservator, agent with Powers of Attorney, or Guardian they must submit all relevant legal documents to ATRS for legal review before any changes can be made to a member's record.

*Naming a Minor Person as Your Beneficiary - If you name a minor as a primary beneficiary and the money is paid to the minor before he or she reaches age eighteen (18) the benefits will be paid out in accordance with current law. Please contact an ATRS counselor for further information regarding this process.

**Naming a Trust or Estate - If you name a trust, please provide the name of the trust (e.g. John Doe Living Trust) and the name of the trustee(s) if known. If you designate your estate, simply write "my estate" or "Estate of Jane Member." You can name another primary beneficiary in addition to your estate or a trust and each will share your benefit equally.

Changing your Beneficiaries

You can simply submit a new Beneficiary Designation Form (Residue and/or Lump Sum Death) to change your beneficiary. Each time you complete and submit a new beneficiary form, it cancels and replaces all prior forms you have completed for that type of death benefit.

You must complete all requested information for a beneficiary form to be accept and processed (including notary). The member's completed beneficiary form must be received by ATRS in order to be effective.

For questions regarding your beneficiaries, contact ATRS at (501) 682-1517 or info@artrs.gov.

Reciprocal Service is credited service rendered under a Reciprocal System. Act 488 of 1965, as amended, provides reciprocal service credit between Arkansas state retirement systems. If a member leaves the employ of a state employer whose position is covered by any of the designated retirement systems and enters the employ of another state employer whose position is covered by any of the designated reciprocal retirement systems, he or she shall be entitled to a deferred annuity payable from the preceding system subject to certain conditions.

Benefits of Reciprocity

Reciprocity allows a member to utilize his or her actual Service Credit in two or more systems to meet eligibility requirements. Once reciprocity is established, ATRS recognizes reciprocal service for the purpose of Vesting, Early Retirement, Age and Service Retirement, and T-DROP Participation.

Participating State Retirement Systems

• Arkansas Teacher Retirement System

• Arkansas Public Employees' Retirement System

• Arkansas State Highway Retirement System

• Arkansas State Police Retirement System

• Arkansas Judicial Retirement System

• Arkansas Local Police & Fire Retirement System (LOPFI)

• Alternate Retirement Plan for the following:

• Arkansas Department of Higher Education
• Arkansas Department of Workforce Education
• College
• University
• Vocational-Technical Schools

How to Establish Reciprocal Service Credit

One of the conditions for establishing reciprocal service is that the member does not withdraw their accumulated contributions from the preceding reciprocal system. If the accumulated contributions were withdrawn from the preceding reciprocal system, the amount withdrawn must be repaid, along with interest, to the preceding system. See A.C.A § 24-4-402.

To establish reciprocal service credit, the member must complete and submit to ATRS the Request to Establish Reciprocal Service Credit form.

Please contact ATRS at 501-682-1517 or info@artrs.gov for further information regarding Reciprocity, participating state retirement systems or, to request a Request to Establish Reciprocal Service Credit form.

Members accrue service credit through employment with an ATRS Covered Employer.

An active (working) or inactive member of ATRS may be eligible to purchase service.  For more information on purchasing service or Free Military, see Purchasing Service Credit and Free Military Service Credit below.

Service Credit is accrued as follows:

Purchasing Service Credit

Purchase of service means paying for periods of employment that have not been counted as service with ATRS. Since your retirement benefit is based in part on the amount of service credit posted to your account at the time of retirement, it may be beneficial, if eligible, to purchase additional service credit.

An active (working) or inactive member of ATRS may be eligible to purchase service. Certain limitations apply depending on the type of service you purchase.

Types of Service that Can be Purchased:

• Certain Out-of-State (up to 15 years) and Overseas Service (up to 10 years)

• *Private School Service (up to 15 years)

• *Private School Service Classified (up to 5 years)

• Sabbatical Leave Service

• Domestic Federal Service

• Federal Retirement Service 

• Arkansas National Guard Service

• Noncontributory to Contributory Service 

• Arkansas Service not previously established

• Active Military Service in the U.S. Armed Forces (Military service credit may not be purchased until all eligibility requirements are met and cannot be used for vesting purposes.)

• Arkansas service cancelled by a refund of contributions

• Gap Service (Must have left your position as a classroom teacher and returned as a classroom teacher. Must accrue at least one-half year of service after returning.  Other conditions may apply.)

                   * Service in private schools or colleges may be established with ATRS if rendered in a school or agency recognized by the Arkansas Department of Education or recognized by the ATRS Board of Trustees as an educationally-related entity.

PLEASE NOTE:

• Service rendered in one Arkansas state supported retirement system may not be established or purchased in another Arkansas state supported retirement system.

• Purchased out-of-state, domestic federal, overseas, private school, sabbatical leave, National Guard, military service or gap service may not be used for vesting purposes in ATRS.

Cost of Purchased Service

The cost to purchase service is based on the type of service you are eligible to purchase. The actuarial formula is based on the type of service, member's age, salary (only Arkansas salaries will be used), and years of service at the time of purchase.

Payment of Purchased Service

ATRS does not accept partial payments toward the purchase of service credit. Because the cost is actuarial based, the account must be paid-in-full at the time of the purchase by the methods listed below. Service credit will not be established until the account is paid in full.

You will be eligible to submit the following types of payment or, any combination thereof:

• After-tax Payment

• Cash

• Personal Check

• Money Order

• Cashier Check

• Pre-tax Payment

• Rollover from any of the following:

• 401(a) Qualified Retirement Plans

• 401(k) Profit Sharing Plans and Stock Bonus Plans

• 403(b) Tax-Sheltered Annuities (TSA)

• 408(a) Individual Retirement Account

• 408(e) IRA Annuity

• 457 Deferred Compensation Plan

Any rollover from a reciprocal system will cancel reciprocal service credit and the reciprocal service cannot be re-established (purchased) in our system.

ATRS Counselors can provide a cost estimate for the service you're interested in purchasing, determine eligibility, and provide the necessary forms to begin the purchasing process. Contact ATRS at 501-682-1517, or info@artrs.gov to correspond with a Retirement Counselor.

Free Military

Members may be eligible for up to 5 years of Free Military Service Credit once they meet all of the following requirements:

• Was drafted into the United States Armed Forces during any period that a federal military draft was in effect.
• Received an honorable discharge from the United States Armed Forces
• Completed 5 years of actual service with ATRS

If you have questions, or to find out if you are eligible for Free Military Service Credit, contact ATRS at 501-682-1517, or info@artrs.gov to correspond with a Retirement Counselor.