STRS Ohio Disability Lawyer for Teachers

STRS Disability at a Glance

Last updated October 2026. Rules and forms change; confirm current requirements with the retirement system or with us before you rely on them.

Who Qualifies for STRS Disability

Under Ohio Revised Code 3307.62, a Defined Benefit Plan member generally needs at least five years of qualifying service credit if the member had service credit on June 30, 2013, and ten years if not. You cannot apply if you are already receiving service retirement or have taken a refund. The member, someone acting for the member, or the employer can file. STRS states that the Defined Contribution Plan has no disability benefits, and that the Combined Plan has its own disability program.

STRS has two Defined Benefit programs. The disability allowance is the current program. Disability retirement is an older program available only to certain members who were members on June 30, 2013; it requires that STRS receive your completed application before you turn 60 and that you stop teaching before 60. If you also have service in OPERS or SERS, you apply to the system where you have the most service credit.

You do not have to resign before applying. If the Medical Review Board recommends approval, STRS says you must stop working by the end of that month.

How STRS Defines Disability

The statute asks whether you are "mentally or physically incapacitated for the performance of duty by a disabling condition, either permanent or presumed to be permanent for twelve continuous months following the board's receipt of an application." The condition must have started or gotten worse since you became a member.

Filing Deadlines

Your application must be filed within two years after your contributing service ends, or within one year if you had no service credit on June 30, 2013. STRS counts the last date of contributing service with STRS, OPERS or SERS. The board may accept a late application only if your medical records conclusively show you were incapacitated and unable to apply when the deadline passed. Reapplying after a denial does not restart this clock.

How the Application Works

1. A complete packet. The Disability Benefit Application, a Report by Employer with your official job description, and an Attending Physician's Report. STRS does not begin processing until every form is received.
2. Physician reports. Reports must be based on an in-person examination within the last two months, and the attending physician generally must be a medical specialist rather than a primary care doctor.
3. Strict member deadlines. Requested medical evidence is due within 15 days, and independent medical exams must be scheduled within 15 days and completed within 90. Missing these deadlines cancels the application.
4. Review and decision. The Medical Review Board assigns independent examiners and makes a recommendation; the Retirement Board decides. You get written notice of the recommendation at least 7 days before the board acts, and after that notice no new medical evidence is considered on the initial decision.

STRS tells members to allow at least four to six months for a decision, and at least 90 days from approval to the first payment.

If STRS Denies Your Application

Under Ohio Administrative Code 3307:1-7-05, as amended effective July 2, 2026, the "written notice of appeal must be received by the retirement system no later than fifteen calendar days from receipt of notification of denial or termination."

• The notice must be in writing, signed by you, your lawyer or your attending physician, and must state that the appeal will be based on additional medical evidence contrary to the independent examiners' findings.
• New evidence must not have been considered before, must generally be dated within 12 months before the notice of appeal, and must relate to the conditions in your original application.
• It is due at least 12 business days before the hearing; one 45-day extension is available. Nothing new can be handed in at the hearing.
• You may appear at the hearing in person and be represented by counsel and/or your attending physician. Appeal costs are not reimbursed.

If the board denies the appeal, review in court is by mandamus. See how Ohio pension disability appeals work.

What STRS Pays

The disability allowance under Ohio Revised Code 3307.631 is the greater of 45% of final average salary or 2.2% of final average salary per year of service credit, capped at 60%. It runs to the later of age 65 or a benefit period based on your age when it starts. STRS defines final average salary as the average of your five highest years of Ohio public earnings. The older disability retirement program is calculated differently and by statute cannot be less than 30% or more than 75% of final average salary.

After You Are Approved

• No teaching of any kind. By statute, the benefit ends immediately if you perform any teaching service in Ohio or elsewhere, including volunteer teaching.
• STRS may require annual medical examinations, and you must follow treatment its physician recommends.
• An annual earnings statement is due by April 30.
• You are treated as on leave from your position for five years. If you are found able to return during that time, your employer must restore you.
• If a later exam finds you able to return, benefits end, with the same 15-day appeal window.

How Terry Posey Helps

Terry W. Posey has spent more than 30 years helping Ohio public employees with pension disability claims, and before law school he served 19 years as a Dayton Police officer and sergeant. He knows what it is like to do a public job with a body that is breaking down, and he knows how these files are reviewed.

• Before you apply: we help you choose and document every condition up front, because the systems generally evaluate only the conditions listed on the physician's report.
• During review: we help you prepare for the independent medical examination and make sure your treating doctors address the right legal standard.
• After a denial: we track the appeal deadline, gather the new medical evidence the rules require, and present your appeal.
• After a final decision: we evaluate whether a mandamus action in court is worth pursuing.

We help public employees statewide, from Cleveland to Cincinnati and Columbus to Toledo. Your first consultation is free.

STRS Disability Questions

Official Sources

This page is based on the retirement system's own publications and on Ohio law. Read them directly:

• STRS Ohio: Disability benefits
• STRS Ohio: Applying for benefits
• STRS brochure: Disability Allowance
• STRS brochure: Disability Retirement
• Ohio Revised Code 3307.62 (eligibility and deadlines)
• Ohio Revised Code 3307.631 (disability allowance)
• Ohio Revised Code 3307.48 (re-examination and termination)
• Ohio Administrative Code Chapter 3307:1-7 (disability rules, including appeals)

This page is general information, not legal advice for your situation, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship.