§ 15-185 — Annuities, etc., exempt

The accumulated employee and employer contributions shall be held in trust for each participant and annuitant, and this trust shall be treated as a spendthrift trust. Except as provided in this Article, all cash, securities and other property of this system, all annuities and other benefits payable under this Article and all accumulated credits of participants and annuitants in this system and the right of any person to receive an annuity or other benefit under this Article, or a refund of contributions, shall not be subject to judgment, execution, garnishment, attachment, or other seizure by process, in bankruptcy or otherwise, nor to sale, pledge, mortgage or other alienation, and shall not be assignable. The board, however, may deduct from the benefits, refunds and credits payable to the participant, annuitant or beneficiary, amounts owed by the participant or annuitant to the system. No attempted sale, transfer or assignment of any benefit, refund or credit shall prevent the right of the board to make the deduction and offset authorized in this Section. Any participant or annuitant may authorize the board to deduct from disability benefits or annuities, premiums due under any group hospital-surgical insurance program which is sponsored or approved by any employer; however, the deductions from disability benefits may not begin prior to 6 months after the disability occurs. A person receiving an annuity or benefit under this Article may also authorize withholding from that annuity or benefit for the purposes enumerated in and in accordance with the provisions of the State Salary and Annuity Withholding Act. This Section is not intended to, and does not, affect the calculation of any benefit under this Article or dictate how or to what extent employee or employer contributions are to be taken into account in calculating benefits. This amendatory Act of the 91st General Assembly is a clarification of existing law and applies to every participant and annuitant without regard to whether status as an employee terminates before the effective date of this amendatory Act. Public Act 86-273 is a clarification of existing law and shall be applicable to every participant and annuitant without regard to whether status as an employee terminates before the effective date of that Act.

Legislative History

(Source: P.A. 90-65, eff. 7-7-97; 90-448, eff. 8-16-97; 90-511, eff. 8-22-97; 90-655, eff. 7-30-98; 91-887, eff. 7-6-00.)