§ 17-134

(Text of Section WITH the changes made by P.A. 98-599, which has been held unconstitutional) Sec. 17-134. Contributions for leaves of absence; military service; computing service. In computing service for pension purposes the following periods of service shall stand in lieu of a like number of years of teaching service upon payment therefor in the manner hereinafter provided: (a) time spent on a leave of absence granted by the employer; (b) service with teacher or labor organizations based upon special leaves of absence therefor granted by an Employer; (c) a maximum of 5 years spent in the military service of the United States, of which up to 2 years may have been served outside the pension period; (d) unused sick days at termination of service to a maximum of 244 days; (e) time lost due to layoff and curtailment of the school term from June 6 through June 21, 1976; and (f) time spent after June 30, 1982 as a member of the Board of Education, if required to resign from an administrative or teaching position in order to qualify as a member of the Board of Education. (1) For time spent on or after September 6, 1948 on sabbatical leaves of absence or sick leaves, for which salaries are paid, an Employer shall make payroll deductions at the applicable rates in effect during such periods. (2) For time spent on a leave of absence granted by the employer for which no salaries are paid, teachers desiring credit therefor shall pay the required contributions at the rates in effect during such periods as though they were in teaching service. If an Employer pays salary for vacations which occur during a teacher's sick leave or maternity or paternity leave without salary, vacation pay for which the teacher would have qualified while in active service shall be considered part of the teacher's total salary for pension purposes. No more than 36 months of leave credit may be allowed any person during the entire term of service. Sabbatical leave credit shall be limited to the time the person on leave without salary under an Employer's rules is allowed to engage in an activity for which he receives salary or compensation. (3) For time spent prior to September 6, 1948, on sabbatical leaves of absence or sick leaves for which salaries were paid, teachers desiring service credit therefor shall pay the required contributions at the maximum applicable rates in effect during such periods. (4) For service with teacher or labor organizations authorized by special leaves of absence, for which no payroll deductions are made by an Employer, teachers desiring service credit therefor shall contribute to the Fund upon the basis of the actual salary received from such organizations at the percentage rates in effect during such periods for certified positions with such Employer. To the extent the actual salary exceeds the regular salary, which shall be defined as the salary rate, as calculated by the Board, in effect for the teacher's regular position in teaching service on September 1, 1983 or on the effective date of the leave with the organization, whichever is later, the organization shall pay to the Fund the employer's normal cost as set by the Board on the increment. Notwithstanding any other provision of this subdivision (4), teachers are only eligible for credit for service under this subdivision (4) if the special leave of absence begins before January 5, 2012 (the effective date of Public Act 97-651). (5) For time spent in the military service, teachers entitled to and desiring credit therefor shall contribute the amount required for each year of service or fraction thereof at the rates in force (a) at the date of appointment, or (b) on return to teaching service as a regularly certified teacher, as the case may be; provided such rates shall not be less than $450 per year of service. These conditions shall apply unless an Employer elects to and does pay into the Fund the amount which would have been due from such person had he been employed as a teacher during such time. In the case of credit for military service not during the pension period, the teacher must also pay to the Fund an amount determined by the Board to be equal to the employer's normal cost of the benefits accrued from such service, plus interest thereon at 5% per year, compounded annually, from the date of appointment to the date of payment. The changes to this Section made by Public Act 87-795 shall apply not only to persons who on or after its effective date are in service under the Fund, but also to persons whose status as a teacher terminated prior to that date, whether or not the person is an annuitant on that date. In the case of an annuitant who applies for credit allowable under this Section for a period of military service that did not immediately follow employment, and who has made the required contributions for such credit, the annuity shall be recalculated to include the additional service credit, with the increase taking effect on the date the Fund received written notification of the annuitant's intent to purchase the credit, if payment of all the required contributions is made within 60 days of such notice, or else on the first annuity payment date following the date of payment of the required contributions. In calculating the automatic annual increase for an annuity that has been recalculated under this Section, the increase attributable to the additional service allowable under this amendatory Act of 1991 shall be included in the calculation of automatic annual increases accruing after the effective date of the recalculation. The total credit for military service shall not exceed 5 years, except that any teacher who on July 1, 1963, had validated credit for more than 5 years of military service shall be entitled to the total amount of such credit. (6) For persons who first become teachers before the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 98th General Assembly, a maximum of 244 unused sick days credited to his account by an Employer on the date of termination of employment. Members, upon verification of unused sick days, may add this service time to total creditable service. (7) In all cases where time spent on leave is creditable and no payroll deductions therefor are made by an Employer, persons desiring service credit shall make the required contributions directly to the Fund. (8) For time lost without pay due to layoff and curtailment of the school term from June 6 through June 21, 1976, as provided in item (e) of the first paragraph of this Section, persons who were contributors on the days immediately preceding such layoff shall receive credit upon paying to the Fund a contribution based on the rates of compensation and employee contributions in effect at the time of such layoff, together with an additional amount equal to 12.2% of the compensation computed for such period of layoff, plus interest on the entire amount at 5% per annum from January 1, 1978 to the date of payment. If such contribution is paid, salary for pension purposes for any year in which such a layoff occurred shall include the compensation recognized for purposes of computing that contribution. (9) For time spent after June 30, 1982, as a nonsalaried member of the Board of Education, if required to resign from an administrative or teaching position in order to qualify as a member of the Board of Education, an administrator or teacher desiring credit therefor shall pay the required contributions at the rates and salaries in effect during such periods as though the member were in service. Effective September 1, 1974, the interest charged for validation of service described in paragraphs (2) through (5) of this Section shall be compounded annually at a rate of 5% commencing one year after the termination of the leave or return to service. (Source: P.A. 97-651, eff. 1-5-12; 98-599, eff. 6-1-14 .) (Text of Section WITHOUT the changes made by P.A. 98-599, which has been held unconstitutional) Sec. 17-134. Contributions for leaves of absence; military service; computing service. In computing service for pension purposes the following periods of service shall stand in lieu of a like number of years of teaching service upon payment therefor in the manner hereinafter provided: (a) time spent on a leave of absence granted by the employer; (b) service with teacher or labor organizations based upon special leaves of absence therefor granted by an Employer; (c) a maximum of 5 years spent in the military service of the United States, of which up to 2 years may have been served outside the pension period; (d) unused sick days at termination of service to a maximum of 244 days; (e) time lost due to layoff and curtailment of the school term from June 6 through June 21, 1976; and (f) time spent after June 30, 1982 as a member of the Board of Education, if required to resign from an administrative or teaching position in order to qualify as a member of the Board of Education. (1) For time spent on or after September 6, 1948 on sabbatical leaves of absence or sick leaves, for which salaries are paid, an Employer shall make payroll deductions at the applicable rates in effect during such periods. (2) For time spent on a leave of absence granted by the employer for which no salaries are paid, teachers desiring credit therefor shall pay the required contributions at the rates in effect during such periods as though they were in teaching service. If an Employer pays salary for vacations which occur during a teacher's sick leave or maternity or paternity leave without salary, vacation pay for which the teacher would have qualified while in active service shall be considered part of the teacher's total salary for pension purposes. No more than 36 months of leave credit may be allowed any person during the entire term of service. Sabbatical leave credit shall be limited to the time the person on leave without salary under an Employer's rules is allowed to engage in an activity for which he receives salary or compensation. (3) For time spent prior to September 6, 1948, on sabbatical leaves of absence or sick leaves for which salaries were paid, teachers desiring service credit therefor shall pay the required contributions at the maximum applicable rates in effect during such periods. (4) For service with teacher or labor organizations authorized by special leaves of absence, for which no payroll deductions are made by an Employer, teachers desiring service credit therefor shall contribute to the Fund upon the basis of the actual salary received from such organizations at the percentage rates in effect during such periods for certified positions with such Employer. To the extent the actual salary exceeds the regular salary, which shall be defined as the salary rate, as calculated by the Board, in effect for the teacher's regular position in teaching service on September 1, 1983 or on the effective date of the leave with the organization, whichever is later, the organization shall pay to the Fund the employer's normal cost as set by the Board on the increment. Notwithstanding any other provision of this subdivision (4), teachers are only eligible for credit for service under this subdivision (4) if the special leave of absence begins before the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 97th General Assembly. (5) For time spent in the military service, teachers entitled to and desiring credit therefor shall contribute the amount required for each year of service or fraction thereof at the rates in force (a) at the date of appointment, or (b) on return to teaching service as a regularly certified teacher, as the case may be; provided such rates shall not be less than $450 per year of service. These conditions shall apply unless an Employer elects to and does pay into the Fund the amount which would have been due from such person had he been employed as a teacher during such time. In the case of credit for military service not during the pension period, the teacher must also pay to the Fund an amount determined by the Board to be equal to the employer's normal cost of the benefits accrued from such service, plus interest thereon at 5% per year, compounded annually, from the date of appointment to the date of payment. The changes to this Section made by Public Act 87-795 shall apply not only to persons who on or after its effective date are in service under the Fund, but also to persons whose status as a teacher terminated prior to that date, whether or not the person is an annuitant on that date. In the case of an annuitant who applies for credit allowable under this Section for a period of military service that did not immediately follow employment, and who has made the required contributions for such credit, the annuity shall be recalculated to include the additional service credit, with the increase taking effect on the date the Fund received written notification of the annuitant's intent to purchase the credit, if payment of all the required contributions is made within 60 days of such notice, or else on the first annuity payment date following the date of payment of the required contributions. In calculating the automatic annual increase for an annuity that has been recalculated under this Section, the increase attributable to the additional service allowable under this amendatory Act of 1991 shall be included in the calculation of automatic annual increases accruing after the effective date of the recalculation. The total credit for military service shall not exceed 5 years, except that any teacher who on July 1, 1963, had validated credit for more than 5 years of military service shall be entitled to the total amount of such credit. (6) A maximum of 244 unused sick days credited to his account by an Employer on the date of termination of employment. Members, upon verification of unused sick days, may add this service time to total creditable service. (7) In all cases where time spent on leave is creditable and no payroll deductions therefor are made by an Employer, persons desiring service credit shall make the required contributions directly to the Fund. (8) For time lost without pay due to layoff and curtailment of the school term from June 6 through June 21, 1976, as provided in item (e) of the first paragraph of this Section, persons who were contributors on the days immediately preceding such layoff shall receive credit upon paying to the Fund a contribution based on the rates of compensation and employee contributions in effect at the time of such layoff, together with an additional amount equal to 12.2% of the compensation computed for such period of layoff, plus interest on the entire amount at 5% per annum from January 1, 1978 to the date of payment. If such contribution is paid, salary for pension purposes for any year in which such a layoff occurred shall include the compensation recognized for purposes of computing that contribution. (9) For time spent after June 30, 1982, as a nonsalaried member of the Board of Education, if required to resign from an administrative or teaching position in order to qualify as a member of the Board of Education, an administrator or teacher desiring credit therefor shall pay the required contributions at the rates and salaries in effect during such periods as though the member were in service. Effective September 1, 1974, the interest charged for validation of service described in paragraphs (2) through (5) of this Section shall be compounded annually at a rate of 5% commencing one year after the termination of the leave or return to service.

Legislative History

(Source: P.A. 97-651, eff. 1-5-12.)