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

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.

Topic/Summary Revision Date

Health Eligibility Requirements

  • Additional instructions for approval of a certified disabled dependent enrollment

Feb 2023 (PDF)

Medicare

  • Updated enrollment period(s) and new CMS enrollment requirements

Jan 2023 (PDF)

Health Event Reasons

  • New contracting retiree and new contracting survivor added to health event types for new contracting agencies only

Medicare

  • Medicare topic was completely rewritten for clarity

Sep 2022 (PDF)

Summary of Health Benefit Forms & Publications

  • HBD-34 and HBD-98 combined and renamed Disabled Dependent Member Questionnaire and Medical Report

Health Eligibility Requirements

  • Updated Notification of Deletion of 26-Year-Old Dependents section

Apr 2022 (PDF)
Chapter/Summary Revision Date

Introduction

Added PEPRA information to service retirement topic

Jul 2017 (PDF)

Contract Coverage Procedures

Added/Revised Public Agency Contract Information

Apr 2023 (PDF)

Membership

Updated Arrears topic and Optional Members of CalPERS and Requirements for the Retirement System Election form

Apr 2022 (PDF)

Compensation Review

Added 2023 compensation limits and new member contribution caps

Jan 2023 (PDF)

Compensation Review

Updated reportable/non-reportable compensation and compensation limits topics

Aug 2022 (PDF)

Payroll Reporting Procedures

Updated 1959 survivor contribution amounts and pay rate/earnings relationship topics

Aug 2022 (PDF)

Benefit Procedures

Added/Revised Employment of a Retiree

Apr 2023 (PDF)

Web Services & Publications

Added/Revised Ordering Forms & Publications

Apr 2023 (PDF)

Education & Other Resources

Added new educational resources

Sep 2018 (PDF)

Appendix

Updated Resolutions 1 and 2

Oct 2022 (PDF)
Topic/Summary Revision Date

Health Eligibility Requirements

  • Additional instructions for approval of a certified disabled dependent enrollment

Feb 2023 (PDF)

Medicare

  • Updated enrollment period(s) and new CMS enrollment requirements

Jan 2023 (PDF)

Health Eligibility Requirements

  • Updates to Continuation of Coverage of a Certified Disabled Dependent and Recertification of a Disabled Dependent Age 26 and Over

Medicare

  • Medicare topic was completely rewritten for clarity

Sep 2022 (PDF)

Health Event Reasons

  • Added new information for state pay period exceptions and active health cancellation dates
May 2022 (PDF)

Summary of Health Benefit Forms & Publications

  • HBD-34 and HBD-98 combined and renamed Disabled Dependent Member Questionnaire and Medical Report

Health Eligibility Requirements

  • Updated Notification of Deletion of 26-Year-Old Dependents

Apr 2022 (PDF)
Chapter/Summary Revision Date

Introduction

Added PEPRA information to service retirement topic

Jul 2017 (PDF)

General Membership Information

Extensive updates to Optional Members of CalPERS, Minor updates to Reciprocity Requirements and Notifying CalPERS When the Member Changes Retirement Systems topics

Apr 2022 (PDF)

CSU-Only Membership

Updates to the General Information for All Reporting Methods section

Apr 2021 (PDF)

Pay Rate & Service Credit

Updated compensation limits with payroll record end date information

Jan 2023 (PDF)

Pay Rate & Service Credit

Updated compensation limits with payroll record end date information

Aug 2022 (PDF)

Benefits Procedures

Added/Revised Employment of a Retiree

Apr 2023 (PDF)

Web Services & Publications

Added/Revised Ordering Forms & Publications

Apr 2023 (PDF)

Education & Other Resources

Added new educational resources

Sep 2018 (PDF)

Appendix

Removed outdated forms

Sep 2013


Resources

Forms & Publications

Frequently Asked Questions