• Please refer to the following benefit estimator if you would like to obtain an estimate of your potential hazardous duty benefit under different scenarios: (HazDuty benefit estimator).

Hazardous Duty Benefit Formula and Factors:

• The amount of your monthly benefit is "defined" by a formula which takes into account your years of retirement service credit, your average salary, and your plan membership.
   
• Although Tier I Plan B members will be subject to a modest benefit reduction upon reaching their full Social Security age, the following benefit formula applies to all Hazardous duty members:

PLUS

* Which could include service for state jobs not classified as hazardous duty as well as other credited service.

• It is important to note that some state employees monthly retirement benefit may be limited by Internal Revenue Code (IRC) Section 415. The following memo provides additional information regarding the (IRC) benefit limitation.
• The following table lists the most recently available benefit limitations.
  

Retirement Service Credit:

• Generally, Service Credit ** Which Counts TOWARDS the 20-Year requirement:
  • Paid State Employment in Approved Hazardous Duty Positions for which required retirement contributions have been paid .
    • Tier II HD contributions were not required until January 12, 1990.
  • Periods of Qualifying Workers' Compensation, or Disability Compensation Under Section 5-142 (a) of the Connecticut General Statutes (While A Hazardous Duty Member).
  • If Preceded and Succeeded by Hazardous Duty Service:
    • Qualifying Military Leave of Absence Without Pay
    • Qualifying Personal Medical or Family Leave Without Pay
  • Properly documented voluntary leave taken after 6/9/94 counts as free retirement service credit.
     
• Generally, Service Credit ** Which Counts AFTER the 20-Year requirement:
  • Unused vacation accrued while a Hazardous Duty Member.
  • State Employment in Non-Hazardous Duty Positions
  • Prior Military Service
  • Prior Full-time Service to Other States where Reciprocity Exists
  • Prior Eligible CT Municipal Service in the CT Municipal Employees Retirement System
     
• Retirement Service Credit EXCLUDES:
  • Any period of time for which you have not paid required retirement contributions including but not limited to:
    • Un-purchased leaves of absence without pay;
    • Periods for which you exclusively received non-creditable workers' compensation payments;
    • Periods for which you participated in a contributory plan but later refunded your retirement contributions.

** Service Credit for which retirement credit has been confirmed by the Retirement Services Division

Part-Time Service:

• If you have had part-time service, you should know that:
  • your part-time service will be treated as full-time service when determining your eligibility to retire.
  • your retirement income will be calculated to produce a benefit which reflects the portion of a full-time schedule that you worked throughout your state employment.
     
• Example:
  • Lets assume a member worked part-time at 50% of a full-time schedule for 20 years
    • For determining eligibility, we will use 20 years.
    • However, when calculating the benefit percentage, we will use 10 years (the full-time equivalent of working 50% of full-time for 20 years).

Average Salary

• Your average salary is the average of your 3 highest paid years of service.
   
• Any 12 consecutive month period equals one year.
   
• Although for the majority of retirees the average salary is the average of the last 36 months of employment, when calculating your average salary the three years don't have to be consecutive years or calendar years.
   
• A small percentage of retirees may find themselves subject to the 130% Cap provision:
  • When calculating your average salary, no one year's earnings can be greater than 130% of the average of the two preceding years.
  • Currently mandatory overtime earnings are not subject to this limitation.

Cost of Living Adjustment

• Your pension is subject to an annual Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA).
   
• These cumulative raises will be paid each year on either January 1st or July 1st depending on your date of retirement (DOR).
   
• You must be retired at least 9 full months in order to qualify for your first raise.
   
• Thereafter, your annual cost of living adjustment will be paid on the COLA anniversary date, which corresponds with your DOR.
   
• Your COLA will range from a minimum of 2% to a maximum of 7.5% based on the following formula which takes into account a portion of the increase in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) for the 12 months immediately preceding your COLA anniversary date:

60% of the annual CPI-W increase up to 6%

PLUS

75% of the annual CPI-W above 6%