Retirement Benefit Section Supervisor

Essential Functions

• Serves as full line supervisor.  Assigns and reviews work.  Provides guidance and training to assigned staff.  Counsels staff regarding work performance.  Reassigns staff to meet day-to-day operating needs.  Establishes annual goals and objectives.  Approves time off.  Handles first level grievances.  Effectively recommends and imposes discipline, up to and including discharge.  Prepares and signs performance evaluations.  Determines and recommends staffing needs.  Participates in the interview and selection process.
• Controls and monitors the processing, calculation, payment, adjustments, and auditing of monthly pension benefits, insurance benefits, lump sum death benefits, termination refunds, QILDRO’s and COLA, and total buyouts.  Interprets statutes, rules, policies, and procedures for approval and denial of claims.  Coordinates and processes benefits for the Illinois reciprocal retirement systems.  Supervises the certification process to assure continued eligibility for benefits.  Processes terminations for failure to certify.  Calculates and analyzes the most complex and sensitive/difficult cases of all claims, including handling all State Employees Retirement System staff claims.  Processes annual fiscal year end payable reports.  Responsible for the review of felony conviction research.  Computes pension and death claim calculations using numerous formulas and calculates adjustments and overpayments.
• Oversees the auditing of member accounts for discrepances of premium deductions and reviewing of third-party vendor’s employer portal.  Provides guidance, direction, and policy relating to the State’s multifaceted group health, dental, and life insurance coverage plans.  Represents State Employees Retirement System and provides the agency’s position with insurance carriers, third party vendor, CMS, agency group insurance representatives, union representatives, the Social Security Administration and State Employees Retirement System management staff to resolve complex administrative or policy issues with the group insurance plan.  Directs staff responsible for updating addresses, monitoring the 75-day return to work portal and related reports.  Administers the monthly death match file with Department of Public Health identifying deceased members and requesting removal from benefit payment voucher.
• Represents the agency in meetings with members, survivors, and their representatives.  Attends State Employees Retirement System Executive Committee meetings and prepares and presents appeals.  Determines, reviews, and establishes internal policy pertaining to State Employee Retirement Systems member benefits.  Represents State Employees Retirement System and provides the agency’s position concerning decisions.  Attends the annual reciprocal conference.
• Collaborates with I.T. Division regarding re-engineering of systems utilized by the Section to implement improvements in data processing systems.  Formulates project requests to accomplish major changes to the I.T. systems.  Reviews and controls security access of all staff.  Organizes and coordinates annual updates of the procedures manual and all literature to reflect concise benefit information in accordance with law.
• Performs other duties as required or assigned which are reasonably within the scope of the duties enumerated above.

Minimum Qualifications

• Requires knowledge, skill, and mental development equivalent to the completion of four years of college, with courses in accounting, mathematics, and/or statistics.
• Requires 3 years of progressively responsible administrative experience working with a pension program performing calculations and preparing reports.
• Requires 3 years of progressively responsible administrative experience administering a governmental group insurance policy.

Preferred Qualifications

• Prefers 3 years of experience calculating state employees' pension and death benefits using the provisions of the Illinois Pension Code and policies and procedures.
• Prefers 3 years of experience working with the QILDRO statute, Social Security retirement and death benefit structure, and Retirement Systems’ Reciprocal Act.
• Prefers 3 years of experience administering a governmental group insurance policy utilizing a third-party vendor portal.

Employment Conditions

• Requires ability to travel in the performance of duties, with overnight stays as appropriate.

• The conditions of employment listed here are incorporated and related to any of the job duties as listed in the job description.