For former Major League players, disability eligibility comes down to credited service. Former players need at least 4 years of it to qualify for MLB Total & Permanent disability. Plenty of players assume they're short when they aren't, because partial seasons add up in ways that aren't obvious.
How credited service is counted
- A full season earns one year. That's a full regular season on a Major League active roster, typically 172 days.
- Partial seasons earn quarter years. In a partial season, every 43 days earns a quarter year of credited service.
- Injured list time counts. Days on the IL count toward credited service. Some other time can count, too.
An example
Here's how a player with two full seasons and three partial seasons might add up:
In this example, the player is one quarter short by this count. That's exactly the kind of case worth checking against the official record, since injured list time and other qualifying days can change the total.
The other eligibility rules
- You must be unable to work in any job for substantial pay, due to an illness or injury expected to last at least five years
- Former players must not have started their MLB pension
- There's no filing window tied to how long ago you left the game
If you apply within six months of becoming disabled, benefits are paid back to the date your disability began.
What MLB Total & Permanent pays
$6,000 a month until age 62, plus $600 a month for each qualified dependent. If your claim is denied, you have 180 days to appeal to the Pension Committee.