Section 1600.305  Full-Time Student Survivors Insurance Beneficiaries

a)         For purposes of 40 ILCS 5/15-145(c), a full-time student shall be one who is enrolled in a course of study in an accredited educational institution (other than a program of study by correspondence), and who is carrying a full-time workload as determined by the educational institution during the regular school year for the course of study the student is pursuing.  A student who is concurrently enrolled at more than one accredited educational institution during the same timeframe shall be deemed to be carrying a "full-time workload" if the combined course load equals a full-time workload as defined by either of the accredited educational institutions attended.

b)         Accredited educational institutions include schools, colleges, universities and post-secondary vocational institutions whose courses of study are approved by appropriate state or federal educational accreditation authorities.

c)         A regular school year is the 8 to 9 months that includes two semester terms or three quarter terms (or their equivalent), excluding the summer term.  Terms that begin after April 15 and end before September 16 are considered summer terms.

d)         Survivors benefits shall be payable during the period between regular school years, such as winter breaks or summer terms, if the benefit recipient carried a full-time workload in the preceding semester and is enrolled for a full-time workload in the following semester.

e)         To verify that an eligible child is a full-time student, SURS must receive a certification signed by an official of the educational institution confirming that the student is a full-time student as provided in subsection (a).

(Source:  Amended at 44 Ill. Reg. 17714, effective October 22, 2020)