State of Illinois
91st General Assembly
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91_SB0300

 
                                               LRB9101883EGfg

 1        AN  ACT  to  amend  the Illinois Pension Code by changing
 2    Section 15-145.

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

 5        Section  5.   The  Illinois  Pension  Code  is amended by
 6    changing Section 15-145 as follows:

 7        (40 ILCS 5/15-145) (from Ch. 108 1/2, par. 15-145)
 8        Sec. 15-145.  Survivors  insurance  benefits;  conditions
 9    and amounts.
10        (a)  The survivors insurance benefits provided under this
11    Section  shall  be  payable  to  the  eligible survivors of a
12    participant covered under  the  traditional  benefit  package
13    upon  the death of (1) a participating employee with at least
14    1 1/2 years of service,  (2)  a  participant  who  terminated
15    employment  with  at  least  10  years of service, and (3) an
16    annuitant in receipt of a retirement  annuity  or  disability
17    retirement annuity under this Article.
18        Service  under  the State Employees' Retirement System of
19    Illinois, the Teachers' Retirement System  of  the  State  of
20    Illinois   and   the  Public  School  Teachers'  Pension  and
21    Retirement Fund of Chicago shall be considered in determining
22    eligibility for survivors benefits under this Section.
23        If, by law, a function of a governmental unit, as defined
24    by Section 20-107, is transferred in whole or in part  to  an
25    employer,  and  an  employee  transfers  employment from this
26    governmental unit to such employer within 6 months after  the
27    transfer  of  this  function,  the  service  credits  in  the
28    governmental   unit's   retirement  system  which  have  been
29    validated  under  Section  20-109  shall  be  considered   in
30    determining  eligibility  for  survivors  benefits under this
31    Section.
 
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 1        (b)  A surviving spouse of a deceased participant, or  of
 2    a   deceased   annuitant   who   had  a  survivors  insurance
 3    beneficiary at  the  time  of  retirement,  shall  receive  a
 4    survivors  annuity  of  30%  of  the  final rate of earnings.
 5    Payments shall begin on the day following  the  participant's
 6    or annuitant's death or the date the surviving spouse attains
 7    age  50,  whichever is later, and continue until the death of
 8    the surviving spouse.
 9        The removal of the age 50 limitation by  this  amendatory
10    Act  of  the  91st  General  Assembly  applies to all persons
11    otherwise eligible to receive a survivors annuity under  this
12    subsection  (b),  without  regard  to  whether  the  deceased
13    participant  or  annuitant  was  in  service  on or after the
14    effective date of this amendatory Act.   A  person  otherwise
15    eligible   whose  annuity  under  this  subsection  is  being
16    deferred  due  to  the  age   50   limitation   shall,   upon
17    application,  be  entitled to have the annuity begin, payable
18    from the effective date of this amendatory Act.  The  annuity
19    shall  be payable to the surviving spouse prior to attainment
20    of age 50 if the surviving spouse has in his or  her  care  a
21    deceased  participant's  or  annuitant's  dependent unmarried
22    child under age 18 (under age 22 if a full-time student)  who
23    is eligible for a survivors annuity.
24        Remarriage  of  a surviving spouse prior to attainment of
25    age 55 shall disqualify him or  her  for  the  receipt  of  a
26    survivors annuity.
27        (c)  Each  dependent  unmarried child under age 18 (under
28    age 22 if a full-time student) of a deceased participant,  or
29    of  a  deceased  annuitant  who  had  a  survivors  insurance
30    beneficiary  at  the  time  of  his  or her retirement, shall
31    receive a survivors annuity equal to the sum of  (1)  20%  of
32    the  final rate of earnings, and (2) 10% of the final rate of
33    earnings divided by the number of children entitled  to  this
34    benefit.   Payments  shall  begin  on  the  day following the
 
                            -3-                LRB9101883EGfg
 1    participant's or annuitant's death  and  continue  until  the
 2    child marries, dies, or attains age 18 (age 22 if a full-time
 3    student).   If the child is in the care of a surviving spouse
 4    who is eligible for survivors insurance benefits, the child's
 5    benefit shall be paid to the surviving spouse.
 6        Each  unmarried  child  over  age  18   of   a   deceased
 7    participant  or  of a deceased annuitant who had a survivor's
 8    insurance beneficiary at the time of his or  her  retirement,
 9    and  who  was  dependent upon the participant or annuitant by
10    reason of a physical or mental disability which  began  prior
11    to  the date the child attained age 18 (age 22 if a full-time
12    student), shall receive a survivor's annuity equal to the sum
13    of (1) 20% of the final rate of earnings, and (2) 10% of  the
14    final  rate  of  earnings  divided  by the number of children
15    entitled to survivors benefits.  Payments shall begin on  the
16    day  following  the  participant's  or  annuitant's death and
17    continue until the child  marries,  dies,  or  is  no  longer
18    disabled.   If the child is in the care of a surviving spouse
19    who is eligible for survivors insurance benefits, the child's
20    benefit may  be  paid  to  the  surviving  spouse.   For  the
21    purposes  of  this  Section,  disability  means  inability to
22    engage in any substantial gainful activity by reason  of  any
23    medically determinable physical or mental impairment that can
24    be  expected  to result in death or that has lasted or can be
25    expected to last for a continuous  period  of  at  least  one
26    year.
27        (d)  Each  dependent parent of a deceased participant, or
28    of  a  deceased  annuitant  who  had  a  survivors  insurance
29    beneficiary at the time  of  his  or  her  retirement,  shall
30    receive  a  survivors  annuity equal to the sum of (1) 20% of
31    final rate of earnings, and (2) 10% of final rate of earnings
32    divided by the number of parents who qualify for the benefit.
33    Payments shall begin when the parent reaches age  55  or  the
34    day   following   the  participant's  or  annuitant's  death,
 
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 1    whichever is later,  and  continue  until  the  parent  dies.
 2    Remarriage  of  a  parent prior to attainment of age 55 shall
 3    disqualify the parent for the receipt of a survivors annuity.
 4        (e)  In addition to the survivors annuity provided above,
 5    each survivors insurance beneficiary shall, upon death of the
 6    participant or annuitant,  receive  a  lump  sum  payment  of
 7    $1,000 divided by the number of such beneficiaries.
 8        (f)  The  changes  made  in  this  Section  by Public Act
 9    81-712  pertaining  to  survivors  annuities  in   cases   of
10    remarriage  prior  to  age  55  shall apply to each survivors
11    insurance beneficiary who  remarries  after  June  30,  1979,
12    regardless  of  the  date  that  the participant or annuitant
13    terminated his employment or died.
14        (g)  On January 1, 1981, any person who was  receiving  a
15    survivors annuity on or before January 1, 1971 shall have the
16    survivors  annuity  then  being paid increased by 1% for each
17    full year which has elapsed from the date the annuity  began.
18    On  January  1,  1982, any survivor whose annuity began after
19    January 1, 1971, but before January 1, 1981, shall  have  the
20    survivor's  annuity  then being paid increased by 1% for each
21    year which has elapsed from the date the  survivor's  annuity
22    began. On January 1, 1987, any survivor who began receiving a
23    survivor's  annuity  on or before January 1, 1977, shall have
24    the monthly survivor's annuity increased by $1 for each  full
25    year  which has elapsed since the date the survivor's annuity
26    began.
27        (h)  If the  sum  of  the  lump  sum  and  total  monthly
28    survivor  benefits  payable under this Section upon the death
29    of a participant amounts to less than the sum  of  the  death
30    benefits  payable  under items (2) and (3) of Section 15-141,
31    the difference shall be paid in a lump sum to the beneficiary
32    of the participant who  is  living  on  the  date  that  this
33    additional amount becomes payable.
34        (i)  If  the  sum  of  the  lump  sum  and  total monthly
 
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 1    survivor benefits payable under this Section upon  the  death
 2    of  an annuitant receiving a retirement annuity or disability
 3    retirement annuity amounts to less  than  the  death  benefit
 4    payable under Section 15-142, the difference shall be paid to
 5    the  beneficiary  of  the annuitant who is living on the date
 6    that this additional amount becomes payable.
 7        (j)  Effective on the later of (1) January  1,  1990,  or
 8    (2)  the  January  1  on  or next after the date on which the
 9    survivor annuity begins, if the deceased  member  died  while
10    receiving  a  retirement  annuity,  or in all other cases the
11    January 1 nearest the  first  anniversary  of  the  date  the
12    survivor  annuity  payments  begin, every survivors insurance
13    beneficiary shall receive an increase in his or  her  monthly
14    survivors annuity of 3%.  On each January 1 after the initial
15    increase, the monthly survivors annuity shall be increased by
16    3%  of  the  total  survivors  annuity  provided  under  this
17    Article,   including  previous  increases  provided  by  this
18    subsection.  Such increases  shall  apply  to  the  survivors
19    insurance  beneficiaries  of  each participant and annuitant,
20    whether or not the employment status of  the  participant  or
21    annuitant  terminates  before  the  effective  date  of  this
22    amendatory Act of 1990.
23        (k)  If  the  Internal  Revenue Code of 1986, as amended,
24    requires that the survivors benefits be  payable  at  an  age
25    earlier  than  that  specified  in  this Section the benefits
26    shall  begin  at  the  earlier  age,  in  which  event,   the
27    survivor's  beneficiary shall be entitled only to that amount
28    which is equal to the actuarial equivalent  of  the  benefits
29    provided by this Section.
30        (l)  The  changes made to this Section and Section 15-131
31    by this amendatory Act of  1997,  relating  to  benefits  for
32    certain  unmarried  children who are full-time students under
33    age 22, apply without regard to whether the  deceased  member
34    was  in  service  on  or  after  the  effective  date of this
 
                            -6-                LRB9101883EGfg
 1    amendatory Act of 1997.  These changes do not  authorize  the
 2    repayment  of  a refund or a re-election of benefits, and any
 3    benefit or increase in benefits resulting from these  changes
 4    is  not  payable  retroactively  for  any  period  before the
 5    effective date of this amendatory Act of 1997.
 6    (Source: P.A. 90-448, eff. 8-16-97; 90-766, eff. 8-14-98.)

 7        Section 99. Effective date.  This Act takes  effect  upon
 8    becoming law.

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