Reference & Health Guides

The reference and health guides are designed to help you in your business and health transactions with CalPERS. We encourage you to make the applicable guides available to all staff who process enrollments or convey retirement and/or health benefit information.

Reference Guides

Health Benefits Guides

Retirement Resource Guides

Disability Retirement / Industrial Disability Retirement Resource Guide (PDF)
Local Safety Disability Retirement / Industrial Disability Retirement Resource Guide (PDF)

These guides provide simplified explanations for often complex laws. Should there be a conflict between the language in either the reference or health guides, and the California Public Employees' Retirement Law (PERL) or Public Employees’ Medical & Hospital Care Act (PEMHCA), the PERL and PEMHCA will prevail. If you have comments or suggestions for future editions of these guides, contact us.

*For questions regarding account codes, or requests for account code corrections, adjustments, and/or verifications contact the State Controller's Office retirement liaison at (916) 324-1471.

Revision History

You can view a summary of the revisions made to our guides by selecting the desired link below. For content that received substantive changes, a PDF link is also available in the summary. To stay informed about changes to CalPERS policies and procedures, review our Circular Letters or subscribe to the Employer Bulletin.

Public Agency & Schools Health Benefits Guide

Topic/Summary	Revision Date
Health Enrollment Added supporting documentation required for various demographic updates	Mar 2019 (PDF)
Health Plan Options Anthem Blue Cross EPO no longer serves Monterey County Health Eligibility Requirements Revision to Certified Disabled Dependent over age 26 Health Enrollment Reason Codes New reason code for CalSTRS declining health into retirement Direct Payment Authorization Updated employer instructions for the HBD-21 form Health Benefits into Retirement Added Options Upon Retirement after Reinstatement	Aug 2018 (PDF)
Important CalPERS Health Plan Contact Information (for Members & Employers) Added Contact Information for PORAC COBRA/Cal-COBRA (Group Continuation) Updated qualifying events for COBRA coverage Employee Separations Capturing employee signatures either electronically or physically	May 2018 (PDF)

Public Agency & Schools Reference Guide

Chapter/Summary	Revision Date
Introduction Added PEPRA information to service retirement topic	Jul 2017 (PDF)
Contract Coverage Procedures Clarified process to Initiate a New Contact and Updated Cost Estimate Factors for providing Two Years Additional Service Credit	Apr 2018 (PDF)
Membership Added a flowchart for processing the Reciprocal Self-Certification form	Aug 2018 (PDF)
Membership Information and processing steps for the Member Self-Certification Form (PERS-EAMD-801)	Jul 2018 (PDF)
Membership Clarified Member Reciprocal Self-Certification as it relates to PEPRA and updates to the School Employment: CalPERS or CalSTRS topic	Apr 2018 (PDF)
Compensation Review Compensation Limits and New Member Contribution Caps updated for 2019	Jan 2019 (PDF)
Compensation Review Updates to General Information for All Reporting Methods	Jul 2018 (PDF)
Payroll Reporting Procedures Added content regarding Contribution Projections for Active Members	Aug 2018 (PDF)
Payroll Reporting Procedures Updated 1959 Survivor Contribution Amounts	Jul 2018 (PDF)
Benefits Procedures Updated Employment of a Retiree topic	Mar 2019 (PDF)
Benefits Procedures Updated procedures to Employer Originated Applications for Disability Retirement	Jan 2019 (PDF)
Benefits Procedures Updates to the following sections: Retirement – General, Service, Disability and Industrial Disability Retirements, Reinstatement, and Beneficiary Designation (After Retirement)	Sep 2018 (PDF)
Web Services & Publications Updated Subscriptions Services	Nov 2017 (PDF)
Education & Other Resources New Educational Resources added	Sep 2018 (PDF)
Appendix Clarifying language added to Resolutions 1, 2, 3, and 4	Sep 2018 (PDF)

State Health Benefits Guide

Topic/Summary	Revision Date
Health Enrollment Added supporting documentation required for various demographic updates	Mar 2019 (PDF)
Contact Information CalPERS Added Health Plan Contact Information for Employers Only Health Plan Options Anthem Blue Cross EPO no longer serves Monterey County Health Eligibility Requirements Revisions to Spouse, Notification of Deletion of 26-Year Old Dependents, Certified Disabled Dependent over age 26 and Dependent Eligibility Verification Health Enrollment Added Responsible Party examples Health Enrollment Reason Codes Added Health Enrollment Reason Codes and new Reason Code 546 for CalSTRS declining health into retirement Direct Payment Authorization Updated employer instructions for the HBD-21 form Health Benefits into Retirement Added Options Upon Retirement after Reinstatement Post – Retirement Health Vesting Included new Bargaining Units for CSU Health Vesting Retiree Dental and Vision Coverage Information for CSU employees hired on or after 7-1-2017	Aug 2018 (PDF)
Health Benefit Officer and Employee Separations Capturing employee signatures either electronically or physically	May 2018 (PDF)

State Reference Guide

Chapter/Summary	Revision Date
Introduction Added PEPRA information to service retirement topic	Jul 2017 (PDF)
General Membership Information Information and processing steps for the Member Self-Certification Form (PERS-EAMD-801)	Jul 2018 (PDF)
General Membership Information Updates to Positions Excluded by Retirement Law from CalPERS Coverage and CalPERS or CalSTRS? topics	May 2018 (PDF)
CSU-Only Membership Update to the California State University topic	May 2018 (PDF)
Pay Rate & Service Credit Compensation Limits and New Member Contribution Caps updated for 2019	Jan 2019 (PDF)
Pay Rate & Service Credit Updates to the Reportable/Non-Reportable Compensation topic	Jul 2018 (PDF)
Benefits Procedures Updated Employment of a Retiree topic	Mar 2019 (PDF)
Benefits Procedures Updated procedures to Employer Originated Applications for Disability Retirement	Jan 2019 (PDF)
Benefits Procedures Updates to the following sections: Retirement – General, Service Retirement, Reinstatement from Retirement, and Beneficiary Designation (After Retirement)	Sep 2018 (PDF)
Web Services & Publications Updated Subscription Services	Nov 2017 (PDF)
Education & Other Resources New Educational Resources added	Sep 2018 (PDF)
Appendix Removed outdated forms	Sep 2013

Policies & Procedures

Resources

Forms & Publications

Is the employer required to provide CalPERS with the original agreement?
An original or certified copy of the agreement is acceptable. If the employer wishes to have an original signed copy of the agreement, it should send two copies with original signatures to CalPERS. After approval, CalPERS will sign both copies and return one to the employer.