Eligibility for Benefits

For a normal retirement annuity, a member may voluntarily retire with 28 years of actual service, regardless of age, or at age 52 with five years of actual service. For an early retirement annuity, a member may retire once the member’s age is within 10 years of becoming eligible for normal retirement.

If you retire early, your benefit will be reduced by ½ of 1% for each month your retirement precedes the normal retirement age.

Eligibility for Disability Benefits

To be eligible for disability benefits, you must have five years of actual service, but that requirement is waived if you receive Workers’ Compensation for a disability arising solely and exclusively out of an injury in the course of your employment as a state trooper.

Upon application filed with the Board of Trustees of the system or by the Director of the Arkansas State Police on behalf of the member, a member who is in the employ of the Arkansas State Police, who becomes totally and permanently incapacitated for duty in the employ of the Arkansas State Police by reason of a personal injury or disease may be retired by the Board of Trustees, but only after a medical examination of the member.

The examination shall be made by or under the direction of a board of medical professionals as defined in the rules of the Board of Trustees, using the active-duty criteria supplied by Arkansas State Police in determining the extent of the disability.

Disability Minimum Benefit-Tier One

For Tier One members, the disability annuity shall not be less than 20% of his or her final average compensation.

Tier One DROP

In lieu of terminating employment and accepting a service retirement pension, a Tier One member with 28 years of credited service and who is eligible to receive a service retirement pension, full or reduced, may elect to participate in the DROP.

In the DROP, a Tier One member receives 100% of the monthly retirement benefit that would have been payable if the member elected to cease employment and receive a service retirement pension. The funds shall be paid into the member’s DROP account.

Maximum Participation

A member may participate in the DROP for up to seven years. At the conclusion of a trooper’s participation in the plan, he or she shall terminate employment and start receiving his or her monthly annuity from ASPRS. The balance of the DROP account will be paid out according to the member’s election.

DROP Payout

When a member exits the DROP, he or she may elect to receive the accrued DROP account balance as a lump sum payment, a rollover to another retirement plan, a monthly annuity, or a combination of these payment methods.

If a member dies prior to exiting the DROP, the DROP balance will be paid to the member’s designated beneficiary.

Benefit Estimates

You can request a benefit estimate for a projection of what you will earn in retirement or in the DROP. You can run an estimate in your myASPRS portal by clicking Your Benefits, then New Estimate, or you can request a counselor-prepared estimate by calling 501-682-7800.

How to Apply

If you are ready to apply for retirement or the DROP, you may apply in myASPRS by clicking Your Benefits, then Apply for Benefit. If you prefer a paper application, contact our retirement support center at 501-682-7800.

Frequently Asked Questions:

What are the available annuity options under ASPRS?

• Straight Life/Automatic Survivor (Tier One)
• Option A60
• Option A120
• Option B50
• Option B75

Can you explain the Straight Life/Automatic Survivor (Tier One) option?

If you select the straight life annuity, monthly benefits will be paid for your lifetime. Upon your death, the following benefits will be automatic:

1. Your spouse will receive 75% of your benefit amount if he or she has care of your dependent children who were born before you retired.
2. This spousal benefit will reduce to 50% of your benefit when there are no longer any dependent children in his or her care. The benefit will be 50% from the beginning if there are no dependent children. The spousal benefit ceases if the spouse remarries. If the spouse again becomes unmarried, the benefit is reinstated.
3. If you have no eligible spouse at the time of your death, or if any eligible spouse dies or remarries, then your dependent children will each receive an equal share of 75% of your benefit amount. No one child can receive more than 25% of your benefit.

Can you explain Option A60 and Option A120?

Under these annuity options, a monthly annuity will be paid for your lifetime. If you die before receiving 60 (for Option A60) or 120 (for Option A120) monthly payments, your beneficiary will receive the remaining monthly annuity payments, less the temporary annuity (if applicable). 

You may name anyone you choose as an Option A60 or Option A120 beneficiary. If you name multiple beneficiaries, the benefit will be divided among them. Please note that a beneficiary cannot be removed except for death or divorce.

• Under Option A60, you will receive 96% of the Straight Life annuity amount. 
• Under Option A120, you will receive 90% of the Straight Life annuity amount.

Example: a member selected Option A120 at retirement and died after receiving 47 monthly payments. The beneficiary(ies) will be eligible to receive the remaining 73 monthly payments (less the temporary annuity, if applicable).

Can you explain Option B50 and Option B75? 

Under these annuity options, a monthly annuity will be paid for your lifetime. When you die, your beneficiary will receive 50% (Option B50) or 75% (Option B75) of your monthly annuity, less the temporary annuity (if applicable), for the beneficiary’s lifetime.

For these options, your beneficiary must be either your spouse (to whom you have been married for at least six months) or a dependent child 40 years of age or older whom you claimed as a dependent on the previous year’s federal tax return.

• Under Option B50, you will receive 83% of the Straight Life annuity amount, adjusted upward or downward 0.5% for each year difference in age between you and your beneficiary. 
• Under Option B75, you will receive 78% (Tier One) of the Straight Life annuity amount, adjusted upward or downward 0.75% for each year difference in age between you and your beneficiary.

Example: a member selected Option B50. The beneficiary will be eligible to receive 50% of what the member was receiving monthly (less the temporary annuity, if applicable) for the beneficiary’s lifetime. If the member was receiving $1,000.00 monthly, then the beneficiary would receive $500.00 monthly.

Can you explain the temporary annuity?

The temporary annuity is a benefit payable to non-contributory members who retire prior to the age of 62. It is payable only to the member and expires when the member turns age 62 or dies.