SPRINGFIELD, IL – All TRS member benefits for April were paid in full and on schedule today, despite coronavirus restrictions.
Working from home, TRS staff processed and certified payments for 124,853 retired members and beneficiaries and sent the payment requests to the Illinois Comptroller’s office. The Comptroller’s office then transferred the funds on time to the bank accounts of all eligible members.
The benefits paid for April totaled $586 million.
“As concerns about the coronavirus grew, TRS established early on that our number one priority would be our members and the payment of benefits on time and in full, even if our offices were closed,” said TRS Executive Director Dick Ingram. “This was completely new territory for everyone. I’m very proud of our staff for working together quickly and implementing the “work-from-home” procedures and systems needed to pay $586 million in benefits.”
TRS began organizing its response to COVID-19 on March 3rd, when only four cases of the virus had been identified in Illinois. TRS closed its offices to visitors on March 13 and completely closed the offices on March 15, implementing its “work from home” procedures.
While medical professionals, first responders and many others are doing heroic work on the front lines of Illinois’ response to the pandemic, TRS is proud to be part of the network of essential government services and to be on the job for our members and their communities.
TRS is prepared to continue to deliver benefits remotely for as long as it takes for life in Illinois to return to normal.
About Teachers’ Retirement System
The Teachers’ Retirement System of the State of Illinois is the 37th largest pension system in the United States, and provides retirement, disability and survivor benefits to teachers, administrators and other public school personnel employed outside of Chicago. The System serves 434,313 members and had assets of $54.2 billion as of December 31, 2019.