Membership in SLEP is based on several items, such as your position, type of appointment, and/or action taken by your employer.
Sheriff
If you are a sheriff, you are an elected official. Elected officials have the option of participating in IMRF; they are not required to do so. If you elect to participate in IMRF, you will participate under the SLEP plan.
Deputy Sheriffs
To qualify for the SLEP plan, you must be a full-time deputy sheriff.
A full-time deputy sheriff is one who works as a deputy 52 weeks a year (regular vacation excepted) for a full week (usually 35 to 40 hours a week) as defined by the county and sheriff.
You should be properly appointed as provided by state law that limits the number of deputies to the maximum allowed by the county board.
In addition, in those counties that have adopted the Sheriffs’ Merit Commission Act, your appointment must be made from the list certified by the Merit Commission. Part-time, auxiliary, or special deputies may not participate in the SLEP plan.
Chief deputy
If you are a chief deputy in a full-time position, whether or not your position is exempted from coverage by a Merit Commission, you must participate in IMRF under the SLEP plan.
Deputy
If you are a full-time deputy and you meet the qualifications listed above, you will participate in IMRF under the SLEP plan even though you may be designated as a bailiff, desk sergeant, etc.
However, if you are a bailiff or desk personnel and you are not deputized by the legally required method, you are not eligible for SLEP; you will participate in IMRF’s Regular plan.
Correctional officers
If you are a correctional officer working in a full-time position and deputized as a regular deputy—and if required are certified by a Merit Commission—you will participate in IMRF under the SLEP plan.
Forest Preserve District rangers
Forest Preserve District Commissions have the option of providing the SLEP plan to their law enforcement officers employed on a full-time basis.
If you are a forest preserve law enforcement officer, commonly referred to as a forest ranger, you will participate in IMRF’s Regular plan unless your commission adopts the SLEP plan.
Airport police
If you are an airport police officer, you will participate in IMRF if your police duties are full-time and you are not eligible to participate in a local police pension plan.
Airport authorities have the option of providing the SLEP plan to their full-time police officers. You will participate in IMRF’s Regular plan unless your airport authority adopts the SLEP plan.
Police chiefs
If you are a police chief, you may be entitled to participate in IMRF as a SLEP member. If you currently participate in a local police pension plan and are employed by an IMRF employer, you have the option of enrolling in SLEP.
If you are eligible to participate in SLEP, you may also transfer service as a police officer from a local police pension plan into SLEP.
If you are a newly hired police chief, you may participate in SLEP without first joining your local police pension fund. To do so, you must enroll in IMRF within the first three months of your appointment as police chief or within three months of the formation of a new police pension fund.
Once you elect to become a SLEP member, you remain a SLEP member as long as you perform police duties for any IMRF employer.
Police chiefs not eligible for SLEP
The following police chiefs are not eligible to join SLEP:
- Police chiefs who first became an IMRF-participating employee on or after January 1, 2019.
- Police chiefs with IMRF municipalities that do not have a local police pension plan and are not required by law to form one (under 5,000 population).
- Police chiefs with IMRF municipalities that have a police pension plan, but the chief chose not to enroll in the plan during the eligibility period.
- Police chiefs with municipalities that do not participate in IMRF.
- Acting, temporary, interim, deputy, or any position other than an appointed police chief.