Part VI. Refunds, Re-Entry and Restoration Of Rights  

    (40 ILCS 5/13-601) (from Ch. 108 1/2, par. 13-601)
    Sec. 13-601. Refunds.
    (a) Withdrawal from service. Upon withdrawal from service, an employee who first became a member before January 1, 2011, who is under age 55 (age 50 if the employee first entered service before June 13, 1997), or an employee age 55 (age 50 if the employee first entered service before June 13, 1997) or over but less than age 60 having less than 20 years of service, or an employee age 60 or over having less than 5 years of service shall be entitled, upon application, to a refund of total contributions from salary deductions or amounts otherwise paid under this Article by the employee. An employee who first becomes a member on or after January 1, 2011, who withdraws before age 62 regardless of length of service, or who withdraws with less than 10 years of service regardless of age is entitled to a refund of total contributions from salary deductions or amounts otherwise paid under this Article by the employee. The refund shall not include interest credited to the contributions. The Board may, in its discretion, withhold payment of a refund for a period not to exceed one year from the date of filing an application for refund.
    (b) Surviving spouse's annuity contributions. A refund of all amounts deducted from salary or otherwise contributed by an employee for the surviving spouse's annuity shall be paid upon retirement to any employee who on the date of retirement is either not married or is married but whose spouse is not eligible for a surviving spouse's annuity paid wholly or in part under this Article. The refund shall include interest on each contribution at the rate of 3% per annum compounded annually from the date of the contribution to the date of the refund.
    (c) Payment of Refunds After Death. Whenever any refund is payable after the death of the employee or annuitant as provided for in this Article, the refund shall be paid as follows: to the employee's surviving spouse, but if there is no surviving spouse then in accordance with the employee's written designation of beneficiary filed with the Board on the prescribed form before the employee's death. If there is no such designation of beneficiary, then to the employee's surviving children in equal parts to each. If there are no such children, the refund shall be paid to the heirs of the employee according to the law of descent and distribution of the State of Illinois.
    If a personal representative of the estate has not been appointed within 90 days from the date on which a refund became payable, the refund may be applied, in the discretion of the Board, toward the payment of the employee's or the surviving spouse's burial expenses. Any remaining balance shall be paid to the heirs of the employee according to the law of descent and distribution of the State of Illinois.
    Whenever the total accumulations to the account of an employee from employee contributions other than the contribution for the cost of living increase, including interest to the employee's date of withdrawal, have not been paid to the employee and surviving spouse as a retirement or spouse's annuity before the death of the employee and spouse, a refund shall be paid as follows: an amount equal to the excess of such amounts over the amounts paid on such annuities without interest on either such amount.
    If a reversionary annuity becomes payable under Section 13-303, the refund provided in this section shall not be paid until the death of the reversionary annuitant and the refund otherwise payable under this section shall be then further reduced by the amount of the reversionary annuity paid.
    (d) In lieu of annuity. Notwithstanding the provisions set forth in subsection (a) of this section, whenever an employee's or surviving spouse's annuity will be less than $200 per month, the employee or surviving spouse, as the case may be, may elect to receive a refund of accumulated employee contributions; provided, however, that if the election is made by a surviving spouse the refund shall be reduced by any amounts theretofore paid to the employee in the form of an annuity.
    (e) Forfeiture of rights. An employee or surviving spouse who receives a refund forfeits the right to receive an annuity or any other benefit payable under this Article except that if the refund is to a surviving spouse, any child or children of the employee shall not be deprived of the right to receive a child's annuity as provided in Section 13-308 of this Article, and the payment of a child's annuity shall not reduce the amount refundable to the surviving spouse.
(Source: P.A. 95-586, eff. 8-31-07; 96-251, eff. 8-11-09; 96-1490, eff. 1-1-11.)

    (40 ILCS 5/13-602) (from Ch. 108 1/2, par. 13-602)
    Sec. 13-602. Re-entry.
    (a) Before retirement. An employee who withdraws and elects not to receive a refund and later returns to service shall receive credit for the service previously rendered for which contributions were made and remained in the Fund.
    (b) After retirement. When any person receiving a retirement annuity re-enters service, payments of an annuity to that person shall be suspended while such person remains in service. When that person again withdraws, payments of the annuity previously granted shall be resumed and shall be adjusted to reflect the annual increases under Section 13-302(d) of this Article during the period of suspension. The surviving spouse's annuity shall remain fixed at the amount set at the first retirement date, subject to adjustments for annual increases as provided in Section 13-306(b) of this Article. No contributions shall be made by the formerly retired employee during service after re-entry, nor shall the employee be entitled to credit for service during such reemployment.
(Source: P.A. 87-794.)

    (40 ILCS 5/13-603) (from Ch. 108 1/2, par. 13-603)
    Sec. 13-603. Restoration of rights. If an employee who has received a refund subsequently re-enters the service and renders one year of contributing service from the date of such re-entry, the employee shall be entitled to have restored all accumulation and service credits previously forfeited by making a repayment of the refund, including interest from the date of the refund to the date of repayment at a rate equal to the higher of 8% per annum or the actuarial investment return assumption used in the Fund's most recent Annual Actuarial Statement. Repayment may be made either directly to the Fund or in a manner similar to that provided for the contributions required under Section 13-502. The service credits represented thereby, or any part thereof, shall not become effective unless the full amount due has been paid by the employee, including interest. The repayment must be made in full by the employee no later than 90 days following the date of the employee's final withdrawal from service. If the employee fails to make a full repayment, any partial amounts paid by the employee shall be refunded without interest.
(Source: P.A. 94-621, eff. 8-18-05.)