News Features

At SURS we have adopted and adapted to new working conditions, but our members will see the same excellent service, delivery of benefits and fiduciary responsibility they have come to expect and deserve.

Although our offices are closed to the public and most of our staff is working from home to protect their health, we are providing full service to our members. All services and resources are available to members, except in-person contacts. Our staff has risen to the work challenges caused by the coronavirus outbreak and will continue to change and adapt when necessary.

The COVID-19 pandemic is making it difficult for disability benefit (DB) and disability retirement annuity (DRA) recipients to see their physicians for required reevaluation appointments. As a result, effective April 1, 2020, SURS will discontinue issuing medical reevaluation requests to our DB and DRA recipients until May 1,2020.  

SURS will NOT be suspending monthly benefits for non-compliance of outstanding medical reevaluations and/or requests for medical records. 

Gov. Pritzker has appointed Scott Hendrie of Savoy to serve on the State Universities Retirement System (SURS) Board of Trustees.

Hendrie is vice president of finance and treasury at the Carle Foundation, serving on both their Retirement Plan and Health and Welfare Committees. He is a member of the Carle Illinois College of Medicine Joint Liaison Committee and a Board Observer for Ascension Ventures IV, L.P. Previously, he worked for First Busey Corporation, a financial holding company, for 15 years.

Check out the latest SURS information including enhancements coming to the Self-Managed Plan in June, a new supplemental savings plan starting in September and more.

SURS recently completed its paper mailing of the 2019 IRS Form 1099-R to each member or beneficiary who received a distribution in 2019.

Unfortunately, shortly after the forms were mailed an error was discovered with respect to Box 2b “Total Distribution.”

The State Universities Retirement System of Illinois (SURS) requests proposals from qualified firms to provide global equity investment management services. SURS is issuing the RFP for due diligence purposes, to ensure its receipt of quality services in a cost-effective manner.

The State Universities Retirement System (SURS) is requesting proposals from qualified software and service vendors regarding a new Human Capital Management (HCM) and Financial Information System (FIS) software solution that will also accommodate modern, comprehensive interfaces with existing systems (internal and external).

The State of Illinois TRAIL Medicare Advantage open enrollment period for participating annuitants and survivors is October 15 - November 15, 2019. The 2020 plan year will begin January 1, 2020, and will run through December 31, 2020.

Mitchell Vogel, a SURS annuitant and former board member, has been selected to fill a vacancy on the SURS Board of Trustees by the elected SURS trustees. The vacancy was created when elected annuitant board member John Engstrom resigned after the June 2019 board meeting.

Vogel was a SURS board member from 2004 through 2015. During his tenure on the board, he served as board president for four years, as chairman of the Legislative and Corporate Governance Committees, and as a member of the Investment Committee.

Gov. Pritzker has appointed John Atkinson of Burr Ridge to serve as chairperson of the State Universities Retirement System (SURS) Board of Trustees.

On Aug. 2, the governor announced Atkinson will serve as the chairperson of the Illinois Board of Higher Education and, per state statute, will also serve as the chairperson for SURS.