STATE RETIREMENT The SYSTEMS 2101 S. Veterans Parkway P. O. Box 19255 Springfield, IL 62794-9255 PTheP newsletter aa for membersnn ofee the Judges’ ll Retirement System of Illinois 217-782-8500 www.srs.illinois.gov JUNE 2014 Revised Benefit Statement Member Identifica- JRS is pleased to provide you with tions made by the member, as well tion Number a newly revised annual Retiree/ as the total benefits paid from this Survivor Benefit Statement which account. If the contributions exceed Over the last several years the misuse is enclosed with this newsletter and the benefits paid at the time of your and theft of Social Security numbers contains specific information about death, the balance is payable to your (SSNs) and other personal informa- your Judges’ Retirement System (JRS) JRS nominated beneficiary if there is tion has become a major problem benefits. It is an important financial no eligible survivor. in private industry and government record to be used for future refer- agencies across the United States. ence. Reciprocal Systems This section indicates any reciprocal As a result, State laws have been Please review this statement and enacted to safeguard Illinois citizens, share it with your family. If you have system(s) involved in the calculation including the Identity Protection any questions about your statement, of your benefit. After your death, your survivors should contact all Act, which is meant to help protect or the benefits you are receiving, systems involved. SSNs and other personal information contact JRS at 217-782-8500. stored in various state computer sys- Authorized Deductions Death Benefits tems. Consistent with that aim, the Federal income tax deductions and The Death Benefits section of your Department of Central Management any other amounts you have deduct- statement contains information Services has developed Employee/ ed from your check are itemized and about lump sum death benefits that Member identification (ID) numbers totaled on this section. may be payable to your beneficiaries for all State employees, retirees, and or monthly survivor annuity ben- survivors to uniquely identify these Group Insurance Information efits that may be payable if you are a members without the use of SSNs. The Group Insurance section in- retiree and have an eligible survivor. JRS is phasing out the use of cludes a breakdown of your cur- An eligible survivor is defined as: SSNs on most reports and member rent group insurance coverage and your spouse age 50 or over to whom correspondence, thereby protecting premiums. This information should you are married for at least one year our members’ SSNs from possible be referred to during your Benefit prior to your death; your spouse at unintended disclosure and misuse. Choice period. any age if (s)he has custody of your The enclosed member ID number dependent children under age 18, age Contributions (Retirees Only) on your new JRS ID card and annual 22 if full-time student, or over age statement can be used as the primary This section shows total contribu- 18 and disabled. identifier in your correspondence with JRS. You can still use your SSN SRS Member Services Website when contacting JRS, although we The new SRS Member Services website is coming July 1! This new website will would encourage you to start using allow you to access your personal earnings statement, update your current your new Member ID number to help phone number or email address and so much more. Based on P.A. 98-235 protect your SSN and other personal effective 7/1/14, the Comptroller will no longer mail an earnings statement to information. you each time your net benefit changes. Therefore, you must access the new An example of the new ID card is SRS Member Services website to always be aware of your benefits. Instructions located on page 2. on how to register for the SRS Member Services website is on page 4. One– On– One Counseling 2014 Death The 2014 One–on–One counseling July 24 Notices sessions will be held at the loca- DuPage County Courthouse The following judges passed away tions below. If you would like to Wheaton in the morning in 2014. schedule an appointment with Kane County Judicial Center Jayne Waldeck during a visit to St. Charles in the afternoon Date of Death your city, contact the Court Admin- Vincent Bentivenga 1-02-14 istrator at that specific location. August 21 Rock Island County Courthouse Patrick Quinn (active) 1-08-14 June 12 Rock Island John Rogers 1-21-14 Madison County Courthouse John Tully 1-23-14 Edwardsville in the afternoon September 26 Vermilion County Courthouse Richard Rochester 1-28-14 June 13 Danville in the morning Susan Fleming 2-11-14 St. Clair County Building Coles County Courthouse John Verklan 2-11-14 Belleville in the morning Charleston in the afternoon Donald Cadagin 3-07-14 C. Joseph Cavanagh 3-13-14 June 19 October 9 Michael Howlett, Jr. Peoria County Courthouse LaSalle County Courthouse (active) 3-16-14 Peoria in the morning Ottawa in the morning Donna Cervini 3-25-14 Will County Courthouse Tazewell County Courthouse Joliet in the afternoon Tomas Magdich 4-15-14 Pekin in the afternoon Richard Elrod (active) 4-19-14 October 10 David Hall 5-20-14 June 25 Kankakee County Courthouse Adams County Courthouse Kankakee in the morning John Sype 5-22-14 Quincy in the morning McDonough County Courthouse Included with this Panel Macomb in the afternoon New Retiree ID Card front newsletter is your new, per- June 27 manent JRS identification Williamson County Courthouse card. The ID Number on the Marion in the morning card will replace your Social Security number as your Jefferson County Justice Center Mt. Vernon in the afternoon primary identity with JRS sometime in the near-future. 999999999 July 8 back Lake County Courthouse Waukegan in the afternoon This is the date your ID was issued to you. July 9 McHenry County Courthouse This is your permanent ID Woodstock in the morning number that will be used to identify you. Winnebago County Courthouse Rockford in the afternoon Printed on Recycled Paper Printed by the Authority of the State of Illinois • 1200 - 6/14 Your July Pension Amount May Change Effective with your July benefit payment, the group health insurance premi- ums for all retirees and survivors will increase. The retiree’s premium is based on his/her Medicare status and the benefits received from any of the five state-funded retirement systems. Retirees and survivors who are ineligible for Medicare Part A (Non-Medicare) will be charged 4% of their monthly gross annuity instead of the current 2%. Retirees and survivors eligible for Medicare Parts A and B will be charged 2% of their monthly gross annuity instead of the current 1%. The new insurance premium will be deducted from your July 2014 benefit check. The following examples are for member health coverage only. EXAMPLE of Premium for a Medicare Member Medicare Prime retiree with total monthly gross benefit of $10,000 $10,000 X 2% (.02) = $200 (new monthly premium) EXAMPLE of Premium for a Non-Medicare Member Non-Medicare member with total monthly gross benefit of $10,000 $10,000 X 4% (.04) = $400 (new monthly premium) Due to the changes in health insurance premiums effective with your July benefit, JRS will send you an earnings statement in mid-July detailing your gross benefit amount, all deductions and your net benefit for July 2014. Email Address: [email protected] .