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About the Fund
Creation & Purpose of Fund
The County Employees’ and Officers’ Annuity and Benefit Fund of Cook County ("Cook County Fund") and the Forest Preserve District Employees’ Annuity and Benefit Fund of Cook County ("Forest Preserve District Fund") are defined benefit plans created by acts of the Illinois State Legislature to provide disability and retirement benefits to qualified employees of Cook County and the Forest Preserve District.
Although created by separate acts (the Cook County Fund being created under Article 9 of the Illinois Pension Code [40 ILCS 5/9-101 et. seq.] and the Forest Preserve District Fund being created under Article 10 of the Illinois Pension Code [40 ILCS 5/10-101 et. seq.]), the annuities and benefits provided for Forest Preserve District and Cook County employees are the same and the Funds are collectively referred to as the "Cook County Pension Fund" or "the Fund".
Administration of Fund
The Fund is administered by a Board of Trustees called the Retirement Board.
Income of Fund
Per state statute, the Fund derives its income from the following three primary sources; (1) an annual tax levy, (2) employee salary deductions and (3) income from investments.
Reciprocal Act
The Fund is a participating system under the Retirement Systems Reciprocal Act ("Reciprocal Act") [40 ILCS 5/20-101 et. seq.]. The Reciprocal Act establishes a plan for the continuity and preservation of pension credit in the case of employees transferring employment from one governmental unit to another. In other words, if you participated in more than one of the pension systems covered under the Reciprocal Act, you may "combine" your service credit to calculate a pension.
Illinois Pension Code
As referenced throughout this website, the Fund was created and is maintained and administered in accordance with relevant provisions of the Illinois Pension Code. For a complete statement of benefits, administration provisions and other requirements, reference should be made to the Illinois Pension Code, as amended from time to time. The Illinois General Assembly website (www.ilga.gov) provides access to the Illinois Compiled Statutes. Please note: the content and availability of that site is beyond the control of the Fund.