Creditable Service Police - Illinois

Creditable Service

Police

1. Can I buy the time I served as a part-time police officer for credit in the pension fund?

No. The statute does not allow for the purchase of time served as a part-time police officer. 40 ILCS 5/3-109(a)(1) excludes part-time officers from participation in the Article 3 pension fund, and 40 ILCS 5/3-110 does not include time served as a parttime officer in the definition of creditable service.

2. I took a leave of absence. Is that time counted as creditable service time in the pension fund? If the leave of absence was no longer than 30 days in length and you have made the employee contributions that would have been paid had you been in active service, the time is to be counted as creditable service time. If the leave of absence was for anything other than illness or accident and was more than 30 days in length, the time cannot be counted as creditable service time. If the leave of absence was due to illness or accident and you have made the employee contributions that would have been paid had you been in active service, the time is to be counted as creditable service time regardless of the length of the absence. (40 ILCS 5/3-110(a))

3. How much of my time on disability can be counted as creditable service?

Up to 3 years of time during which an officer receives a disability pension may be counted as creditable service if the police officer returns to active service for a period at least equal to the period for which credit is being established and makes contributions to the fund in the amount that would have been paid had he or she not been on disability. Contributions are to be based on the salary upon which the disability pension was based and are to be made prior to the commencement of a retirement pension. If the contributions are not deducted from the disability pension, interest accrues at the rate of 6% per year, compounded annually, from the date for which service credit is being established to the date of payment. (40 ILCS 5/3-110(a5))

4. I have creditable service time in another Article 3 pension fund. Can I transfer that time to my current Article 3 pension fund?

Yes. Code Part 4404 outlines the details of transferring time from an Article 3 fund to another Article 3 fund.

5. Can I transfer the time I have in IMRF to my Article 3 pension fund?

As of June 1, 2012, there is no provision in statute to allow the transfer of time between IMRF and an Article 3 fund unless it involves a newly established Article 3 pension fund.

Fire

1. Can I buy the time I served as a part-time/volunteer firefighter for credit in the pension fund?

No. An opportunity was presented in 2006 for firefighters meeting certain criteria to purchase time spent as a part-time firefighter. (40 ILCS 5/4-108.5) A similar opportunity was also presented in 1989 for paid on-call firefighters. (40 ILCS 5/4108(c)(4)) Both opportunities required application within 30 days of the effective date of the law.

2. I took a leave of absence. Is that time counted as creditable service time in the pension fund? If the leave of absence was no longer than 30 days in any one year and you have made the employee contributions that would have been paid had you been in active service, the time is to be counted as creditable service time. If the leave of absence was for anything other than illness or accident and was more than 30 days in any one year, the time cannot be counted as creditable service time. If the leave of absence was due to illness or accident and you have made the employee contributions that would have been paid had you been in active service, the time is to be counted as creditable service time regardless of the length of the absence. (40 ILCS 5/4-108(a)-(b))

3. How much of my time on disability can be counted as creditable service?

Up to 3 years of time during which a firefighter receives a disability pension under Section 4-110, 4-110.1 or 4-111 may be counted as creditable service provided that the firefighter returns to active service after the disability for a period at least equal to the period for which credit is being established and makes contributions to the fund in the amount that would have been paid had he or she not been on disability. Contributions are to be based on the salary upon which the disability pension was based and are to be made prior to the commencement of a retirement pension. If the contributions are not deducted from the disability pension, interest accrues at the rate of 6% per year, compounded annually, from the date for which service credit is being established to the date of payment. (40 ILCS 5/4-108(c)(7))

4. Can I transfer my time from one Article 4 pension fund to another Article 4 pension fund?

You may not "transfer" your time from one Article 4 pension fund to another, but under certain circumstances you may "combine" your time by paying to each pension fund 1% of monthly salary for each month of service credit in that fund. (40 ILCS 5/4109.3)

5. What does it mean to "combine" my time in two or more Article 4 pension funds?

Combining time served in two or more Article 4 pension funds allows a firefighter to receive a total pension based upon the final salary earned at the last fund and the total number of combined creditable service years. Each fund will pay the firefighter a pro-rated pension benefit, but the total benefit will be the same as if the firefighter served all years in the last pension fund. In some circumstances, combining creditable service time can significantly increase one's pension benefit amount. (40 ILCS 5/4109.3)

 ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download