It's the $111 billion headache in Illinois.
Pension reform will be front-and-center with the Illinois Supreme Court on Wednesday afternoon.
That's when justices will listen to oral arguments from both sides.
For longtime teacher Diane Gilliland, she feels like the victim of a broken system.
"I feel really cheated," she said.
Gilliland joined 140 retired teachers in Rock Island for an update on pension reform.
These teachers helped to pay for their pensions during decades of work. But for years, Illinois spent that money on other things.
"That's why we're in such a quandry at the moment," she said.
The Illinois pension deficit now tops $111 billion.
That's a big reason why Illinois is challenging the state constitution to reduce future benefits.
"Taking away our benefits going forward is wrong," said Bob Lyons, a 32-year teacher now representing the Illinois Retired Teachers Association.
Retired teachers are concerned about the future. Their pensions could stagnate. Current teachers and state workers could be forced into a much inferior plan.
"We always made our contributions," Lyons said. "The school districts always made their contributions. It was the state that didn't."
Lyons thinks that the Supreme Court case will side with retirees. But that doesn't solve the problem of where to get the money.
With Democrats holding a super-majority in Springfield, Republican Governor Bruce Rauner is unlikely to get support on raising revenue.
Illinois is already paying over 20% of the state's budget into pensions.
"That's just unconscionable," Lyons said. "There's not another state in the union that's anywhere near that."
Teachers are hoping for a quick decision, but that could still take at least a few months.
"One reason why a lot of people went to Illinois was for the retirement system," said retired educator Tina Sims. "That just isn't there now."
John Henriksen, 87, taught school for 32 years. He never thought he would experience something like this.
"It's a mess," he concluded. "They created their own mess, and I hope the courts solve it."
For Illinois and retirees, a solution that can't afford to wait.