Pension Reform

On July 3, the Illinois Supreme Court ruled that health care for retired state workers is a pension benefit protected by a state constitutional provision prohibiting the diminishment or impairment of those benefits.  In Kanerva v. Weems the court held 6-to-1 that under the Illinois State Constitution's Pension Clause, any benefit of an Illinois retirement system "cannot be diminished or impaired," with no exceptions for health benefits.