Chair, Lois Nelson Members: There was a Claims and
Service Credits Committee Meeting of the Public School Teachers' Pension and
Retirement Fund of Chicago, 425 South Financial Place, Suite 1500, Board Room,
Chicago, Illinois, Hybrid (In-Person and Via Zoom) on Wednesday, April 24, 2024
at 9:30 A.M.
The meeting was scheduled to start at 9:30 am. It
started well after.
1. 1. Public
Participation: There was no public participation.
2. 2.
Roll Call:
Committee Members: Lois
Nelson (Chair), Maria Rodriguez, Paula S. Barajas, Victor Ochoa, and Quentin S.
Washington. All in attendance
Representing Active Members: Paula S. Barajas, Jeffery Blackwell, Victor Ochoa, (In person), Tammie F. Vinson, Quentin S. Washington (remotely)
Representing Retired
Members: Lois Nelson, Maria J. Rodriguez, and (attended in
person) Mary Sharon Reilly ( remotely)
Representing Principal: Vacant,
No representation
Representing the Board of
Education: Tanya D. Woods (attended remotely), 2nd Member
Vacant, No representation.
3. 3. Approval of Trustee Remote Attendance: Quentin S. Washington,
4. 4. Approval
of Minutes: Return to Work Committee Minutes for
April 11, 2023, Yes 4, No 0, Abstain
1
April 13, 2023, Yes Unanimous
April 25, 2023, Yes Unanimous
April 27, 2023, Yes Unanimous
Trustee Maria Rodriguez and Trustee
Lois Nelson inquired about not having a meeting of the committee for almost a
year. It was stated that the Return-to-Work herring process has changed. It is
no longer in close session.
5. 5. Return
to Work Hearing regarding Elizabeth Chambers who attended remotely.
During the hearing, the attorney
representing the Chicago Teachers' Pension Fund (CTPF), Mr. Ruffing, gave his
opening statements. It was noted that Ms. Chabers had gone over the 140
return-to-work limit. Mr. Ruffing stated that the burden of proof lies on the
members. He called his first witness, Ms. Jo Campbell, who is the pensions and
refunds department manager, and has been a CTPF employee for nine years. He
also presented ten exhibits, which included two forms of data from CPS, a
letter sent to Ms. Chabers from the Fund about her exceeding the work limits,
Form 761 Financial Hardship Request, Form 940 Assignment of Death Benefit,
Notice of Administration Hering, and the Pension Fall 2022 newsletter.
During the meeting, Ms. Chambers
reported that she had submitted several historical payroll corrections. Two of
them have already been submitted to the board, and she is currently processing
the final one. Trustee Lois Nelson clarified that all Guest Teachers, also
known as Substitute Teachers, receive two professional development sessions
that do not count toward the 140 limit. The matter was left open as the CTPF
staff needed to verify other outstanding documentation. Trustee Ochoa and
Trustee Washington commented on the process and recommended that CTPF take more
proactive action to mitigate such scenarios in the future.
6. 6. The
meeting was adjourned at approximately 11:30 am
Committee, was requested on April 24, 2024, under the Illinois Freedom of
Information Act (“FOIA”), 5ILCS 140/1 et seq. The FOIA was granted on May 1, 2024. I have included CTPF's reply and links.
Dear Ernestina Padilla,
Thank you for writing to the Chicago Teachers’ Pension Fund (“CTPF” or “Fund”) with your request for information pursuant to the Illinois Freedom of Information Act (“FOIA”), 5ILCS 140/1 et seq.
On April 24, 2024, you requested the following information:
- A copy of the policy, bylaws, or rules that govern The Claims and Service Credits Committee, under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act (“FOIA”), 5ILCS 140/1 et seq.
Your request is granted. CTPF’s Bylaws and Return to Work Policy can be found on the Funds website. FOIA allows a public body to refer a requester to the public body’s website if the requested records are provided on the public body’s website. The records requested can be found at https://www.ctpf.org/post/
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