Art. 19 Disability pension

1 Individuals are entitled to disability benefits if they are disabled as defined under Federal Disability Insurance (IV) and were insured at the onset of the work incapacity whose cause is the reason for the disability. After early retirement, at the latest when the reference age is reached, no entitlement to disability benefits can arise.

2 If the degree of disability amounts to at least 70%, a full disability pension is paid. If the degree of disability is less than 70%, benefits are paid according to the degree of disability. No benefits are payable in the case of partial disability of less than 25%. Pension adjustments are only made if the Federal Disability Insurance (IV) system increases, reduces or abolishes its pension and if the degree of disability that is relevant for the Pension Fund changes by at least 5 percentage points.

If the degree of disability is less than 40%, the Pension Fund is entitled to review and adjust the degree of disability at any time. The insured member is obliged to undergo medical examinations and submit the current salary statement or tax return to the Pension Fund each year unsolicited. An increase in actual income from gainful employment results in the degree of disability being adjusted without the need for any additional medical clarification. The new degree of disability is calculated based on the income at the time partial disability occurs (including the adjustment to reflect the nominal salary index) and the income currently earned. If the insured’s state of health deteriorates, the insured can submit a new pension request or a revision request to the Pension Fund.

3 The full disability pension amounts to 50% of the insured salary on the occurrence of the insured event.

4 In the event that the disability is brought about or aggravated intentionally, only the minimum benefits in accordance with the BVG are paid, but this will be reduced to the same extent as any reduction, termination or refusal of benefits by the IV.

5 Entitlement to the disability pension shall commence at the same time as entitlement to the IV pension, but not before the salary entitlement or entitlement to substitute salary payments (daily benefits for sickness and accidents) has ceased, which is usually subject to a waiting period of 24 months.

Subject to Art. 20, entitlement expires

in the event of the death of the insured member; or
if the disability ceases; or
on reaching the reference age, from that date the insured person is entitled to an retirement pension in accordance with Art. 10.

6 The retirement pension, which replaces the disability pension on reaching the reference age, is determined in accordance with Art. 10. In addition, a vested rights supplement is added, which is calculated as follows (Annex 7):

Vested rights supplement = (disability pension – retirement pension) * (retirement savings / maximum retirement savings)

The disability pension at the time the individual reaches the reference age is decisive for the purposes of calculating the vested rights supplement. Both the retirement savings and the maximum retirement savings relate to the date when disability occurred (or the date of the last increase or reduction in the degree of disability before the individual reached the reference age) and are taken into account in line with the degree of disability (i.e. at a rate of 100% where the degree of disability is 70% or higher). The maximum retirement savings are measured based on the buy-in table for the standard plan (Annex 4).

A maximum of one old-age pension with vested rights supplement will be paid in the amount of the disability pension paid to date. If the disability pension is lower than the old-age pension pursuant to Art. 10 without vested rights supplement, the old-age pension pursuant to Art. 10 without vested rights supplement will be paid.

7 The Pension Fund has the right to review the existence and extent of the entitlement to the disability pension at any time.