Advanced planning for your retirement can make applying for your benefits easier. It is recommended that you contact NEAP at least three months before your anticipated retirement. This will allow you and other sources time to gather and submit any required documents and information, and will allow NEAP the necessary time to have your benefit ready for your intended retirement date.

You must apply for a benefit by submitting an application. The application must be approved before any benefit can be paid. Benefits from NEAP are generally not paid until you stop working in covered employment.

If you are applying for a Disability Benefit, you should apply as soon as possible. However, you are not required to apply for a Disability Benefit if you become or are disabled. You may choose to leave your individual account in NEAP where it will continue to reflect NEAP's investment performance.

Federal laws governing NEAP allow 90 days to process an application for a Withdrawal Benefit or a Retirement Benefit and 45 days to process an application for a Disability Benefit.

NEAP's goal is to process an application within 30 days from the date it is received. There may be instances when an application takes longer to process, especially if we need to contact you or wait for your final contributions to be posted into your account. NEAP's Pension Services Representatives make every effort to process your application in a timely manner so that you can begin receiving benefits the month following the month in which your application was received.

You apply for a NEAP benefit by submitting a completed and signed application to NEBF. You may download a NEAP Benefit Application Packet or you may obtain an application by contacting the NEAP office. When you contact NEAP to request an application, you will need to provide your full name, Social Security number, date of birth and current mailing address.

To assist you in completing the application, a brief tutorial can be viewed, which can be found on the Plan Documents and Forms page under Tutorials.