Obtain the application instructions first
Ask ERS for the current disability-retirement packet and a contact for application questions. Tell the contact whether you are asking about the application itself, supporting medical records or the status of an item already sent. Keep those questions separate from a decision about when to retire.
Create a document list from the actual instructions. For each item, note its exact title, who completes it, where it goes and any date ERS gives you. Do not build the packet from an old colleague’s application or assume that documents used for another benefit are interchangeable.
Sources: ERS: Disability retirement FAQs
Identify the agency’s work
The ERS FAQ assigns the Departmental Statement to the employing agency and describes documentation concerning the agency’s accommodation determination. Ask your HR contact which person handles these items and how they will be delivered.
A useful request names the document and asks for its status: “ERS has requested this agency statement. Who is completing it, and how can I confirm it has been sent?” If the agency needs something from you, write that as a separate action. This page does not decide what accommodation should be offered or whether a legal requirement has been met.
Sources: ERS: Disability retirement FAQs
Make a specific request to the records office
ERS says the applicant is responsible for obtaining medical records and that ERS does not request them from doctors on the applicant’s behalf. Ask the practice’s records office about its process, the requested date range and the recipient named in the packet.
If several offices hold relevant records, list them separately. A therapy practice, a hospital and a prescribing office may need separate requests. Ask each office how to confirm receipt of your request and how it handles missing or unavailable records. Keep authorizations and delivery confirmations with the application checklist.
Sources: ERS: Disability retirement FAQs
Ask about the required statement before arranging a visit
ERS disability retirement has its own medical-provider requirements. Confirm the current statement and signer instructions with ERS, then ask the treating office whether it can provide the requested assessment. Do not transfer a signature rule from TIPP or another disability program.
Give the office the actual request and allow it to explain what can be assessed or documented. Before submitting, compare the completed packet with your list, record anything still pending and ask ERS how an outstanding item should be handled. Neither a scheduled visit nor a completed statement is a retirement decision.
Sources: ERS: Disability retirement FAQs
Your next-step checklist
- Obtain the current ERS packet and application contact.
- List agency documents separately from provider documents.
- Confirm which HR contact owns the Departmental Statement.
- Request the specified records from each office that holds them.
- Check the medical-statement requirements with ERS and the practice.
- Save delivery confirmations and a list of unresolved items.
Keep personal, insurance and medical information in the appropriate organization’s approved secure channel.
Common questions
Will ERS collect my records after I give it a provider’s name?
The ERS FAQ places the records request with the applicant. Ask ERS what it still needs and arrange the request with the relevant records office.
Sources: ERS: Disability retirement FAQs
Can I reuse my TIPP clinician form?
Ask ERS before treating another program’s form as sufficient. Disability retirement and TIPP have separate purposes and documentation requirements.
Sources: ERS: Disability retirement FAQs
Sources and verification
The sources below support the administrative information in this guide. Follow the responsible organization’s current instructions when requirements, forms or contact routes change.
- ERS: Disability retirement FAQs — checked .