Higher Education Emeritus Retirement Benefits

C.R.S. tit. 23, art. 6

in effect

C.R.S. § 23-6-101 Persons eligible for benefits

23-6-101. Persons eligible for benefits. (1) This article shall apply to all presidents, deans, professors, administrators, instructors, and research workers, referred to in this article as "faculty members", retired from service of state institutions of higher education in Colorado, to their dependent surviving spouses, and to the surviving spouses of said faculty members who have died in service after ten or more years of employment in said state institutions. (2) Any faculty members applying for benefits under this article: (a) Shall have served as such faculty member at least fifteen years in one or more state institutions of higher education in Colorado, shall be at least sixty-five years of age, and shall have retired prior to July 1, 1962; (b) Shall have retired at any age and at any time, at the initiative of the Colorado institution where last serving, for disability regarded as rendering such faculty member unfit for further service if such faculty member has served at least fifteen years and the president of the institution so retiring such member certifies to the commissioner of education as to the disability of such member; (c) Shall, prior to July 1, 1962, have attained the age of sixty years and shall, upon the date of his retirement, have served at least twenty years; or (d) Shall, prior to July 1, 1962, have attained the age of sixty years and shall, upon the date of his retirement, have served at least ten but less than twenty years. (3) Any surviving spouse of any deceased faculty member applying for benefits under this article: (a) Shall have been married to said faculty member on the date on which eligibility of said member for retirement benefits under this article was established under the provisions of paragraphs (a) to (c) of subsection (2) of this section; (b) Shall have been married to said faculty member on the date on which eligibility of said member for retirement benefits under this article was established under the provisions of paragraph (d) of subsection (2) of this section; (c) Shall have been married to said faculty member who died in service after twenty years of employment in state institutions of higher education in Colorado; (d) Shall have been married to said faculty member who died in service after ten or more years of employment in state institutions of higher education in Colorado; (e) May be of any age.

C.R.S. § 23-6-102 Application

23-6-102. Application. Any faculty member or surviving spouse of such faculty member eligible under section 23-6-101 who is not receiving a pension or annuity under a retirement system supported in whole or in part from the state or its political subdivisions which is in excess of the retirement benefits provided for by this article shall make application to the commissioner of education for retirement benefits.

C.R.S. § 23-6-103 Benefits commence - when

23-6-103. Benefits commence - when. All faculty members or their surviving spouses who are declared eligible by the commissioner of education to receive the retirement benefits provided by this article shall receive a monthly benefit provided in this article effective the first month after the commissioner declares the faculty member or surviving spouse so eligible. All faculty members or their surviving spouses receiving retirement benefits under this article before June 8, 1967, shall receive the increased benefits provided in this article effective on or after the first month following said date without being required further to establish eligibility to receive such retirement benefits.

C.R.S. § 23-6-104 Fund - limitation on pension

23-6-104. Fund - limitation on pension. (1) There is hereby created a state institutions of higher education emeritus retirement fund from which the commissioner of education shall authorize payments from such appropriations as are made to the fund, as follows: (a) (I) To any faculty member eligible under section 23-6-101 (2)(a), (2)(b), or (2)(c), a monthly payment of two hundred forty dollars or a lesser sum which, together with any pension or retirement benefit or annuity which at the time of his retirement he was eligible to receive from any other retirement or annuity pension fund supported in whole or in part by the state of Colorado or its political subdivisions, provides a total retirement income of three hundred fifty dollars per month; and, effective July 1, 1975, and each year thereafter, said amount shall be increased by three percent. (II) For the fiscal year commencing July 1, 1980, payments and amounts provided for in subparagraph (I) of this paragraph (a) shall be increased by eight percent or the average percentage increase in the state salary survey for 1980-81, whichever is higher. Effective July 1, 1981, and each fiscal year thereafter, the percentage increase shall be commensurate with the average state salary survey percentage increase. (b) To any faculty member eligible under section 23-6-101 (2)(d), a monthly payment determined as specified in paragraph (a) of this subsection (1) after multiplying each dollar sum specified therein by that fraction given by multiplying years of service by one-twentieth; (c) To any surviving spouse eligible under section 23-6-101 (3)(a) or (3)(c), a monthly payment of one hundred twenty-five dollars or a lesser sum which, together with any pension or annuity or retirement benefit received from any other retirement or annuity pension fund supported in whole or in part by the state of Colorado or its political subdivisions, provides a total retirement benefit of one hundred seventy-five dollars per month; (d) To any surviving spouse eligible under section 23-6-101 (3)(b) or (3)(d), a monthly payment determined as specified in paragraph (c) of this subsection (1) after multiplying each dollar sum specified therein by that fraction determined by multiplying years of faculty member's service by one-twentieth. (2) If at any time there are insufficient moneys in the state institutions of higher education emeritus retirement fund to pay the full amount of the retirement benefits provided by this article, said moneys shall be distributed as follows: (a) Each eligible faculty member shall receive that payment which, together with all other retirement benefits supported in whole or in part by the state of Colorado or its political subdivisions, provides a retirement income of two hundred dollars per month, or the surviving spouse shall receive one hundred dollars per month. (b) From the moneys remaining after the above specified allotments are made, each faculty member shall receive that additional payment which, together with all other retirement benefits supported in whole or in part by the state of Colorado or its political subdivisions, provides a retirement income of two hundred fifty dollars per month, or the surviving spouse shall receive one hundred twenty-five dollars per month. (c) All moneys remaining after the above specified allotments are fulfilled shall be prorated among all eligible recipients to provide, within the limits of the moneys available, those additional benefits for which each is eligible under subsection (1)(a) to (1)(d) of this section.

Source: Open US Law by Vaquill AI (CC BY 4.0)URL: https://leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/images/olls/crs2024-title-23.docxFetched: 10/6/2026