Article 20. Retirement Systems Reciprocal Act  

    (40 ILCS 5/20-101) (from Ch. 108 1/2, par. 20-101)
    Sec. 20-101. Continuity and preservation of pension credits. There is established a plan for the continuity and preservation of pension credit, in accordance with the provisions hereof, in the case of employees transferring employment from one governmental unit to another. The purpose of this plan is to assure full and continuous pension credit for all service in public employment which is covered by a retirement system.
    The acceptance of the provisions of this Article, shall be optional with the employee, or in the event of his death, with his survivor; however, the provisions of Section 20-120 shall be applicable to every person who applies for benefits from 2 or more retirement systems covered by this Article.
(Source: P.A. 77-531.)

    (40 ILCS 5/20-102) (from Ch. 108 1/2, par. 20-102)
    Sec. 20-102. Terms defined. The terms as used in this Article, shall have the meanings ascribed to them in Sections 20-103 to 20-113, inclusive, except when the context otherwise requires.
(Source: Laws 1963, p. 161.)

    (40 ILCS 5/20-103) (from Ch. 108 1/2, par. 20-103)
    Sec. 20-103. Effective date. "Effective date": July 1, 1955, or in the case of any retirement system becoming subject to the provisions of "The 1955 Act" or this Article after such date, the date when such retirement system comes under the provisions of "The 1955 Act" or this Article.
(Source: Laws 1963, p. 161.)

    (40 ILCS 5/20-104) (from Ch. 108 1/2, par. 20-104)
    Sec. 20-104. Employee. "Employee": Any person in the service of an employer on or after the effective date, who has pension credit because of service previous or subsequent to the effective date, who is an active or inactive member or participant of a retirement system.
(Source: Laws 1963, p. 161.)

    (40 ILCS 5/20-105) (from Ch. 108 1/2, par. 20-105)
    Sec. 20-105. Employer. "Employer": The State of Illinois, any agency or instrumentality thereof, or any governmental unit in the State.
(Source: Laws 1963, p. 161.)

    (40 ILCS 5/20-106) (from Ch. 108 1/2, par. 20-106)
    Sec. 20-106. Final average salary.
    (a) "Final average salary": The average (or other) salary which is considered by a participating system in determining the amount of the retirement annuity or survivor's annuity.
    (b) Earnings credits under all participating systems shall be considered by each system in determining final average salary, but subject to the limitations imposed by this amendatory Act of the 98th General Assembly for a participant in a defined contribution plan established under Article 2, 14, 15, or 16 of this Code. In calculating a proportional retirement or survivor's annuity based on these earnings credits, the participating system shall apply any limitations on earnings for annuity purposes that are imposed by the Article governing the system.
(Source: P.A. 98-599, eff. 6-1-14.)

    (40 ILCS 5/20-107) (from Ch. 108 1/2, par. 20-107)
    Sec. 20-107. Governmental unit. "Governmental unit": The State of Illinois or any agency or instrumentality thereof, or any political subdivision or municipal corporation in the State, which maintains a retirement system for the benefit of its employees.
(Source: Laws 1963, p. 161.)

    (40 ILCS 5/20-108) (from Ch. 108 1/2, par. 20-108)
    Sec. 20-108. Participating system. "Participating system": Any retirement system to which "The 1955 Act" or this Article applies.
(Source: Laws 1963, p. 161.)

    (40 ILCS 5/20-109) (from Ch. 108 1/2, par. 20-109)
    Sec. 20-109. "Pension credit": Credit or equities acquired by an employee in the form of contributions, earnings or service as defined under the law governing each of the systems in which he has credits or equities, except credits and equities (1) of less than one year in any one system, except that this one-year limitation shall not apply to (A) employees who transfer or are transferred, as a class, from one participating system to another or who are persons to whom Section 14-108.2a or 14-108.2b applies or (B) persons who move from participation with a school district as a teacher aide under Article 7 to participation under Article 16; or (2) which have previously been forfeited by acceptance of a refund or which have been applied towards a retirement annuity and have not been reestablished in accordance with the law governing the system from which the refund or retirement annuity had been received. If a retirement system provides no refund of contributions, the pension credit in the case of any employee who has participated in that system shall be considered effective for the purposes of this Article.
(Source: P.A. 94-834, eff. 6-6-06.)

    (40 ILCS 5/20-110) (from Ch. 108 1/2, par. 20-110)
    Sec. 20-110. Retirement annuity. "Retirement annuity": Any pension, retirement allowance, retirement annuity, disability pension, disability retirement allowance or disability retirement annuity, and an annuity payable on account of retirement for age, years of service or total and permanent disability.
(Source: Laws 1963, p. 161.)

    (40 ILCS 5/20-111) (from Ch. 108 1/2, par. 20-111)
    Sec. 20-111. Retirement system. "Retirement system": Any retirement system or pension fund which has been created by statute and which is financed in whole or in part by contributions by the State or by any governmental unit of the State or any municipality of the State.
(Source: Laws 1963, p. 161.)

    (40 ILCS 5/20-112) (from Ch. 108 1/2, par. 20-112)
    Sec. 20-112. Survivor's annuity. "Survivor's annuity": Payments by a system which are made to the widow or survivors of an employee or participant in the form of a pension or annuity or a lump sum which, under the provisions of the law governing such system, is considered as a widow's or survivor's benefit, or a lump sum which is made in lieu of a pension or annuity which would otherwise be payable to the widow or survivor.
(Source: Laws 1963, p. 161.)

    (40 ILCS 5/20-113) (from Ch. 108 1/2, par. 20-113)
    Sec. 20-113. The 1955 Act. "The 1955 Act": The "Retirement Systems Reciprocal Act" approved July 11, 1955, as amended.
(Source: Laws 1963, p. 161.)

    (40 ILCS 5/20-114) (from Ch. 108 1/2, par. 20-114)
    Sec. 20-114. Benefits covered by this article. The provisions of this Article shall be applicable and limited only to a retirement annuity and survivor's annuity, and to the pension credit established for such purposes. Any death benefit, ordinary disability benefit, duty disability benefit, accidental disability benefit, supplemental annuity, or any other type of annuity or benefit provided by any retirement system, not included in the definition of retirement annuity and survivor's annuity shall not be affected by the provisions except as provided in Section 20-124.
(Source: P.A. 76-744.)

    (40 ILCS 5/20-115) (from Ch. 108 1/2, par. 20-115)
    Sec. 20-115. Eligibility for a proportional annuity. Any person who has pension credit in 2 or more participating systems shall be entitled to a proportional retirement annuity, and his survivors shall be entitled to a survivors annuity in accordance with the provisions of this Article, if his combined pension credit is at least equal to the longest minimum qualifying period prescribed by any of such systems. The qualifying period of each of these systems shall be that which was in effect on the date of the employee's latest withdrawal from service covered by any of these systems.
    Each participating system shall, in determining eligibility for a proportional retirement annuity or survivors annuity, consider the combined service and contributions of the employee for which pension credit has been granted under all participating systems. If the law governing a participating system provides that a retirement or survivors annuity shall be payable only if the annuity exceeds a certain dollar minimum, the proportional annuity provided by pension credits under all participating systems shall be considered in determining whether this requirement has been met.
(Source: P.A. 85-1209.)

    (40 ILCS 5/20-116) (from Ch. 108 1/2, par. 20-116)
    Sec. 20-116. Minimum qualifying age - Deferred payments. If the minimum qualifying age in any of the participating systems is lower than the minimum qualifying age in any other participating system which is to provide a proportional retirement annuity, or proportional survivor's annuity, payments by such other system shall be deferred until the employee or survivor has attained the minimum qualifying age prescribed for such system.
(Source: Laws 1963, p. 161.)

    (40 ILCS 5/20-117) (from Ch. 108 1/2, par. 20-117)
    Sec. 20-117. Vesting of pension credit - Combined pension credit under all participating systems. If the vesting of pension credit in any participating system for a retirement annuity or survivor's annuity is based upon length of service, the combined service under all participating systems shall be considered in establishing such vesting of pension credit.
(Source: Laws 1963, p. 161.)

    (40 ILCS 5/20-118) (from Ch. 108 1/2, par. 20-118)
    Sec. 20-118. Waiver of pension credits - Reinstatement. Any employee who shall have waived, by the acceptance of a refund, his pension credit in any participating system, may have his pension credit reinstated by repayment of the refund, including interest from the date of refund to the date of repayment, provided (1) the system is authorized by law to receive the repayment, and (2) the employee has completed at least 2 years of service under a participating system subsequent to the date of the last refund. Each system shall consider pension credits under all participating systems in determining whether the employee meets the service requirements under that system for repayment of a refund. The repayment of a refund under this section shall not be considered as an election to accept the provisions of the other sections of this Article.
(Source: Laws 1963, p. 161.)

    (40 ILCS 5/20-119) (from Ch. 108 1/2, par. 20-119)
    Sec. 20-119. Concurrent employment. Any employee who is concurrently employed by employers under 2 or more participating systems is entitled to establish pension credit in accordance with the provisions of each system.
    If the concurrent employment results in duplication of credits, each of the systems shall reduce the service credit for the period of concurrent employment to its full-time equivalent, using as a basis for this adjustment, the earnings credited for each employment. However, no such reduction in service credit shall be applied for the purpose of meeting the one-year minimum service requirement in item (1) of Section 20-109, except as provided in Section 20-120.
    Combined earnings credits shall be limited to the earnings credits which would have been established by full-time employment with the employer from which the employee was receiving the highest salary.
    Seasonal employment covered by a retirement system during a period for which credit has been granted in another retirement system is concurrent employment within the meaning of this Section and no adjustment of the credits for seasonal employment is required, unless it results in a duplication of pension credits. If seasonal employment results in a duplication of credits, it shall be adjusted in accordance with Section 20-120.
(Source: P.A. 87-794.)

    (40 ILCS 5/20-120) (from Ch. 108 1/2, par. 20-120)
    Sec. 20-120. Duplication of pension credits. In no event shall pension credit for the same service rendered by an employee be accredited in more than one participating system. If employment is covered by more than one participating system, pension credit shall be granted by that system which was first authorized to grant the credit, or if more than one participating system was authorized to grant credit at the same time, the employee shall elect, prior to retirement, the system under which credit shall be granted. The participating system under which pension credit is forfeited because of the application of this section, shall refund to the employee, the contributions for the period of service forfeited.
(Source: Laws 1963, p. 161.)

    (40 ILCS 5/20-121) (from Ch. 108 1/2, par. 20-121)
    Sec. 20-121. Calculation of proportional retirement annuities.
    (a) Upon retirement of the employee, a proportional retirement annuity shall be computed by each participating system in which pension credit has been established on the basis of pension credits under each system. The computation shall be in accordance with the formula or method prescribed by each participating system which is in effect at the date of the employee's latest withdrawal from service covered by any of the systems in which he has pension credits which he elects to have considered under this Article. However, the amount of any retirement annuity payable under the self-managed plan established under Section 15-158.2 of this Code or under the defined contribution plan established under Article 2, 14, 15, or 16 of this Code depends solely on the value of the participant's vested account balances and is not subject to any proportional adjustment under this Section.
    (a-5) For persons who participate in a defined contribution plan established under Article 2, 14, 15, or 16 of this Code to whom the provisions of this Article apply, the pension credits established under the defined contribution plan may be considered in determining eligibility for or the amount of the defined benefit retirement annuity that is payable by any other participating system.
    (b) Combined pension credit under all retirement systems subject to this Article shall be considered in determining whether the minimum qualification has been met and the formula or method of computation which shall be applied, except as may be otherwise provided with respect to vesting in State or employer contributions in a defined contribution plan. If a system has a step-rate formula for calculation of the retirement annuity, pension credits covering previous service which have been established under another system shall be considered in determining which range or ranges of the step-rate formula are to be applicable to the employee.
    (c) Interest on pension credit shall continue to accumulate in accordance with the provisions of the law governing the retirement system in which the same has been established during the time an employee is in the service of another employer, on the assumption such employee, for interest purposes for pension credit, is continuing in the service covered by such retirement system.
(Source: P.A. 98-599, eff. 6-1-14.)

    (40 ILCS 5/20-123) (from Ch. 108 1/2, par. 20-123)
    Sec. 20-123. Survivor's annuity. The provisions governing a retirement annuity shall be applicable to a survivor's annuity. Appropriate credits shall be established for survivor's annuity purposes in those participating systems which provide survivor's annuities, according to the same conditions and subject to the same limitations and restrictions herein prescribed for a retirement annuity. If a participating system has no survivor's annuity benefit, or if the survivor's annuity benefit under that system is waived, pension credit established in that system shall not be considered in determining eligibility for or the amount of the survivor's annuity which may be payable by any other participating system.
    For persons who participate in the self-managed plan established under Section 15-158.2 or the portable benefit package established under Section 15-136.4, pension credit established under Article 15 may be considered in determining eligibility for or the amount of the survivor's annuity that is payable by any other participating system, but pension credit established in any other system shall not result in any right to a survivor's annuity under the Article 15 system.
    For persons who participate in a defined contribution plan established under Article 2, 14, 15, or 16 of this Code to whom the provisions of this Article apply, the pension credits established under the defined contribution plan may be considered in determining eligibility for or the amount of the defined benefit survivor's annuity that is payable by any other participating system, but pension credits established in any other system shall not result in any right to or increase in the value of a survivor's annuity under the defined contribution plan, which depends solely on the options chosen and the value of the participant's vested account balances and is not subject to any proportional adjustment under this Section.
(Source: P.A. 98-599, eff. 6-1-14.)

    (40 ILCS 5/20-124) (from Ch. 108 1/2, par. 20-124)
    Sec. 20-124. Maximum benefits.
    (a) In no event shall the combined retirement or survivors annuities exceed the highest annuity which would have been payable by any participating system in which the employee has pension credits, if all of his pension credits had been validated in that system.
    If the combined annuities should exceed the highest maximum as determined in accordance with this Section, the respective annuities shall be reduced proportionately according to the ratio which the amount of each proportional annuity bears to the aggregate of all such annuities.
    (b) In the case of a participant in the self-managed plan established under Section 15-158.2 of this Code to whom the provisions of this Article apply:
        (i) For purposes of calculating the combined

    (40 ILCS 5/20-125) (from Ch. 108 1/2, par. 20-125)
    Sec. 20-125. Return to employment - suspension of benefits. If a retired employee returns to employment which is covered by a system from which he is receiving a proportional annuity under this Article, his proportional annuity from all participating systems shall be suspended during the period of re-employment, except that this suspension does not apply to any distributions payable under the self-managed plan established under Section 15-158.2 or under a defined contribution plan established under Article 2, 14, 15, or 16 of this Code.
    The provisions of the Article under which such employment would be covered shall govern the determination of whether the employee has returned to employment, and if applicable the exemption of temporary employment or employment not exceeding a specified duration or frequency, for all participating systems from which the retired employee is receiving a proportional annuity under this Article, notwithstanding any contrary provisions in the other Articles governing such systems.
(Source: P.A. 98-599, eff. 6-1-14.)

    (40 ILCS 5/20-126) (from Ch. 108 1/2, par. 20-126)
    Sec. 20-126. Responsibility of participating systems. Each participating system shall submit to the other participating systems, upon request, a report, properly certified, regarding the pension credits of each employee and any other pertinent information which may be necessary for proper administration of this Article.
(Source: P.A. 79-782.)

    (40 ILCS 5/20-127) (from Ch. 108 1/2, par. 20-127)
    Sec. 20-127. Responsibility of employee. It shall be the duty and responsibility of an employee having pension credit in any participating system to make available such information or any other required data relating thereto, to the participating systems in which he has pension credits, in order that the pension credit may be applied in the manner herein provided. A participating system shall be under no obligation or responsibility to initiate any inquiry or investigation for the purpose of establishing pension credit in the case of any employee, in the absence of a request from the employee, accompanied by sufficient facts bearing upon the credit.
(Source: Laws 1963, p. 161.)

    (40 ILCS 5/20-128) (from Ch. 108 1/2, par. 20-128)
    Sec. 20-128. Payment of benefits. Two or more participating systems may agree to have the combined benefits paid by one of the systems, in which case, the system which pays the combined benefit shall receive from the other system, a lump sum payment equal to the actuarial equivalent of the proportional annuity determined in accordance with annuity tables which are acceptable to both systems.
(Source: P.A. 78-779.)

    (40 ILCS 5/20-129) (from Ch. 108 1/2, par. 20-129)
    Sec. 20-129. Retirement systems covered by article. This Article shall apply only to those retirement systems which have accepted it, as specified in the respective divisions or Articles of this Code governing such systems.
(Source: Laws 1963, p. 161.)

    (40 ILCS 5/20-130) (from Ch. 108 1/2, par. 20-130)
    Sec. 20-130. Conflict between this Article and the Articles governing the participating systems. If any of the provisions of this Article are inconsistent with the provisions of the Article governing any participating system, the provisions shall, if possible, be interpreted so as to give effect to the purpose of both Articles; however, if this is not possible, the provisions of the Article governing the participating system, with the exception of those covering suspension of benefits upon return to employment, shall control.
(Source: P.A. 79-782.)

    (40 ILCS 5/20-131) (from Ch. 108 1/2, par. 20-131)
    Sec. 20-131. Retirement Annuities and Survivors Annuities - Guarantees.
    (a) This amendatory Act of 1975 (P.A. 79-782) shall not be applied to deprive any person or his survivor of eligibility for an annuity or to reduce the annuity or to deprive such person of rights to which he or his survivor would have been entitled under the provisions of Article 20 which were in effect immediately prior to September 5, 1975, if he was an employee immediately prior to that date.
    (b) If the combined retirement annuity benefits provided under Public Act 79-782 are less than the combined retirement annuity benefits that would have been payable under the alternative formula of Section 20-122, the system under which retirement would have occurred, as provided by Section 20-122, shall increase the proportional retirement annuity by an amount equal to the difference.
    (c) Subsection (b) of this Section does not apply to the retirement annuity benefits payable under the self-managed plan established under Section 15-158.2 of this Code.
(Source: P.A. 91-887, eff. 7-6-00.)

    (40 ILCS 5/20-132) (from Ch. 108 1/2, par. 20-132)
    Sec. 20-132. Short title. This Article shall be known as the "Retirement Systems Reciprocal Act" and is a continuation of the "Retirement Systems Reciprocal Act", approved July 11, 1955, as amended.
(Source: Laws 1963, p. 161.)

    (40 ILCS 5/20-133) (from Ch. 108 1/2, par. 20-133)
    Sec. 20-133. General provisions and savings clause. The provisions of Article 1 and Article 23 of this Code apply to this Article as though such provisions were fully set forth in this Article as a part thereof.
(Source: Laws 1963, p. 161.)