Welcome to the Cook County Pension Fund (CCPF), the administrator of benefits for the County Employees’ and Officers’ Annuity and Benefit Fund of Cook County and the Forest Preserve District Employees’ Annuity and Benefit Fund of Cook County.

Cook County Pension Fund  At-A-Glance 

	Fund Size	Membership	Annuity Benefits Paid	Funded Ratio
Cook County Fund	$14.3 billion	ACTIVE 18,320 ANNUITANT 19,856	$919.1 million	67.2%
Forest Preserve Fund	$235.2 million	ACTIVE 516 ANNUITANT 536	$18.8 million	59.4%

 

Purpose of CCPF

CCPF provides pension, disability and other benefits to employees of both Cook County and the Forest Preserve District.  While the County Fund and the Forest Fund are separate entities, the benefits provided to Cook County employees and Forest Preserve District employees are the same.

All employees of Cook County and the Forest Preserve District are now required to participate in CCPF and must make contributions to their respective funds through payroll deductions.

History

CCPF was first known as the Municipal Pension Fund of Cook County and was created by legislation enacted in 1915. The first meeting of the Board of Trustees was held on March 24, 1920.  The Retirement Board ("Board") consisted of five members, three of whom were elected by Cook County employees.  The County treasurer and comptroller also served on the Board. In order to contribute and receive benefits from the Municipal Pension Fund, employees were required to submit an application to the Board to allow their participation. The first pension benefit was approved by the Board on January 11, 1921, and provided for a monthly annuity in the amount of $38.50 to a member who had been employed by Cook County for twenty years. Learn More.

Administration

CCPF is administered by a Board of Trustees called the Retirement Board. The CCPF staff processes applications for benefits consistent with the Illinois Pension Code and with any rules and regulations adopted by the Retirement Board. The applications are presented to the Board for their approval at monthly meetings.

CCPF Staff

CCPF supports both plans by providing retirement, survivor, health, disability, and death benefits to over 40,000 employees and retirees. CCPF staff consist of retirement, health and disability counselors that work with members to provide comprehensive information about retirement benefits.

Reciprocal Act

CCPF 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. Participation in more than one of the pension systems covered under the Reciprocal Act means members may "combine" their service credit earned from two separate government employers to calculate a single pension benefit.  

Illinois Pension Code

As referenced throughout this website, CCPF 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, please refer 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.