(40 ILCS 5/7-217) (from Ch. 108 1/2, par. 7-217)

Sec. 7-217. Payment of benefits and assignments.

(a) Except as otherwise provided in this Section, all moneys in the Fund created by this Article, and all securities and other property of the Fund, and all annuities and other benefits payable under this Article, and all accumulated contributions and other credits of employees in this Fund, and the right of any person to receive an annuity or other benefit under this Article, or a refund or return of contributions, shall not be subject to judgment, execution, garnishment, attachment, or other seizure by process, in bankruptcy or otherwise, nor to sale, pledge, mortgage or other alienation, and shall not be assignable. Notwithstanding Section 1-103.1, the changes in this Section made by this amendatory Act of 1991 shall not be limited to persons in service on or after its effective date. All annuities and other benefits payable under this Fund and all accumulated credits of employees in the Fund shall be exempt from state and municipal taxes.

(b) The board, in its discretion, may:

1. Pay to the wife of any annuitant or employee such portion, or all, of any retirement annuity, disability benefit, or separation benefit payable to an annuitant or employee, in the event of the disappearance or unexplained absence, or the failure to support such wife or children, as the board may consider necessary for the support of the wife or children of the annuitant or employee.

2. Where a temporary or total and permanent disability benefit becomes payable and the amount may be reduced by application of Section 7-148(b) or Section 7-152(b), postpone making the reduction, if there is a delay in the determination whether a disability benefit is payable under the Federal Social Security Act, until the determination has been made. The Board may retain out of any annuity or benefit to the participating employee or to any person taking through him the amount of any payment which is not reduced by reason of this paragraph.

3. Pay amounts payable to a minor or person under legal disability to a representative payee assuming responsibility for such minor or person under legal disability, waiving guardianship.

(c) The board may retain out of any annuity or benefit payable to any person such amount or amounts as the board may determine are owing to the fund because required employee contributions were not made, in whole or in part, or employee obligations to return refunds were not made, or because money was paid to any annuitant or employee through misrepresentation, fraud or error.

(d) The board and the fund shall be held free from any liability for any money retained or paid in accordance with this section and the employee shall be assumed to have assented and agreed to any such disposition of money due.

(e) An annuitant entitled to receive an annuity may, for personal reasons and without disclosure thereof, request the board in writing to suspend for any period payment of all or any part of such annuity otherwise payable hereunder. The board, on receipt of such request, shall authorize such suspension, in which event the annuitant shall be deemed to have forfeited all rights to the amount of annuity so suspended, but shall retain the right to have full annuity otherwise payable reinstated as to future monthly payments upon written notice to the board of his desire to revoke his prior request for a suspension under this paragraph.

(f) The board may reimburse any municipality or participating instrumentality for employee contributions due such municipality or participating instrumentality, from funds withheld by the board pursuant to this Section.

(g) An annuitant may authorize the withholding of a portion of his annuity for payment of dues to any labor organization designated by the annuitant; however, no portion of annuities may be withheld pursuant to this subsection for payment to any one labor organization unless a minimum of 100 annuitants authorize such withholding, except that the Board may allow such withholding for less than 100 annuitants during a probationary period of between 3 and 6 months, as determined by the Board. The Board shall prescribe a form for the authorization of such withholding, and shall provide such forms to employees, annuitants and labor organizations upon request. Amounts withheld by the Board under this subsection shall be promptly paid over to the designated organizations.

(Source: P.A. 87-740.)