State of Illinois
92nd General Assembly
Legislation

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92_SB0414

 
                                               LRB9205301EGfg

 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 15-142 and 15-145 as follows:

 6        (40 ILCS 5/15-142) (from Ch. 108 1/2, par. 15-142)
 7        Sec. 15-142.  Death benefits - Death of annuitant.   Upon
 8    the  death  of an annuitant receiving a retirement annuity or
 9    disability retirement annuity,  the  annuitant's  beneficiary
10    shall, if a survivor's insurance benefit is not payable under
11    Section  15-145  and  an annuity is not payable under Section
12    15-136.4, be entitled to a death benefit equal to the greater
13    of the following: (1) the excess, if any, of the sum  of  the
14    accumulated   normal,  survivors  insurance,  and  additional
15    contributions as of the date of retirement or  the  date  the
16    disability  retirement  annuity  began, whichever is earlier,
17    over the sum of all annuity payments made prior to  the  date
18    of death, or (2) $5,000 $1,000.
19    (Source:  P.A.  90-448,  eff.  8-16-97; 90-766, eff. 8-14-98;
20    91-887, eff. 7-6-00.)

21        (40 ILCS 5/15-145) (from Ch. 108 1/2, par. 15-145)
22        Sec. 15-145.  Survivors  insurance  benefits;  conditions
23    and amounts.
24        (a)  The survivors insurance benefits provided under this
25    Section  shall  be  payable  to  the  eligible survivors of a
26    participant covered under  the  traditional  benefit  package
27    upon  the death of (1) a participating employee with at least
28    1 1/2 years of service,  (2)  a  participant  who  terminated
29    employment  with  at  least  10  years of service, and (3) an
30    annuitant in receipt of a retirement  annuity  or  disability
 
                            -2-                LRB9205301EGfg
 1    retirement annuity under this Article.
 2        Service  under  the State Employees' Retirement System of
 3    Illinois, the Teachers' Retirement System  of  the  State  of
 4    Illinois   and   the  Public  School  Teachers'  Pension  and
 5    Retirement Fund of Chicago shall be considered in determining
 6    eligibility for survivors benefits under this Section.
 7        If by law, a function of a governmental unit, as  defined
 8    by  Section  20-107, is transferred in whole or in part to an
 9    employer, and an  employee  transfers  employment  from  this
10    governmental  unit to such employer within 6 months after the
11    transfer  of  this  function,  the  service  credits  in  the
12    governmental  unit's  retirement  system  which   have   been
13    validated   under  Section  20-109  shall  be  considered  in
14    determining eligibility for  survivors  benefits  under  this
15    Section.
16        (b)  A  surviving spouse of a deceased participant, or of
17    a deceased annuitant who did not take a refund or  additional
18    annuity   consisting   of   accumulated  survivors  insurance
19    contributions, shall receive a survivors annuity  of  30%  of
20    the  final rate of earnings.  Payments shall begin on the day
21    following the participant's or annuitant's death or the  date
22    the  surviving spouse attains age 50, whichever is later, and
23    continue until  the  death  of  the  surviving  spouse.   The
24    annuity  shall  be  payable  to the surviving spouse prior to
25    attainment of age 50 if the surviving spouse has  in  his  or
26    her  care  a  deceased participant's or annuitant's dependent
27    unmarried child under age 18 (under age  22  if  a  full-time
28    student) who is eligible for a survivors annuity.  Remarriage
29    of  a  surviving  spouse  prior  to attainment of age 55 that
30    occurs before the effective date of this  amendatory  Act  of
31    the 91st General Assembly shall disqualify him or her for the
32    receipt of a survivors annuity.
33        (c)  Each  dependent  unmarried child under age 18 (under
34    age 22 if a full-time student) of a deceased participant,  or
 
                            -3-                LRB9205301EGfg
 1    of  a  deceased  annuitant  who  did  not  take  a  refund or
 2    additional  annuity  consisting  of   accumulated   survivors
 3    insurance  contributions,  shall  receive a survivors annuity
 4    equal to the sum of (1) 20% of the final  rate  of  earnings,
 5    and  (2)  10%  of  the  final rate of earnings divided by the
 6    number of children entitled to this benefit.  Payments  shall
 7    begin  on  the day following the participant's or annuitant's
 8    death and continue until the child marries, dies, or  attains
 9    age  18  (age 22 if a full-time student).  If the child is in
10    the care of a surviving spouse who is eligible for  survivors
11    insurance  benefits, the child's benefit shall be paid to the
12    surviving spouse.
13        Each  unmarried  child  over  age  18   of   a   deceased
14    participant  or  of a deceased annuitant who had a survivor's
15    insurance beneficiary at the time of his or  her  retirement,
16    and  who  was  dependent upon the participant or annuitant by
17    reason of a physical or mental disability which  began  prior
18    to  the date the child attained age 18 (age 22 if a full-time
19    student), shall receive a survivor's annuity equal to the sum
20    of (1) 20% of the final rate of earnings, and (2) 10% of  the
21    final  rate  of  earnings  divided  by the number of children
22    entitled to survivors benefits.  Payments shall begin on  the
23    day  following  the  participant's  or  annuitant's death and
24    continue until the child  marries,  dies,  or  is  no  longer
25    disabled.   If the child is in the care of a surviving spouse
26    who is eligible for survivors insurance benefits, the child's
27    benefit may  be  paid  to  the  surviving  spouse.   For  the
28    purposes  of  this  Section,  disability  means  inability to
29    engage in any substantial gainful activity by reason  of  any
30    medically determinable physical or mental impairment that can
31    be  expected  to result in death or that has lasted or can be
32    expected to last for a continuous  period  of  at  least  one
33    year.
34        (d)  Each  dependent parent of a deceased participant, or
 
                            -4-                LRB9205301EGfg
 1    of a  deceased  annuitant  who  did  not  take  a  refund  or
 2    additional   annuity   consisting  of  accumulated  survivors
 3    insurance contributions, shall receive  a  survivors  annuity
 4    equal  to  the  sum of (1) 20% of final rate of earnings, and
 5    (2) 10% of final rate of earnings divided by  the  number  of
 6    parents  who  qualify  for the benefit.  Payments shall begin
 7    when the parent reaches age  55  or  the  day  following  the
 8    participant's  or  annuitant's death, whichever is later, and
 9    continue until the parent dies.  Remarriage of a parent prior
10    to attainment of age 55 shall disqualify the parent  for  the
11    receipt of a survivors annuity.
12        (e)  In addition to the survivors annuity provided above,
13    each survivors insurance beneficiary shall, upon death of the
14    participant  or  annuitant,  receive  a  lump  sum payment of
15    $5,000 $1,000 divided by the number of such beneficiaries.
16        (f)  The changes made  in  this  Section  by  Public  Act
17    81-712   pertaining   to  survivors  annuities  in  cases  of
18    remarriage prior to age 55  shall  apply  to  each  survivors
19    insurance  beneficiary  who  remarries  after  June 30, 1979,
20    regardless of the date  that  the  participant  or  annuitant
21    terminated his employment or died.
22        The change made to this Section by this amendatory Act of
23    the  91st General Assembly, pertaining to remarriage prior to
24    age 55,  applies  without  regard  to  whether  the  deceased
25    participant  or  annuitant  was  in  service  on or after the
26    effective date of this amendatory Act  of  the  91st  General
27    Assembly.
28        (g)  On  January  1, 1981, any person who was receiving a
29    survivors annuity on or before January 1, 1971 shall have the
30    survivors annuity then being paid increased by  1%  for  each
31    full  year which has elapsed from the date the annuity began.
32    On January 1, 1982, any survivor whose  annuity  began  after
33    January  1,  1971, but before January 1, 1981, shall have the
34    survivor's annuity then being paid increased by 1%  for  each
 
                            -5-                LRB9205301EGfg
 1    year  which  has elapsed from the date the survivor's annuity
 2    began. On January 1, 1987, any survivor who began receiving a
 3    survivor's annuity on or before January 1, 1977,  shall  have
 4    the  monthly survivor's annuity increased by $1 for each full
 5    year which has elapsed since the date the survivor's  annuity
 6    began.
 7        (h)  If  the  sum  of  the  lump  sum  and  total monthly
 8    survivor benefits payable under this Section upon  the  death
 9    of  a  participant  amounts to less than the sum of the death
10    benefits payable under items (2) and (3) of  Section  15-141,
11    the difference shall be paid in a lump sum to the beneficiary
12    of  the  participant  who  is  living  on  the date that this
13    additional amount becomes payable.
14        (i)  If the  sum  of  the  lump  sum  and  total  monthly
15    survivor  benefits  payable under this Section upon the death
16    of an annuitant receiving a retirement annuity or  disability
17    retirement  annuity  amounts  to  less than the death benefit
18    payable under Section 15-142, the difference shall be paid to
19    the beneficiary of the annuitant who is living  on  the  date
20    that this additional amount becomes payable.
21        (j)  Effective  on  the  later of (1) January 1, 1990, or
22    (2) the January 1 on or next after  the  date  on  which  the
23    survivor  annuity  begins,  if the deceased member died while
24    receiving a retirement annuity, or in  all  other  cases  the
25    January  1  nearest  the  first  anniversary  of the date the
26    survivor annuity payments begin,  every  survivors  insurance
27    beneficiary  shall  receive an increase in his or her monthly
28    survivors annuity of 3%.  On each January 1 after the initial
29    increase, the monthly survivors annuity shall be increased by
30    3%  of  the  total  survivors  annuity  provided  under  this
31    Article,  including  previous  increases  provided  by   this
32    subsection.   Such  increases  shall  apply  to the survivors
33    insurance beneficiaries of each  participant  and  annuitant,
34    whether  or  not  the employment status of the participant or
 
                            -6-                LRB9205301EGfg
 1    annuitant  terminates  before  the  effective  date  of  this
 2    amendatory Act of 1990.  This subsection (j) also applies  to
 3    persons  receiving  a  survivor  annuity  under  the portable
 4    benefit package.
 5        (k)  If the Internal Revenue Code of  1986,  as  amended,
 6    requires  that  the  survivors  benefits be payable at an age
 7    earlier than that specified  in  this  Section  the  benefits
 8    shall   begin  at  the  earlier  age,  in  which  event,  the
 9    survivor's beneficiary shall be entitled only to that  amount
10    which  is  equal  to the actuarial equivalent of the benefits
11    provided by this Section.
12        (l)  The changes made to this Section and Section  15-131
13    by  this  amendatory  Act  of  1997, relating to benefits for
14    certain unmarried children who are full-time  students  under
15    age  22,  apply without regard to whether the deceased member
16    was in service  on  or  after  the  effective  date  of  this
17    amendatory  Act  of 1997.  These changes do not authorize the
18    repayment of a refund or a re-election of benefits,  and  any
19    benefit  or increase in benefits resulting from these changes
20    is not  payable  retroactively  for  any  period  before  the
21    effective date of this amendatory Act of 1997.
22        (m)  The  changes  made  to  subsection  (e)  and Section
23    15-142 by this amendatory Act of the 92nd  General  Assembly,
24    increasing  certain  death  benefits  from  $1,000 to $5,000,
25    apply to deceased members who die on or after  the  effective
26    date  of  this  amendatory  Act of the 92nd General Assembly,
27    regardless of whether the deceased member was in  service  on
28    or after that date.
29    (Source:  P.A.  90-448,  eff.  8-16-97; 90-766, eff. 8-14-98;
30    91-887, eff. 7-6-00.)

31        Section 99. Effective date.  This Act takes  effect  upon
32    becoming law.

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