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 Eligibility Requirements Updates to Recertification of a Disabled Dependent over age 26 and Certified "Parent-Child Relationship" Direct Payment Authorization Updates to Continuing Coverage and Cancelling Coverage Health Benefits into Retirement Adding information regarding the Complimentary Annuitant Premium Program (CAPP) Medicare Extensive Updates throughout topic	Aug 2019 (PDF)
Health Enrollment Added supporting documentation required for various demographic updates	Mar 2019 (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 Updated General Principles for Optional Members of CalPERS	Jun 2019 (PDF)
Compensation Review Compensation Limits and New Member Contribution Caps updated for 2019	Jan 2019 (PDF)
Payroll Reporting Procedures Added content regarding Contribution Projections for Active Members	Aug 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 Eligibility Requirements Updates to Recertification of a Disabled Dependent over age 26 and Eligibility & Supporting Documentation Certified "Parent-Child Relationship" Health Enrollment Updates to Changing Health Plans and Life Changes COBRA Extensive Updates throughout topic Health Benefits into Retirement Adding information regarding the Complimentary Annuitant Premium Program (CAPP) Medicare Extensive Updates throughout topic Post-Retirement Health Vesting Added information for "Excluded non-represented employees first hired by the State after 1/1/1990"	Aug 2019 (PDF)
Health Enrollment Added supporting documentation required for various demographic updates	Mar 2019 (PDF)

State Reference Guide

Chapter/Summary	Revision Date
Introduction Added PEPRA information to service retirement topic	Jul 2017 (PDF)
General Membership Information Updated General Principles for Optional Members of CalPERS	Jun 2019 (PDF)
CSU-Only Membership Amended Temporary Faculty on CSU Membership Chart	Jun 2019 (PDF)
Pay Rate & Service Credit Reportable/Non-Reportable Compensation topic updated	Oct 2019 (PDF)
Pay Rate & Service Credit Compensation Limits and New Member Contribution Caps updated for 2019	Jan 2019 (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.