State of Illinois
92nd General Assembly
Legislation

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92_SB0821

 
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 1        AN ACT in relation to public employee benefits.

 2        Be it enacted by the People of  the  State  of  Illinois,
 3    represented in the General Assembly:

 4        Section  5.   The  Illinois  Pension  Code  is amended by
 5    changing Sections  17-121,  17-122,  17-124,  and  17-125  as
 6    follows:

 7        (40 ILCS 5/17-121) (from Ch. 108 1/2, par. 17-121)
 8        Sec.   17-121.   Survivor's  and  Children's  pensions  -
 9    Eligibility.  A  surviving  spouse  of  a  teacher  shall  be
10    entitled to a survivor's pension only if he  was  married  to
11    the contributor for at least 1 1/2 years immediately prior to
12    his  death or retirement, whichever first occurs, and also on
13    the date of the last termination of his service.
14        If the surviving spouse is under age 50 and there are  no
15    eligible  minor  children  born  to or legally adopted by the
16    contributor  and  his  surviving  spouse,  payment   of   the
17    survivor's  pension  shall  begin  when  the surviving spouse
18    attains age 50.
19        Remarriage of the surviving spouse prior to September  1,
20    1983   while   in  receipt  of  a  survivor's  pension  shall
21    permanently terminate  payment  thereof,  regardless  of  any
22    subsequent  change  in  marital  status;  however,  beginning
23    September  1,  1983,  remarriage  of a surviving spouse after
24    attainment of age  55  shall  not  terminate  the  survivor's
25    pension.
26        A  surviving  spouse  whose  pension was terminated on or
27    after September 1, 1983 due to remarriage after attainment of
28    age 55, and who applies for  reinstatement  of  that  pension
29    before January 1, 1990, shall be entitled to have the pension
30    reinstated effective January 1, 1990.
31    (Source: P.A. 86-273.)
 
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 1        (40 ILCS 5/17-122) (from Ch. 108 1/2, par. 17-122)
 2        Sec. 17-122. Survivor's and children's pensions - Amount.
 3    Upon  the death of a teacher who has completed at least 1 1/2
 4    years of contributing service with either this  Fund  or  the
 5    State   Universities   Retirement  System  or  the  Teachers'
 6    Retirement System of the  State  of  Illinois,  provided  his
 7    death  occurred  while  (a)  in active service covered by the
 8    Fund or during his first 18 months of  continuous  employment
 9    without  a  break  in  service  under any other participating
10    system  as  defined  in  the  Illinois   Retirement   Systems
11    Reciprocal  Act  except  the  State  Universities  Retirement
12    System  and  the  Teachers' Retirement System of the State of
13    Illinois, (b) on a creditable leave  of  absence,  (c)  on  a
14    noncreditable  leave  of absence of no more than one year, or
15    (d) a pension was deferred or pending  provided  the  teacher
16    had  at  least  10 years of validated service credit, or upon
17    the  death  of  a  pensioner  otherwise  qualified  for  such
18    benefit, the surviving spouse, eligible and  unmarried  minor
19    children  of the deceased teacher under age 18, and dependent
20    parents  of  the  deceased  teacher  shall  be  entitled   to
21    pensions,  under  the  conditions  stated  hereinafter.  Such
22    survivor's and children's pensions  shall  be  based  on  the
23    average  of  the 4 highest consecutive years of salary in the
24    last 10 years of service or on the average salary  for  total
25    service,  if  total  service  has  been  less  than  4 years,
26    according to the following percentages:
27        30% of average salary or 50% of  the  retirement  pension
28    earned  by  the  teacher, whichever is larger, subject to the
29    prescribed maximum monthly payment, for  a  surviving  spouse
30    alone on attainment of age 50;
31        60%   of  average  salary  for  a  surviving  spouse  and
32    eligible minor children of the deceased teacher.
33        If no eligible spouse survives, or the  surviving  spouse
34    remarries,  or  the  parent  of  the children of the deceased
 
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 1    member is otherwise ineligible for a  survivor's  pension,  a
 2    children's  pension  for eligible minor children under age 18
 3    shall be paid to their parent or  legal  guardian  for  their
 4    benefit according to the following percentages:
 5        30% of average salary for one child;
 6        60% of average salary for 2 or more children.
 7        A  disabled  child  who  was  dependent  upon  a deceased
 8    teacher at the time of his  or  her  death  whose  children's
 9    pension  was terminated due to attainment of age 18 may apply
10    to  the  Fund  for  reinstatement  of   that   pension.    An
11    application  for  reinstatement  shall  be accompanied by the
12    payment of an amount equal to (1) the amount  of  any  refund
13    received by the deceased teacher under Section 17-125 and (2)
14    interest  thereon  from the date of the payment of the refund
15    to the date of application for reinstatement at the  rate  of
16    6% per year.  The reinstated pension shall begin to accrue on
17    the   first   day  of  the  month  following  the  month  the
18    application is received by the Fund, but in no  event  sooner
19    than  January 1, 2002.  However, if the pension is payable to
20    anyone else, the pension shall not be  reinstated  until  the
21    pension is no longer payable to any eligible surviving spouse
22    or  other  eligible  children.   A  reinstated  annuity shall
23    include any one-time or annual increases  received  prior  to
24    the  date of termination, as well as any increases that would
25    otherwise have accrued from the date of  termination  to  the
26    date of reinstatement.
27        The  changes  made to this Section by this amendatory Act
28    of the 92nd General Assembly pertaining to reinstatement of a
29    children's pension apply notwithstanding Section  17-157  and
30    without regard to whether the deceased teacher was in service
31    on or after the effective date of this amendatory Act.
32        If  there  is  no  eligible spouse and no eligible child,
33    then a pension shall be paid to the eligible parents  of  the
34    deceased   teacher,   if  any,  according  to  the  following
 
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 1    percentages:
 2        30% of average salary for one eligible parent;
 3        60% of average salary for 2 eligible parents.
 4        On January  1,  1981,  any  survivor  or  child  who  was
 5    receiving  a  survivor's  or  children's pension on or before
 6    January 1, 1971, shall  have  his  survivor's  or  children's
 7    pension  then  being  paid increased by 1% for each full year
 8    which has elapsed from the date the pension began. On January
 9    1, 1982, any survivor or  child  whose  pension  began  after
10    January  1,  1971, but before January 1, 1981, shall have his
11    survivor's or children's pension then being paid increased 1%
12    for each full year  which  has  elapsed  from  the  date  the
13    pension  began.  On  January  1,  1987, any survivor or child
14    whose pension began on or before January 1, 1977, shall  have
15    the  monthly survivor's or children's pension increased by $1
16    for each full year which has elapsed since the pension began.
17        Beginning  January  1,   1990,   every   survivor's   and
18    children's  pension  shall be increased (1) on each January 1
19    occurring on or after the commencement of the pension if  the
20    deceased  teacher  died while receiving a retirement pension,
21    or (2) in other cases, on each  January  1  occurring  on  or
22    after  the  first  anniversary  of  the  commencement  of the
23    pension, by an amount equal to 3% of the  current  amount  of
24    the pension, including all increases previously granted under
25    this Article, notwithstanding Section 17-157.  Such increases
26    shall  apply  without  regard to whether the deceased teacher
27    was in service  on  or  after  the  effective  date  of  this
28    amendatory  Act  of 1991, but shall not accrue for any period
29    prior to January 1, 1990.
30        Subject to the minimum  established  below,  the  maximum
31    amount  of  pension for a surviving spouse alone or one minor
32    child shall be $400  per  month,  and  the  maximum  combined
33    pensions  for a surviving spouse and children of the deceased
34    teacher shall be $600 per  month,  with  individual  pensions
 
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 1    adjusted  for all beneficiaries pro rata to conform with this
 2    limitation.   If  proration  is   unnecessary   the   minimum
 3    survivor's  and  children's  pensions shall be $40 per month.
 4    The minimum total survivor's and children's  pension  payable
 5    upon  the  death  of  a contributor or annuitant which occurs
 6    after  December  31,  1986,  shall  be  50%  of  the   earned
 7    retirement   pension   of   such  contributor  or  annuitant,
 8    calculated without early retirement discount in the  case  of
 9    death in service.
10        On  death  after  retirement,  the  total  survivor's and
11    children's pensions shall not exceed the  monthly  retirement
12    or   disability   pension  paid  to  the  deceased  retirant.
13    Survivor's and children's benefits described in this  Section
14    shall apply to all service and disability pensioners eligible
15    for a pension as of July 1, 1981.
16        For  the  purposes  of  this  Section, the term "eligible
17    child" means an unmarried minor child of a  deceased  teacher
18    who is under 18 years of age or a child of a deceased teacher
19    who  is  disabled and was dependent upon the deceased teacher
20    at the time of his or her death.
21        For the purposes of  this  Section,  the  term  "eligible
22    parent"  means  a  parent  of  a  deceased  teacher  who  was
23    dependent upon the teacher at the time of his or her death.
24        In  this  Article,  the  term  "survivor's and children's
25    benefits" includes benefits paid to an  eligible  parent  and
26    the  term  "survivor's  and  children's  pension"  includes a
27    pension paid  to  an  eligible  parent,  unless  the  context
28    requires otherwise.
29    (Source: P.A. 90-32, eff. 6-27-97; 90-566, eff. 1-2-98.)

30        (40 ILCS 5/17-124) (from Ch. 108 1/2, par. 17-124)
31        Sec.  17-124.   Death  Benefits  -  Death  on pension. On
32    written application to the Board, there shall be paid to  the
33    estate  of  a  deceased  teacher-pensioner  pension payments,
 
                            -6-                LRB9205310LDpr
 1    accrued,  temporarily  withheld  or  represented  by   checks
 2    uncashed  at the date of his death and the excess, if any, of
 3    an amount equal to his refundable contributions  for  service
 4    or  disability retirement pension over pension to the date of
 5    death; provided, that if there be filed with the Board  prior
 6    to  the  death of the pensioner his written direction, signed
 7    and  acknowledged  before  an  officer  authorized  to   take
 8    acknowledgments,  that  such  payments  be paid to designated
 9    beneficiaries, they shall be so paid on  written  application
10    therefor to the Board. If none of several named beneficiaries
11    survives  the pensioner and no directive was furnished by the
12    member to cover this contingency, the deceased  beneficiary's
13    share shall be paid to the estate of the pensioner.
14        If  a  reversionary  pension  is  payable upon death of a
15    pensioner, the determination and payment  of  any  refund  of
16    contributions  payable  under this Section shall be made upon
17    death of the reversionary pensioner. At such time a refund of
18    contributions less (1)  the  amount  contributed  for  annual
19    increases  in  pension  and (2) total pension payments to the
20    teacher-pensioner and survivor shall be paid  in  the  manner
21    provided  in this Section to the designated beneficiaries, or
22    estate of the deceased survivor.
23        If a pension is payable to a surviving  spouse,  eligible
24    child, or an eligible parent and/or minor children upon death
25    of   a   pensioner,   the  determination  of  any  refund  of
26    contributions payable under this Section shall be  made  when
27    the last of those pensions is no longer payable upon death of
28    the  survivor  and  marriage or attainment of age 18 of minor
29    children.  At  that  time  a  refund  of  contributions   for
30    retirement  and survivors' and children's pensions less total
31    pension payments to the teacher-pensioner, surviving  spouse,
32    eligible  survivor  and  minor children, and eligible parents
33    shall be paid in the manner provided in this Section  to  the
34    designated beneficiaries, or estate of the deceased survivor.
 
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 1        If  eligible  beneficiaries  for survivors' or children's
 2    benefits existed at the time of a pensioner's retirement  but
 3    not  on the date of his death thereafter, the excess of total
 4    contributions for retirement and  survivors'  and  children's
 5    pensions over pensions paid shall be determined upon death of
 6    the pensioner and paid in the manner provided in this Section
 7    to  the  designated  beneficiaries, or estate of the deceased
 8    teacher-pensioner.
 9        Reversionary  or  survivor's  pension  payments  accrued,
10    temporarily withheld, or represented by  uncashed  checks  to
11    the   date  of  death  shall  be  paid  to  the  reversionary
12    pensioner's or survivor's designated beneficiaries, or estate
13    in the manner provided in this Section.
14        On death of a retired teacher whose death  occurs  on  or
15    after  the  effective  date  of  this amendatory Act of 1991,
16    there shall be payable a lump sum death benefit  equal  to  6
17    times the teacher's salary rate for his last month of service
18    or  $10,000,  whichever  is less, upon death during the first
19    year on pension minus 1/5 of the death  benefit,  as  defined
20    herein,  for  each  year or fraction thereof on pension after
21    the first full year, to a minimum of $5,000.
22        Notwithstanding Section 17-157, the changes made in  this
23    Section  and  Section  17-123  by this amendatory Act of 1991
24    shall apply to teachers dying on or after the effective  date
25    of  this  amendatory  Act  of  1991 without regard to whether
26    service terminated prior to that date.
27    (Source: P.A. 90-566, eff. 1-2-98.)

28        (40 ILCS 5/17-125) (from Ch. 108 1/2, par. 17-125)
29        Sec. 17-125.  Refund of contributions. Upon certification
30    by the Employer of his resignation  or  cancellation  of  his
31    teaching  certificate prior to completion of the minimum term
32    of service required to establish eligibility  for  a  pension
33    and  on written application therefor, a teacher shall be paid
 
                            -8-                LRB9205310LDpr
 1    a refund of all the amounts he has contributed to  the  Fund,
 2    less any former refund that has not been repaid.
 3        Upon  certification by the Employer of his resignation or
 4    cancellation of his teaching certificate after completion  of
 5    the minimum term of service required to establish eligibility
 6    for  a pension and on written application therefor, a teacher
 7    shall be paid a refund of all the amounts he has contributed,
 8    less (1) any former refund that has not been repaid, and  (2)
 9    pension  payments  received,  provided  he  has  executed and
10    delivered to the Board his written  receipt  and  release  in
11    that  behalf. Thereupon, he shall have no further interest in
12    or claim against the Fund.
13        A request  for  refund  under  either  of  the  preceding
14    paragraphs  shall  be  considered  valid  if  withdrawal from
15    service occurred at least 2 months prior  to  the  filing  of
16    such request.
17        Upon  retirement  of  a  teacher  either  on immediate or
18    deferred pension, if the teacher is not then married,  or  if
19    his   spouse,  or  children,  or  parents  do  not  meet  the
20    qualifying conditions for survivor's or children's  pensions,
21    the  total  amount  contributed  by  him or otherwise paid by
22    deductions from  salary  for  survivor's  pension,  shall  be
23    refunded   to   him,   without  interest.  No  survivor's  or
24    children's pension rights shall be  effective  thereafter  in
25    such a case.
26        During  a teacher's term of service, no refund is payable
27    except contributions made in error.
28    (Source: P.A. 90-566, eff. 1-2-98.)

29        Section 90.  The State Mandates Act is amended by  adding
30    Section 8.25 as follows:

31        (30 ILCS 805/8.25 new)
32        Sec.  8.25.  Exempt  mandate.  Notwithstanding Sections 6
 
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 1    and 8 of this Act, no reimbursement by the State is  required
 2    for  the  implementation  of  any  mandate  created  by  this
 3    amendatory Act of the 92nd General Assembly.

 4        Section  99.  Effective date.  This Act takes effect upon
 5    becoming law.

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