40 ILCS 5/15-145

(40 ILCS 5/15-145) (from Ch. 108 1/2, par. 15-145)

Sec. 15-145. Survivors insurance benefits; conditions and amounts.

(a) The survivors insurance benefits provided under this Section shall be payable to the eligible survivors of a Tier 1 member covered under the traditional benefit package upon the death of (1) a participating employee with at least 1 1/2 years of service, (2) a participant who terminated employment with at least 10 years of service, and (3) an annuitant in receipt of a retirement annuity or disability retirement annuity under this Article.

Service under the State Employees' Retirement System of Illinois, the Teachers' Retirement System of the State of Illinois and the Public School Teachers' Pension and Retirement Fund of Chicago shall be considered in determining eligibility for survivors benefits under this Section.

If by law, a function of a governmental unit, as defined by Section 20-107, is transferred in whole or in part to an employer, and an employee transfers employment from this governmental unit to such employer within 6 months after the transfer of this function, the service credits in the governmental unit's retirement system which have been validated under Section 20-109 shall be considered in determining eligibility for survivors benefits under this Section.

(b) A surviving spouse of a deceased participant, or of a deceased annuitant who did not take a refund or additional annuity consisting of accumulated survivors insurance contributions or who repaid the refund or additional annuity, shall receive a survivors annuity of 30% of the final rate of earnings. Payments shall begin on the day following the participant's or annuitant's death or the date the surviving spouse attains age 50, whichever is later, and continue until the death of the surviving spouse. The annuity shall be payable to the surviving spouse prior to attainment of age 50 if the surviving spouse has in his or her care a deceased participant's or annuitant's dependent unmarried child under age 18 (under age 22 if a full-time student) who is eligible for a survivors annuity.

Remarriage of a surviving spouse prior to attainment of age 55 that occurs before the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 91st General Assembly shall disqualify him or her for the receipt of a survivors annuity until July 6, 2000.

A surviving spouse whose survivors annuity has been terminated due to remarriage may apply for reinstatement of that annuity. The reinstated annuity shall begin to accrue on July 6, 2000, except that if, on July 6, 2000, the annuity is payable to an eligible surviving child or parent, payment of the annuity to the surviving spouse shall not be reinstated until the annuity is no longer payable to any eligible surviving child or parent. The reinstated annuity shall include any one-time or annual increases received prior to the date of termination, as well as any increases that would otherwise have accrued from the date of termination to the date of reinstatement. An eligible surviving spouse whose expectation of receiving a survivors annuity was lost due to remarriage before attainment of age 50 shall also be entitled to reinstatement under this subsection, but the resulting survivors annuity shall not begin to accrue sooner than upon the surviving spouse's attainment of age 50.

The changes made to this subsection by this amendatory Act of the 92nd General Assembly (pertaining to remarriage prior to age 55 or 50) apply without regard to whether the deceased participant or annuitant was in service on or after the effective date of this amendatory Act.

(c) Each dependent unmarried child under age 18 (under age 22 if a full-time student) of a deceased participant, or of a deceased annuitant who did not take a refund or additional annuity consisting of accumulated survivors insurance contributions or who repaid the refund or additional annuity, shall receive a survivors annuity equal to the sum of (1) 20% of the final rate of earnings, and (2) 10% of the final rate of earnings divided by the number of children entitled to this benefit. Payments shall begin on the day following the participant's or annuitant's death and continue until the child marries, dies, or attains age 18 (age 22 if a full-time student). If the child is in the care of a surviving spouse who is eligible for survivors insurance benefits, the child's benefit shall be paid to the surviving spouse.

Each unmarried child over age 18 of a deceased participant or of a deceased annuitant who had a survivor's insurance beneficiary at the time of his or her retirement, and who was dependent upon the participant or annuitant by reason of a physical or mental disability which began prior to the date the child attained age 18, shall receive a survivor's annuity equal to the sum of (1) 20% of the final rate of earnings, and (2) 10% of the final rate of earnings divided by the number of children entitled to survivors benefits. Payments shall begin on the day following the participant's or annuitant's death and continue until the child marries, dies, or is no longer disabled. If the child is in the care of a surviving spouse who is eligible for survivors insurance benefits, the child's benefit may be paid to the surviving spouse. For the purposes of this Section, disability means inability to engage in any substantial gainful activity by reason of any medically determinable physical or mental impairment that can be expected to result in death or that has lasted or can be expected to last for a continuous period of at least one year.

(d) Each dependent parent of a deceased participant, or of a deceased annuitant who did not take a refund or additional annuity consisting of accumulated survivors insurance contributions or who repaid the refund or additional annuity, shall receive a survivors annuity equal to the sum of (1) 20% of final rate of earnings, and (2) 10% of final rate of earnings divided by the number of parents who qualify for the benefit. Payments shall begin when the parent reaches age 55 or the day following the participant's or annuitant's death, whichever is later, and continue until the parent dies. Remarriage of a parent prior to attainment of age 55 shall disqualify the parent for the receipt of a survivors annuity.

(e) In addition to the survivors annuity provided above, each survivors insurance beneficiary shall, upon death of the participant or annuitant, receive a lump sum payment of $1,000 divided by the number of such beneficiaries.

(f) The changes made in this Section by Public Act 81-712 pertaining to survivors annuities in cases of remarriage prior to age 55 shall apply to each survivors insurance beneficiary who remarries after June 30, 1979, regardless of the date that the participant or annuitant terminated his employment or died.

The change made to this Section by this amendatory Act of the 91st General Assembly, pertaining to remarriage prior to age 55, applies without regard to whether the deceased participant or annuitant was in service on or after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 91st General Assembly.

(g) On January 1, 1981, any person who was receiving a survivors annuity on or before January 1, 1971 shall have the survivors annuity then being paid increased by 1% for each full year which has elapsed from the date the annuity began. On January 1, 1982, any survivor whose annuity began after January 1, 1971, but before January 1, 1981, shall have the survivor's annuity then being paid increased by 1% for each year which has elapsed from the date the survivor's annuity began. On January 1, 1987, any survivor who began receiving a survivor's annuity on or before January 1, 1977, shall have the monthly survivor's annuity increased by $1 for each full year which has elapsed since the date the survivor's annuity began.

(h) If the sum of the lump sum and total monthly survivor benefits payable under this Section upon the death of a participant amounts to less than the sum of the death benefits payable under items (2) and (3) of Section 15-141, the difference shall be paid in a lump sum to the beneficiary of the participant who is living on the date that this additional amount becomes payable.

(i) If the sum of the lump sum and total monthly survivor benefits payable under this Section upon the death of an annuitant receiving a retirement annuity or disability retirement annuity amounts to less than the death benefit payable under Section 15-142, the difference shall be paid to the beneficiary of the annuitant who is living on the date that this additional amount becomes payable.

(j) Effective on the later of (1) January 1, 1990, or (2) the January 1 on or next after the date on which the survivor annuity begins, if the deceased member died while receiving a retirement annuity, or in all other cases the January 1 nearest the first anniversary of the date the survivor annuity payments begin, every survivors insurance beneficiary shall receive an increase in his or her monthly survivors annuity of 3%. On each January 1 after the initial increase, the monthly survivors annuity shall be increased by 3% of the total survivors annuity provided under this Article, including previous increases provided by this subsection. Such increases shall apply to the survivors insurance beneficiaries of each participant and annuitant, whether or not the employment status of the participant or annuitant terminates before the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1990. This subsection (j) also applies to persons receiving a survivor annuity under the portable benefit package.

(k) If the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, requires that the survivors benefits be payable at an age earlier than that specified in this Section the benefits shall begin at the earlier age, in which event, the survivor's beneficiary shall be entitled only to that amount which is equal to the actuarial equivalent of the benefits provided by this Section.

(l) The changes made to this Section and Section 15-131 by this amendatory Act of 1997, relating to benefits for certain unmarried children who are full-time students under age 22, apply without regard to whether the deceased member was in service on or after the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1997. These changes do not authorize the repayment of a refund or a re-election of benefits, and any benefit or increase in benefits resulting from these changes is not payable retroactively for any period before the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1997.

(Source: P.A. 101-321, eff. 8-9-19.)