A. A member who meets the requirements for a normal pension, who becomes a member of the system before January 1, 2012 and who has twenty years of credited service shall receive a monthly amount that equals fifty percent of the member’s average monthly benefit compensation. If the member retires with other than twenty years of credited service, the foregoing amount shall be:

Terms Used In Arizona Laws 38-845

  • Accidental disability: means a physical or mental condition that the local board finds totally and permanently prevents an employee from performing a reasonable range of duties within the employee's job classification and that was incurred in the performance of the employee's duty. See Arizona Laws 38-842
  • Average monthly benefit compensation: means the result obtained by dividing the total compensation paid to an employee during a considered period by the number of months, including fractional months, in which such compensation was received. See Arizona Laws 38-842
  • Catastrophic disability: means a physical and not a psychological condition that the local board determines prevents the employee from totally and permanently engaging in any gainful employment and that results from a physical injury incurred in the performance of the employee's duty. See Arizona Laws 38-842
  • Compensation: means , for the purpose of computing retirement benefits, base salary, overtime pay, shift differential pay, military differential wage pay, compensatory time used by an employee in lieu of overtime not otherwise paid by an employer and holiday pay paid to an employee by the employer for the employee's performance of services in an eligible group on a regular monthly, semimonthly or biweekly payroll basis and longevity pay paid to an employee at least every six months for which contributions are made to the system pursuant to section 38-843, subsection D. See Arizona Laws 38-842
  • Credited service: means the member's total period of service before the member's effective date of participation, plus those compensated periods of the member's service thereafter for which the member made contributions to the fund. See Arizona Laws 38-842
  • Normal retirement date: means :

    (a) For an employee who becomes a member of the system before January 1, 2012, the first day of the calendar month immediately following the employee's completion of twenty years of service or the employee's sixty-second birthday and the employee's completion of fifteen years of service. See Arizona Laws 38-842

  • Ordinary disability: means a physical condition that the local board determines will prevent an employee totally and permanently from performing a reasonable range of duties within the employee's department or a mental condition that the local board determines will prevent an employee totally and permanently from engaging in any substantial gainful activity. See Arizona Laws 38-842
  • Pension: means a series of monthly amounts that are payable to a person who is entitled to receive benefits under the plan but does not include an annuity that is payable pursuant to Section 38-846. See Arizona Laws 38-842
  • Service: means the last period of continuous employment of an employee by the employers before the employee's retirement, except that if such period includes employment during which the employee would not have qualified as a member had the system then been effective, such as employment as a volunteer firefighter, then only twenty-five percent of such noncovered employment shall be considered as service. See Arizona Laws 38-842
  • System: means the public safety personnel retirement system established by this article. See Arizona Laws 38-842
  • Temporary disability: means a physical or mental condition that the local board finds totally and temporarily prevents an employee from performing a reasonable range of duties within the employee's department and that was incurred in the performance of the employee's duty. See Arizona Laws 38-842

1. Reduced by four percent for each year of credited service under twenty years, with pro rata reduction for any fractional year.

2. Increased by a monthly amount equal to two percent of the member’s average monthly benefit compensation multiplied by the number of the member’s years of credited service in excess of twenty years, with pro rata increase for any fractional year, except that if a member retires with twenty-five or more years of credited service the amount shall be increased by a monthly amount equal to two and one-half percent of the member’s average monthly benefit compensation multiplied by the number of the member’s years of credited service in excess of twenty years, with pro rata increase for any fractional year.

B. A member who meets the requirements for an accidental disability pension shall receive a monthly amount, which shall be computed in the same manner as a normal pension, using the member’s average monthly benefit compensation before termination of employment and the member’s actual credited service or twenty years of credited service, whichever is greater. Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, the accidental disability pension for a member shall be a monthly amount that equals not less than fifty percent of the member’s average monthly benefit compensation.

C. A member who meets the requirements for an ordinary disability pension shall receive a monthly amount that is equal to a fraction times the member’s normal pension that is computed according to subsection A, G or H of this section if the member had twenty years of credited service. The fraction is the result obtained by dividing the member’s actual years of credited service, not to exceed twenty years of credited service, by the member’s required credited service for the applicable normal retirement date.

D. A member who meets the requirements for a temporary disability pension shall receive a monthly amount that is equal to one-twelfth of fifty percent of the member’s annual compensation received immediately prior to the date on which the member’s disability was incurred.

E. A member who meets the requirements for a catastrophic disability pension is entitled to receive a monthly amount computed as follows:

1. For the first sixty months, ninety percent of the member’s average monthly benefit compensation before termination of employment.

2. After sixty months, sixty-two and one-half percent of the member’s average monthly benefit compensation before termination of employment or computed in the same manner as a normal pension using the member’s average monthly benefit compensation before termination of employment and the member’s actual credited service, whichever is greater.

F. A member who was employed before September 15, 1989 by an employer participating in the system and who retires on or after November 1, 2001 is entitled to receive a tax equity benefit allowance consisting of a permanent increase of two percent of the member’s base benefit retroactive to the day of retirement.

G. A member who meets the requirements for a normal pension, who becomes a member of the system on or after January 1, 2012 and before July 1, 2017 and who has twenty-five years of credited service shall receive a monthly amount that equals sixty-two and one-half percent of the member’s average monthly benefit compensation. If the member has at least fifteen years of credited service, but less than twenty-five years of service, the monthly amount shall be equal to the member’s average monthly benefit compensation multiplied by the number of whole and fractional years of credited service multiplied by the appropriate percentage specified in subsection H of this section. If the member has twenty-five years of service and retires with other than twenty-five years of credited service, the foregoing amount shall be:

1. Reduced by four percent for each year of credited service under twenty-five years, with pro rata reduction for any fractional year.

2. Increased by a monthly amount equal to two and one-half percent of the member’s average monthly benefit compensation multiplied by the number of the member’s years of credited service in excess of twenty-five years, with pro rata increase for any fractional year.

H. A member who becomes a member of the system on or after July 1, 2017 and who retires on or after the member’s normal retirement date shall receive a monthly amount equal to the member’s average monthly benefit compensation multiplied by the number of whole and fractional years of credited service multiplied by the following:

1. 1.50 percent if the member has at least fifteen years of credited service but less than seventeen years of credited service.

2. 1.75 percent if the member has at least seventeen years of credited service but less than nineteen years of credited service.

3. 2.00 percent if the member has at least nineteen years of credited service but less than twenty-two years of credited service.

4. 2.25 percent if the member has at least twenty-two years of credited service but less than twenty-five years of credited service.

5. 2.50 percent if the member has at least twenty-five years of credited service.

I. Notwithstanding subsections A, G and H of this section, the maximum amount payable as a normal pension is eighty percent of the average monthly benefit compensation.