State of Illinois
92nd General Assembly
Legislation

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92_HB2369

 
                                               LRB9205289EGfg

 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 Section 15-145 as follows:

 6        (40 ILCS 5/15-145) (from Ch. 108 1/2, par. 15-145)
 7        Sec.  15-145.   Survivors  insurance benefits; conditions
 8    and amounts.
 9        (a)  The survivors insurance benefits provided under this
10    Section shall be payable  to  the  eligible  survivors  of  a
11    participant  covered  under  the  traditional benefit package
12    upon the death of (1) a participating employee with at  least
13    1 1/2  years  of  service,  (2)  a participant who terminated
14    employment with at least 10 years  of  service,  and  (3)  an
15    annuitant  in  receipt  of a retirement annuity or disability
16    retirement annuity under this Article.
17        Service under the State Employees' Retirement  System  of
18    Illinois,  the  Teachers'  Retirement  System of the State of
19    Illinois  and  the  Public  School  Teachers'   Pension   and
20    Retirement Fund of Chicago shall be considered in determining
21    eligibility for survivors benefits under this Section.
22        If, by law, a function of a governmental unit, as defined
23    by  Section  20-107, is transferred in whole or in part to an
24    employer, and an  employee  transfers  employment  from  this
25    governmental  unit to such employer within 6 months after the
26    transfer  of  this  function,  the  service  credits  in  the
27    governmental  unit's  retirement  system  which   have   been
28    validated   under  Section  20-109  shall  be  considered  in
29    determining eligibility for  survivors  benefits  under  this
30    Section.
31        (b)  A  surviving spouse of a deceased participant, or of
 
                            -2-                LRB9205289EGfg
 1    a deceased annuitant who did not take a refund or  additional
 2    annuity   consisting   of   accumulated  survivors  insurance
 3    contributions, shall receive a survivors annuity  of  30%  of
 4    the  final rate of earnings.  Payments shall begin on the day
 5    following the participant's or annuitant's death or the  date
 6    the  surviving spouse attains age 50, whichever is later, and
 7    continue until the death of the surviving spouse.
 8        The removal of the age 50 limitation by  this  amendatory
 9    Act  of  the  92nd  General  Assembly  applies to all persons
10    otherwise eligible to receive a survivors annuity under  this
11    subsection  (b),  without  regard  to  whether  the  deceased
12    participant  or  annuitant  was  in  service  on or after the
13    effective date of this amendatory Act.   A  person  otherwise
14    eligible   whose  annuity  under  this  subsection  is  being
15    deferred  due  to  the  age   50   limitation   shall,   upon
16    application,  be  entitled to have the annuity begin, payable
17    from the effective date of this amendatory Act.  The  annuity
18    shall  be payable to the surviving spouse prior to attainment
19    of age 50 if the surviving spouse has in his or  her  care  a
20    deceased  participant's  or  annuitant's  dependent unmarried
21    child under age 18 (under age 22 if a full-time student)  who
22    is eligible for a survivors annuity.
23        Remarriage  of  a surviving spouse prior to attainment of
24    age 55 that occurs before July 6, 2000 the effective date  of
25    this  amendatory  Act  of  the  91st  General  Assembly shall
26    disqualify him or her for the receipt of a 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  did  not  take  a  refund  or
30    additional   annuity   consisting  of  accumulated  survivors
31    insurance contributions, shall receive  a  survivors  annuity
32    equal  to  the  sum of (1) 20% of the final rate of earnings,
33    and (2) 10% of the final rate  of  earnings  divided  by  the
34    number  of children entitled to this benefit.  Payments shall
 
                            -3-                LRB9205289EGfg
 1    begin on the day following the participant's  or  annuitant's
 2    death  and continue until the child marries, dies, or attains
 3    age 18 (age 22 if a full-time student).  If the child  is  in
 4    the  care of a surviving spouse who is eligible for survivors
 5    insurance benefits, the child's benefit shall be paid to  the
 6    surviving spouse.
 7        Each   unmarried   child   over  age  18  of  a  deceased
 8    participant or of a deceased annuitant who had  a  survivor's
 9    insurance  beneficiary  at the time of his or her retirement,
10    and who was dependent upon the participant  or  annuitant  by
11    reason  of  a physical or mental disability which began prior
12    to the date the child attained age 18 (age 22 if a  full-time
13    student), shall receive a survivor's annuity equal to the sum
14    of  (1) 20% of the final rate of earnings, and (2) 10% of the
15    final rate of earnings divided  by  the  number  of  children
16    entitled  to survivors benefits.  Payments shall begin on the
17    day following the  participant's  or  annuitant's  death  and
18    continue  until  the  child  marries,  dies,  or is no longer
19    disabled.  If the child is in the care of a surviving  spouse
20    who is eligible for survivors insurance benefits, the child's
21    benefit  may  be  paid  to  the  surviving  spouse.   For the
22    purposes of  this  Section,  disability  means  inability  to
23    engage  in  any substantial gainful activity by reason of any
24    medically determinable physical or mental impairment that can
25    be expected to result in death or that has lasted or  can  be
26    expected  to  last  for  a  continuous period of at least one
27    year.
28        (d)  Each dependent parent of a deceased participant,  or
29    of  a  deceased  annuitant  who  did  not  take  a  refund or
30    additional  annuity  consisting  of   accumulated   survivors
31    insurance  contributions,  shall  receive a survivors annuity
32    equal to the sum of (1) 20% of final rate  of  earnings,  and
33    (2)  10%  of  final rate of earnings divided by the number of
34    parents who qualify for the benefit.   Payments  shall  begin
 
                            -4-                LRB9205289EGfg
 1    when  the  parent  reaches  age  55  or the day following the
 2    participant's or annuitant's death, whichever is  later,  and
 3    continue until the parent dies.  Remarriage of a parent prior
 4    to  attainment  of age 55 shall disqualify the parent for the
 5    receipt of a survivors annuity.
 6        (e)  In addition to the survivors annuity provided above,
 7    each survivors insurance beneficiary shall, upon death of the
 8    participant or annuitant,  receive  a  lump  sum  payment  of
 9    $1,000 divided by the number of such beneficiaries.
10        (f)  The  changes  made  in  this  Section  by Public Act
11    81-712  pertaining  to  survivors  annuities  in   cases   of
12    remarriage  prior  to  age  55  shall apply to each survivors
13    insurance beneficiary who  remarries  after  June  30,  1979,
14    regardless  of  the  date  that  the participant or annuitant
15    terminated his employment or died.
16        The change made to this Section by this amendatory Act of
17    the 91st General Assembly, pertaining to remarriage prior  to
18    age  55,  applies  without  regard  to  whether  the deceased
19    participant or annuitant was  in  service  on  or  after  the
20    effective  date  of  this  amendatory Act of the 91st General
21    Assembly.
22        (g)  On January 1, 1981, any person who was  receiving  a
23    survivors annuity on or before January 1, 1971 shall have the
24    survivors  annuity  then  being paid increased by 1% for each
25    full year which has elapsed from the date the annuity  began.
26    On  January  1,  1982, any survivor whose annuity began after
27    January 1, 1971, but before January 1, 1981, shall  have  the
28    survivor's  annuity  then being paid increased by 1% for each
29    year which has elapsed from the date the  survivor's  annuity
30    began. On January 1, 1987, any survivor who began receiving a
31    survivor's  annuity  on or before January 1, 1977, shall have
32    the monthly survivor's annuity increased by $1 for each  full
33    year  which has elapsed since the date the survivor's annuity
34    began.
 
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 1        (h)  If the  sum  of  the  lump  sum  and  total  monthly
 2    survivor  benefits  payable under this Section upon the death
 3    of a participant amounts to less than the sum  of  the  death
 4    benefits  payable  under items (2) and (3) of Section 15-141,
 5    the difference shall be paid in a lump sum to the beneficiary
 6    of the participant who  is  living  on  the  date  that  this
 7    additional amount becomes payable.
 8        (i)  If  the  sum  of  the  lump  sum  and  total monthly
 9    survivor benefits payable under this Section upon  the  death
10    of  an annuitant receiving a retirement annuity or disability
11    retirement annuity amounts to less  than  the  death  benefit
12    payable under Section 15-142, the difference shall be paid to
13    the  beneficiary  of  the annuitant who is living on the date
14    that this additional amount becomes payable.
15        (j)  Effective on the later of (1) January  1,  1990,  or
16    (2)  the  January  1  on  or next after the date on which the
17    survivor annuity begins, if the deceased  member  died  while
18    receiving  a  retirement  annuity,  or in all other cases the
19    January 1 nearest the  first  anniversary  of  the  date  the
20    survivor  annuity  payments  begin, every survivors insurance
21    beneficiary shall receive an increase in his or  her  monthly
22    survivors annuity of 3%.  On each January 1 after the initial
23    increase, the monthly survivors annuity shall be increased by
24    3%  of  the  total  survivors  annuity  provided  under  this
25    Article,   including  previous  increases  provided  by  this
26    subsection.  Such increases  shall  apply  to  the  survivors
27    insurance  beneficiaries  of  each participant and annuitant,
28    whether or not the employment status of  the  participant  or
29    annuitant  terminates  before  the  effective  date  of  this
30    amendatory  Act of 1990.  This subsection (j) also applies to
31    persons receiving  a  survivor  annuity  under  the  portable
32    benefit package.
33        (k)  If  the  Internal  Revenue Code of 1986, as amended,
34    requires that the survivors benefits be  payable  at  an  age
 
                            -6-                LRB9205289EGfg
 1    earlier  than  that  specified  in  this Section the benefits
 2    shall  begin  at  the  earlier  age,  in  which  event,   the
 3    survivor's  beneficiary shall be entitled only to that amount
 4    which is equal to the actuarial equivalent  of  the  benefits
 5    provided by this Section.
 6        (l)  The  changes made to this Section and Section 15-131
 7    by this amendatory Act of  1997,  relating  to  benefits  for
 8    certain  unmarried  children who are full-time students under
 9    age 22, apply without regard to whether the  deceased  member
10    was  in  service  on  or  after  the  effective  date of this
11    amendatory Act of 1997.  These changes do not  authorize  the
12    repayment  of  a refund or a re-election of benefits, and any
13    benefit or increase in benefits resulting from these  changes
14    is  not  payable  retroactively  for  any  period  before the
15    effective date of this amendatory Act of 1997.
16    (Source: P.A. 90-448, eff.  8-16-97;  90-766,  eff.  8-14-98;
17    91-887, eff. 7-6-00.)

18        Section  99.  Effective date.  This Act takes effect upon
19    becoming law.

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