Bill Text: IL SB1629 | 2025-2026 | 104th General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Amends the Department of Central Management Services Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. Creates the Disability Benefits Maximization Program. Provides that, within 6 months after the effective date of the amendatory Act, the Department of Central Management Services, in conjunction with the 5 State-funded retirement systems, may enter into a contract with an administrator to establish and conduct a Disability Benefits Maximization Program to identify relevant individuals eligible for Medicare but not enrolled in Medicare, and to assist those individuals with enrolling in Social Security and Medicare. Provides that the Disability Benefits Maximization Program shall conduct an annual audit of the State health benefits program for everyone covered under the State Employees Group Insurance Program, the Teachers' Retirement Insurance Program, and the College Insurance Program for the purpose of identifying participants and their dependents who are eligible for Medicare under federal law and shall also ensure that those annuitants, retirees, benefit recipients, survivors, or dependents who are eligible for Medicare are enrolled in Medicare with Medicare as their primary health care benefits coverage and the State Health Benefits Program being the secondary provider of their health care benefits coverage. Provides that the Disability Benefits Maximization Program shall assist any annuitant, retiree, benefit recipient, survivor or their dependents who becomes disabled, and is not enrolled in Social Security Disability Insurance and Medicare, with enrolling in and obtaining Social Security Disability Insurance and Medicare benefits. Provides that the administrator of the Disability Benefits Maximization Program shall provide the Department, the 5 State-funded retirement systems, and the General Assembly with an annual report. Effective January 1, 2026.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 2-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2025-02-11 - Added as Co-Sponsor Sen. Dave Syverson [SB1629 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2025-SB1629-Introduced.html

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104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2025 and 2026 SB1629 Introduced 2/4/2025, by Sen. Neil Anderson SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
20 ILCS 405/405-550 new
Amends the Department of Central Management Services Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. Creates the Disability Benefits Maximization Program. Provides that, within 6 months after the effective date of the amendatory Act, the Department of Central Management Services, in conjunction with the 5 State-funded retirement systems, may enter into a contract with an administrator to establish and conduct a Disability Benefits Maximization Program to identify relevant individuals eligible for Medicare but not enrolled in Medicare, and to assist those individuals with enrolling in Social Security and Medicare. Provides that the Disability Benefits Maximization Program shall conduct an annual audit of the State health benefits program for everyone covered under the State Employees Group Insurance Program, the Teachers' Retirement Insurance Program, and the College Insurance Program for the purpose of identifying participants and their dependents who are eligible for Medicare under federal law and shall also ensure that those annuitants, retirees, benefit recipients, survivors, or dependents who are eligible for Medicare are enrolled in Medicare with Medicare as their primary health care benefits coverage and the State Health Benefits Program being the secondary provider of their health care benefits coverage. Provides that the Disability Benefits Maximization Program shall assist any annuitant, retiree, benefit recipient, survivor or their dependents who becomes disabled, and is not enrolled in Social Security Disability Insurance and Medicare, with enrolling in and obtaining Social Security Disability Insurance and Medicare benefits. Provides that the administrator of the Disability Benefits Maximization Program shall provide the Department, the 5 State-funded retirement systems, and the General Assembly with an annual report. Effective January 1, 2026.
LRB104 11059 BDA 21141 b
A BILL FOR
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AN ACT concerning State government.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
Section 5. The Department of Central Management Services
Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois is amended by
adding Section 405-550 as follows:
(20 ILCS 405/405-550 new)
Sec. 405-550. Disability Benefits Maximization Program.
(a) Within 6 months after the effective date of this
amendatory Act of the 104th General Assembly, the Department
of Central Management Services, in conjunction with the State
Employees' Retirement System of Illinois, the State
Universities Retirement System, the Teachers' Retirement
System of the State of Illinois, the Judges Retirement System
of Illinois, and the General Assembly Retirement System, may
enter into a contract with a qualified and experienced
administrator to establish and conduct a Disability Benefits
Maximization Program to identify annuitants, retirees, benefit
recipients, survivors, or dependents who are eligible for
Medicare, but not enrolled in Medicare, and to assist those
annuitants, retirees, benefit recipients, survivors, or
dependents with enrolling in Social Security and Medicare.
(b) The Disability Benefits Maximization Program shall

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conduct an annual audit of the State health benefits program
for everyone covered under the State Employees Group Insurance
Program, the Teachers' Retirement Insurance Program, and the
College Insurance Program for the purpose of identifying
participants and their dependents who are eligible for
Medicare under federal law. The Program shall also ensure that
those annuitants, retirees, benefit recipients, survivors, or
dependents who are eligible for Medicare are enrolled in
Medicare with Medicare as their primary health care benefits
coverage and the State Health Benefits Program being the
secondary provider of their health care benefits coverage.
(c) The Disability Benefits Maximization Program shall
assist any annuitant, retiree, benefit recipient, survivor or
their dependents who becomes disabled, and is not enrolled in
Social Security Disability Insurance and Medicare, with
enrolling in and obtaining Social Security Disability
Insurance and Medicare benefits. This assistance shall
include, but shall not be limited to: (i) developing
communication materials to educate individuals about Social
Security Disability Insurance benefits; (ii) performing
multiple outreaches to targeted populations; (iii) analyzing
responses to determine Social Security Disability Insurance
eligibility; and (iv) representing qualified individuals on
their claim for Social Security Disability Insurance and
Medicare.
(d) The administrator shall provide the Department, the

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State Employees' Retirement System of Illinois, the State
Universities Retirement System, the Teachers' Retirement
System of the State of Illinois, the Judges Retirement System
of Illinois, the General Assembly Retirement System, and the
General Assembly with an annual report showing the number of
annuitants, retirees, benefit recipients, survivors, and
dependents who are transitioned to Social Security Disability
Insurance and Medicare and the amount of savings realized by
the State of Illinois.
Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect on
January 1, 2026.