Illinois Code § 14-147.5

§ 14-147.5.

Accelerated pension benefit payment in lieu of any pension benefit. (a) As used in this Section: "Eligible person" means a person who: (1) has terminated service; (2) has accrued sufficient service credit to be eligible to receive a retirement annuity under this Article; (3) has not received any retirement annuity under this Article; and (4) has not made the election under Section 14-147.6. "Pension benefit" means the benefits under this Article, or Article 1 as it relates to those benefits, including any anticipated annual increases, that an eligible person is entitled to upon attainment of the applicable retirement age. "Pension benefit" also includes applicable survivor's or disability benefits. (b) As soon as practical after June 4, 2018 (the effective date of Public Act 100-587), the System shall calculate, using actuarial tables and other assumptions adopted by the Board, the present value of pension benefits for each eligible person who requests that information and shall offer each eligible person the opportunity to irrevocably elect to receive an amount determined by the System to be equal to 60% of the present value of his or her pension benefits in lieu of receiving any pension benefit. The offer shall specify the dollar amount that the eligible person will receive if he or she so elects and shall expire when a subsequent offer is made to an eligible person. An eligible person is limited to one calculation and offer per calendar year. The System shall make a good faith effort to contact every eligible person to notify him or her of the election. Until June 30, 2026, an eligible person may irrevocably elect to receive an accelerated pension benefit payment in the amount that the System offers under this subsection in lieu of receiving any pension benefit. A person who elects to receive an accelerated pension benefit payment under this Section may not elect to proceed under the Retirement Systems Reciprocal Act with respect to service under this Article. (c) A person's creditable service under this Article shall be terminated upon the person's receipt of an accelerated pension benefit payment under this Section, and no other benefit shall be paid under this Article based on the terminated creditable service, including any retirement, survivor, or other benefit; except that to the extent that participation, benefits, or premiums under the State Employees Group Insurance Act of 1971 are based on the amount of service credit, the terminated service credit shall be used for that purpose. (d) If a person who has received an accelerated pension benefit payment under this Section returns to active service under this Article, then: (1) Any benefits under the System earned as a result of that return to active service shall be based solely on the person's creditable service arising from the return to active service. (2) The accelerated pension benefit payment may not be repaid to the System, and the terminated creditable service may not under any circumstances be reinstated. (e) As a condition of receiving an accelerated pension benefit payment, the accelerated pension benefit payment must be transferred into a tax qualified retirement plan or account. The accelerated pension benefit payment under this Section may be subject to withholding or payment of applicable taxes, but to the extent permitted by federal law, a person who receives an accelerated pension benefit payment under this Section must direct the System to pay all of that payment as a rollover into another retirement plan or account qualified under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. (f) Upon receipt of a member's irrevocable election to receive an accelerated pension benefit payment under this Section, the System shall submit a voucher to the Comptroller for payment of the member's accelerated pension benefit payment. The Comptroller shall transfer the amount of the voucher from the State Pension Obligation Acceleration Bond Fund to the System, and the System shall transfer the amount into the member's eligible retirement plan or qualified account. (g) The Board shall adopt any rules, including emergency rules, necessary to implement this Section. (h) No provision of this Section shall be interpreted in a way that would cause the applicable System to cease to be a qualified plan under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. (Source: P.A. 101-10, eff. 6-5-19; 102-718, eff. 5-5-22.)