A person who becomes an affected annuitant remains an affected annuitant, except for (i) any period during which the person returns to active service and does not receive a retirement annuity from the System or (ii) any period on or after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 100th General Assembly during which an annuitant received an annualized retirement annuity under this Article that is less than $10,000.

(c) It is the obligation of the employer to determine whether an annuitant is an affected annuitant before employing the annuitant. For that purpose the employer may require the annuitant to disclose and document his or her relevant prior employment and earnings history. Failure of the  employer to make this determination correctly and in a timely manner or to include this determination with the notification required under subsection (a) does not excuse the employer from making the contribution required under subsection (e).

The System may assist the employer in determining whether a person is an affected annuitant. The System shall inform  the employer if it discovers that  the employer's determination is inconsistent with  the employment and earnings information  in the System's records.

(d) Upon the request of an annuitant, the System shall  certify to the annuitant or the employer the following information as reported by the employers,  as that information is indicated in the records of the System: (i) the annuitant's highest annual earnings prior
to retirement, (ii) the compensation paid for that employment in each academic year, and (iii) whether any of that  employment or compensation has been certified to the System as being paid from federal, corporate, foundation, or trust funds or grants of State funds that identify the principal investigator by name. The System shall only be required to certify information that is received from the employers.

(e) In addition to the requirements of subsection (a), an employer who employs an affected annuitant must pay to the System an employer contribution in the amount and manner provided in this Section, unless the annuitant is compensated by that employer solely from federal, corporate, foundation, or trust funds or grants of State funds that identify the principal investigator by name.

The  employer contribution required under this Section for employment of an affected annuitant in an academic year shall be equal to 12 times the amount of the gross monthly retirement annuity payable to the annuitant for the month in which the first paid day of that employment in that academic year occurs, after  any reduction in that annuity that may be imposed under subsection (b) of Section 15-139.

If an affected annuitant is employed by more than one employer in an academic year, the employer contribution required under this Section shall be divided among those employers in proportion to their respective portions of the total compensation paid to the affected annuitant for that employment  during that academic year.

If the System determines that an employer, without reasonable justification, has failed to make the determination of affected annuitant status  correctly and in a timely manner, or has failed to notify the System or to correctly document or certify to the System any of the information required by this Section, and that failure results  in a delayed determination by the System that a contribution is payable under this Section, then the amount of that employer's  contribution otherwise determined under this Section shall be doubled.

The System shall deem a failure to correctly determine the annuitant's status to be justified  if the employer establishes to the System's satisfaction  that the employer, after due diligence, made an erroneous determination that the annuitant was not an affected annuitant due to reasonable reliance on false or misleading  information provided  by the annuitant or another employer, or  an error in the annuitant's official employment or earnings records.

(f)  Whenever the System determines that an employer is liable for a contribution under this Section, it shall so notify the employer and certify the amount of the contribution. The employer may pay the required contribution without interest at any time within one year after receipt of the certification. If the employer fails to pay within that year, then interest shall be charged at a rate equal to the System's prescribed rate of interest, compounded annually from the 366th day after receipt of the certification from the System.  Payment must be concluded within 2 years after receipt of the certification by the employer.  If the employer fails to make complete payment, including applicable interest,  within 2 years, then the System may, after giving notice to the employer, certify the delinquent amount to the State Comptroller, and the Comptroller shall thereupon deduct the certified delinquent amount from State funds payable to the employer and pay  them instead to the System.

(g) If an employer is required to make a contribution to the System as a result of employing an affected annuitant and the annuitant later elects to forgo his or her annuity in that same academic year pursuant to subsection (c) of Section 15-139, then the required contribution by the employer shall be waived, and if the  contribution has already been paid, it shall be refunded to the employer without interest.

(h) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Article, the  employer contribution required under this Section shall not be included in the determination of any benefit under this Article or any other Article of this Code, regardless of whether the annuitant returns to active service, and is in addition to any other State or employer contribution required under this Article.

(i) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Section to the contrary, if an employer employs an affected annuitant in order to continue critical operations in the event of either an employee's unforeseen illness, accident, or death or a catastrophic incident or disaster, then, for one and only one academic year, the employer is not required to pay the contribution set forth in this Section for that annuitant. The employer shall, however, immediately notify the System upon employing a person subject to this subsection (i). For the purposes of this subsection (i), "critical operations" means teaching services, medical services,  student welfare services, and any other  services that are critical to the mission of the employer.

(j)  This Section shall be applied and coordinated with the regulatory obligations contained in the State Universities Civil Service Act.  This Section shall not apply to an annuitant if the employer of that annuitant provides documentation to the System that (1) the annuitant is employed in a status appointment position, as that term is defined in 80 Ill. Adm. Code 250.80, and (2) due to obligations contained under the State Universities Civil Service Act, the employer does not have the ability to limit the earnings or duration of employment for the annuitant while employed in the status appointment position.

(Source: P.A. 100-556, eff. 12-8-17.)