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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>55212</law_id><section_number>51.1-1159</section_number><catch_line>Adjustments to disability benefits</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="1" identifier="51.1">Pensions, Benefits, and Retirement</unit><unit label="chapter" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="11.1">Disability Program for Hybrid Retirement Program Participants</unit><unit label="article" level="3" order_by="1" identifier="2">Nonwork-Related Disability Benefits</unit></structure><text>
						<section id="A"><p><span class="prefix-number">A.</span> <span class="dictionary">Disability benefit</span> payments shall be offset by an amount equal to any sums payable to a <span class="dictionary">participating employee</span> from the following sources: <a id="paragraph-202452" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/51.1-1159/#A"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="A1" class="indent-1"><p><span class="prefix-number">1.</span> During the first 12 months the employee receives <span class="dictionary">disability benefits</span>, an amount equal to the employee&#x2019;s wages and salary from any employment multiplied by the creditable compensation replacement percentage; <a id="paragraph-202453" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/51.1-1159/#A1"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="A2" class="indent-1"><p><span class="prefix-number">2.</span> After the first 12 months the employee receives <span class="dictionary">disability benefits</span>, an amount equal to 70 percent of the employee&#x2019;s wages and salary from any employment; <a id="paragraph-202454" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/51.1-1159/#A2"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="A3" class="indent-1"><p><span class="prefix-number">3.</span> Disability payments from the Social Security Administration, local government <span class="dictionary">disability benefits</span>, federal civil <span class="dictionary">service</span> <span class="dictionary">disability benefits</span>, or other similar governmental disability <span class="dictionary">program</span> benefits received by the employee or his family as a result of the qualifying disability; <a id="paragraph-202455" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/51.1-1159/#A3"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="A4" class="indent-1"><p><span class="prefix-number">4.</span> Benefits received from any other group insurance <span class="dictionary">contract</span> provided to the <span class="dictionary">participating employee</span> by his employer for the purpose of providing income replacement; and <a id="paragraph-202456" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/51.1-1159/#A4"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="A5" class="indent-1"><p><span class="prefix-number">5.</span> Benefits paid under any compulsory benefits <span class="dictionary">law</span>. <a id="paragraph-202457" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/51.1-1159/#A5"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="B"><p><span class="prefix-number">B.</span> If the plan administrator deems a <span class="dictionary">participating employee</span> to be eligible for benefits from any of the sources listed in subdivisions A 3, A 4, and A 5, the plan administrator may direct the <span class="dictionary">participating employee</span> to apply for those benefits and to pursue whatever additional steps are necessary to obtain the benefits. If a <span class="dictionary">participating employee</span> fails or refuses to pursue the available benefits as directed by the plan administrator, <span class="dictionary">disability benefit</span> payments may be offset by amounts from any of the sources listed in subdivisions A 3, A 4, and A 5 for which a <span class="dictionary">participating employee</span> is deemed eligible by the plan administrator as if the employee received such amounts. However, if the employee has applied for such benefits, and has reapplied and appealed denials of the claim as requested by the administrator of the plan, and the claim is not approved, the employee&#x2019;s disability payments shall not be reduced thereby. <a id="paragraph-202458" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/51.1-1159/#B"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="C"><p><span class="prefix-number">C.</span> If a <span class="dictionary">participating employee</span>&#x2019;s <span class="dictionary">disability benefit</span> payments are reduced as the result of payments from sources listed in subdivisions A 3, A 4, and A 5 or pursuant to subsection B, the employee&#x2019;s <span class="dictionary">disability benefits</span> shall not thereafter be further reduced on account of cost-of-living increases in payments from such sources. <a id="paragraph-202459" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/51.1-1159/#C"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="D"><p><span class="prefix-number">D.</span> <span class="dictionary">Participating employees</span> shall be required to repay, with interest, to the Board or their employer, any overpayment of <span class="dictionary">disability benefits</span> on account of the failure of the employee to provide the Board or its designee with information necessary to make any of the reductions required to be made under this article. <a id="paragraph-202460" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/51.1-1159/#D"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="E"><p><span class="prefix-number">E.</span> Any payment to a <span class="dictionary">participating employee</span> that is later determined by the Board or by the employer to have been procured on the basis of any false statement or falsification of any record knowingly made by or on behalf of the member, or the employee&#x2019;s failure to make any required report of change in disability status, may be recovered from the employee by the Board, with interest, either by way of a credit against future payments due the employee, his survivor, and beneficiaries or by an action at <span class="dictionary">law</span> against the employee. <a id="paragraph-202461" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/51.1-1159/#E"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="F"><p><span class="prefix-number">F.</span> Notwithstanding the foregoing, <span class="dictionary">disability benefit</span> payments shall not be offset by military <span class="dictionary">disability benefits</span> payable to a <span class="dictionary">participating employee</span>. <a id="paragraph-202462" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/51.1-1159/#F"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section></text><history>2012, cc. 701, 823.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
