HB4784 EngrossedLRB103 37154 RPS 67273 b

1    AN ACT concerning public employee benefits.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The Illinois Pension Code is amended by
5changing Sections 13-207, 13-310, and 13-706 as follows:
 
6    (40 ILCS 5/13-207)  (from Ch. 108 1/2, par. 13-207)
7    Sec. 13-207. "Salary": The salary paid to an employee for
8service to the District or to the Board, including salary paid
9for vacation and sick leave and any amounts deferred under a
10deferred compensation plan established under this Code, but
11excluding (1) payment for unused vacation or sick leave, (2)
12overtime pay, (3) termination pay, and (4) any compensation in
13the form of benefits other than the salary. Salary for a member
14on a disability benefit is the salary on which the disability
15benefit is based.
16(Source: P.A. 90-12, eff. 6-13-97.)
 
17    (40 ILCS 5/13-310)  (from Ch. 108 1/2, par. 13-310)
18    Sec. 13-310. Ordinary disability benefit.
19    (a) Any employee who becomes disabled as the result of any
20cause other than injury or illness incurred in the performance
21of duty for the employer or any other employer, or while
22engaged in self-employment activities, shall be entitled to an

 

 

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1ordinary disability benefit. The eligible period for this
2benefit shall be 25% of the employee's total actual service
3prior to the date of disability with a cumulative maximum
4period of 5 years.
5    (b) The benefit shall be allowed only if the employee
6files an application in writing with the Board that includes ,
7and a medical report is submitted by at least one licensed
8health care professional and the employee is examined, at
9least annually, by a licensed health care professional
10appointed by the Board as part of the employee's application.
11    The benefit is not payable for any disability which begins
12during any period of unpaid leave of absence. No benefit shall
13be allowed for any period of disability prior to 30 days before
14application is made, unless the Board finds good cause for the
15delay in filing the application. The benefit shall not be paid
16during any period for which the employee receives or is
17entitled to receive any part of salary.
18    The benefit is not payable for any disability which begins
19during any period of absence from duty other than allowable
20vacation time in any calendar year. An employee whose
21disability begins during any such ineligible period of absence
22from service may not receive benefits until the employee
23recovers from the disability and is in service for at least 15
24consecutive working days after such recovery.
25    In the case of an employee who first enters service on or
26after June 13, 1997, an ordinary disability benefit is not

 

 

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1payable for the first 3 days of disability that would
2otherwise be payable under this Section if the disability does
3not continue for at least 11 additional days.
4    Beginning on the effective date of this amendatory Act of
5the 94th General Assembly, an employee who first entered
6service on or after June 13, 1997 is also eligible for ordinary
7disability benefits on the 31st day after the last day worked,
8provided all sick leave is exhausted.
9    (c) The benefit shall be 50% of the employee's salary at
10the date of disability, and shall terminate when the earliest
11of the following occurs:
12        (1) The employee returns to work or receives a
13    retirement annuity paid wholly or in part under this
14    Article;
15        (2) The disability ceases;
16        (3) The employee willfully and continuously refuses to
17    follow medical advice and treatment to enable the employee
18    to return to work. However this provision does not apply
19    to an employee who relies in good faith on treatment by
20    prayer through spiritual means alone in accordance with
21    the tenets and practice of a recognized church or
22    religious denomination, by a duly accredited practitioner
23    thereof;
24        (4) The employee (i) refuses to submit to a reasonable
25    physical examination within 30 days of application by a
26    licensed health care professional appointed by the Board,

 

 

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1    (ii) in the case of chronic alcoholism, the employee
2    refuses to join a rehabilitation program licensed by the
3    Department of Public Health of the State of Illinois and
4    certified by the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of
5    Hospitals, (iii) fails or refuses to consent to and sign
6    an authorization allowing the Board to receive copies of
7    or to examine the employee's medical and hospital records,
8    or (iv) fails or refuses to provide complete information
9    regarding any other employment for compensation he or she
10    has received since becoming disabled; or
11        (5) The eligible period for this benefit has been
12    exhausted.
13    The first payment of the benefit shall be made not later
14than one month after the same has been granted, and subsequent
15payments shall be made at least monthly.
16(Source: P.A. 102-210, eff. 7-30-21; 103-523, eff. 1-1-24.)
 
17    (40 ILCS 5/13-706)  (from Ch. 108 1/2, par. 13-706)
18    Sec. 13-706. Board powers and duties. The Board shall have
19the powers and duties set forth in this Section, in addition to
20such other powers and duties as may be provided in this Article
21and in this Code:
22        (a) To supervise collections. To see that all amounts
23    specified in this Article to be applied to the Fund, from
24    any source, are collected and applied.
25        (b) To notify of deductions. To notify the Clerk of

 

 

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1    the Water Reclamation District of the deductions to be
2    made from the salaries of employees.
3        (c) To accept gifts. To accept by gift, grant, bequest
4    or otherwise any money or property of any kind and use the
5    same for the purposes of the Fund.
6        (d) To invest the reserves. To invest the reserves of
7    the Fund in accordance with the provisions set forth in
8    Section 1-109, 1-109.1, 1-109.2, 1-110, 1-111, 1-114, and
9    1-115 of this Code. Investments made in accordance with
10    Section 1-113 of Article 1 of this Code shall be deemed
11    prudent. The Board is also authorized to transfer
12    securities to the Illinois State Board of Investment for
13    the purpose of participation in any commingled investment
14    fund as provided in Article 22A of this Code.
15        (e) To authorize payments. To consider and pass upon
16    all applications for annuities and benefits; to authorize
17    or suspend the payment of any annuity or benefit; to
18    inquire into the validity and legality of any grant of
19    annuity or benefit paid from or payable out of the Fund; to
20    increase, reduce, or suspend any such annuity or benefit
21    whenever the annuity or benefit, or any part thereof, was
22    secured or granted, or the amount thereof fixed, as the
23    result of misrepresentation, fraud, or error. No such
24    annuity or benefit shall be permanently reduced or
25    suspended until the affected annuitant or beneficiary is
26    first notified of the proposed action and given an

 

 

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1    opportunity to be heard. No trustee of the Board shall
2    vote upon that trustee's own personal claim for annuity,
3    benefit or refund, or participate in the deliberations of
4    the Board as to the validity of any such claim. The Board
5    shall have exclusive original jurisdiction in all matters
6    of claims for annuities, benefits and refunds.
7        (f) To submit an annual report. To submit a report in
8    July of each year to the Board of Commissioners of the
9    Water Reclamation District as of the close of business on
10    December 31st of the preceding year. The report shall
11    include the following:
12            (1) A balance
         sheet, showing the financial and
13        actuarial condition of the Fund as of the end of the
14        calendar year;
15            (2) A statement of receipts and disbursements
16        during such year;
17            (3) A statement showing changes in the asset,
18        liability, reserve and surplus accounts during such
19        year;
20            (4) A detailed statement of investments as of the
21        end of the year; and
22            (5) Any additional information as is deemed
23        necessary for proper interpretation of the condition
24        of the Fund.
25        (g) To subpoena witnesses and compel the production of
26    records. To issue subpoenas to compel the attendance of

 

 

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1    witnesses to testify before the Board and to compel the
2    production of documents and records upon any matter
3    concerning the Fund, including, but not limited to, in
4    conjunction with:
5            (1) a disability claim;
6            (2) an administrative review proceeding;
7            (3) an attempt to obtain information to assist in
8        the collection of sums due to the Fund;
9            (4) obtaining any and all personal identifying
10        information necessary for the administration of
11        benefits;
12            (5) the determination of the death of a benefit
13        recipient or a potential benefit recipient; or
14            (6) a felony forfeiture investigation.
15    The fees of witnesses for attendance and travel shall be
16the same as the fees of witnesses before the circuit courts of
17this State and shall be paid by the party seeking the subpoena.
18The Board may apply to any circuit court in the State for an
19order requiring compliance with a subpoena issued under this
20Section. Subpoenas issued under this Section shall be subject
21to the
applicable provisions of the Code of Civil Procedure.
22The President or other members of the Board may administer
23oaths to witnesses. To compel witnesses to attend and testify
24before it upon any matter concerning the Fund and allow
25witness fees not in excess of $6 for attendance upon any one
26day. The President and other members of the Board may

 

 

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1administer oaths to witnesses.
2        (h) To appoint employees and consultants. To appoint
3    such actuarial, medical, legal, investigational, clerical
4    or financial employees and consultants as are necessary,
5    and fix their compensation.
6        (i) To make rules. To make rules and regulations
7    necessary for the administration of the affairs of the
8    Fund.
9        (j) To waive guardianship. To waive the requirement of
10    legal guardianship of a person under legal disability or
11    any minor unmarried beneficiary of the Fund for a
12    representative managing such person or beneficiary's
13    affairs, whenever the Board deems such waiver to be in the
14    best interest of the person or beneficiary.
15        (k) To collect amounts due. To collect any amounts due
16    to the Fund from any participant or beneficiary prior to
17    payment of any annuity, benefit or refund.
18        (l) To invoke rule of offset. To offset against any
19    amount payable to an employee or to any other person such
20    sums as may be due to the Fund or may have been paid by the
21    Fund due to misrepresentation, fraud or error.
22        (m) To assess and collect interest on amounts due to
23    the Fund using the annual rate as shall from time to time
24    be determined by the Board, compounded annually from the
25    date of notification to the date of payment.
26(Source: P.A. 103-523, eff. 1-1-24.)