System Access Administrators
To conduct business through myCalPERS, your organization must designate a system access administrator (SAA) to manage access privileges for all users in your company. The SAA is the main point of contact and provides myCalPERS access to additional users through system administrator pages. The SAA assigns users unique usernames and passwords, resets passwords, changes system access roles, and locks access rights to the system.
Managing myCalPERS Employer Access
Maintaining a current and accurate list of contacts for your agency is necessary to ensure the correct personnel receive the information they need and have the access required to perform their work in regard to CalPERS.
Your agency's SAA is responsible for maintaining this contact information. The myCalPERS System Access Administration (PDF, 1.14 MB) student guide provides detailed information and instructions for performing these duties.
Who/What is a Contact?
A contact is someone representing your agency, who the SAA has added to your agency's contacts list in myCalPERS.
Each contact must be assigned a contact type which identifies their duties, position titles, and/or program areas. If a contact serves multiple functions within the agency, it's appropriate to add the contact multiple times, each time with a different contact type.
Contacts designated as the primary contact will receive direct communication from CalPERS regarding specific business activities related to their assigned contact type.
Contacts who need to view agency information, process transactions, and/or run reports must be granted with the appropriate system access and roles by the SAA.
Use the checklists below to ensure your agency contact information is complete and up-to-date and allow your staff to effectively conduct your business with CalPERS.
New Contact Checklist
Periodically review your agency's contact information maintained within myCalPERS for accuracy. Keeping this information up-to-date enables CalPERS to communicate effectively with your agency. When reviewing your contact information, verify the following:
- All current contact information is accurate
- Whether any new contacts need to be added
- Whether any contacts are no longer with your agency and access needs to be deactivated
When adding a new contact, enter the following information in myCalPERS:
| Field Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Contact Type | Specify the type of work the contact performs and the type of communication they will receive (e.g., payroll, human resources). |
| Programs Supported | Select CalPERS Retirement, Health, Supplemental Income Plans (SIP), and/or Social Security. |
| Entity Type | Specify whether the contact will be an individual (e.g., John Smith) or a job function (e.g., CEO, receptionist).
|
| Allow System Access | Grant access to the myCalPERS system. |
| Make Contact Viewable to Other Organizations | Allow other business partners (e.g., health carriers, other CalPERS employers) to view the contact's name and contact information. |
| Primary Contact |
Designate the contact as the primary contact for the specified contact type. Only one primary contact may be designated per type. A primary contact cannot be removed or changed to another type unless another contact is designated as the primary contact for that type. |
| Communication Preference | Select mail or email. |
| Mailing Address | Provide the mailing address at which you'd like to receive communications. |
| Work Phone Number | Provide the work phone number at which you can be contacted. |
| Work Email Address | Provide the work email address at which you can be contacted. This option is required if email is selected as the Communication Preference. |
Contacts who need to access the myCalPERS system or communicate with CalPERS regarding agency or member-specific information must be granted system access.
When you first grant system access to a contact you must enter a username the contact will use to log in to the system. You'll be provided with a temporary password which you're responsible to provide to the contact, along with their username.
Inform the contact that when they log in for the first time, they'll be required to choose a new password as well as select a security image, establish three security challenge questions, and provide an email and/or cell phone number for password recovery.
Roles should be assigned based on the duties the contact will be performing for your agency. To determine the appropriate roles to assign, review the myCalPERS System Privileges for Business Partner Roles (PDF) guide.
You're responsible for making sure your contact information remains accurate and up to date, as well as ensuring that the appropriate staff are able to access and use myCalPERS.
The SAA's maintenance responsibilities include:
- Resetting passwords and changing usernames
- Managing the agency's primary contacts and contact types
- Managing contacts' system access and system access roles
- Locking/unlocking system access for contacts who temporarily do not need it
- Deactivating system access for contacts who have departed or no longer need access to the agency's CalPERS information
- Deleting any contacts added in error
See the myCalPERS System Access Administration (PDF, 1.14 MB) student guide for step-by-step instructions for performing each of these actions.
Passwords for business partner myCalPERS accounts are valid for 60 days. Passwords should be changed prior to their expiration by selecting Contact Personal Security Settings, on the myCalPERS home page, and then selecting Edit Password.
If a password expires, it can be reset by the SAA or by selecting Forgot Password when logging in.
CalPERS recommends each agency establish more than one SAA for situations when an SAA may be out of the office or needs their own account maintained. If the SAA is unavailable (e.g., left your agency, on vacation, etc.), call CalPERS toll free at 888 CalPERS (or 888-225-7377) for assistance.
If the agency's only SAA will be vacating their position, a new SAA should be established beforehand to prevent any interruption or delays in accessing the agency's CalPERS information.
Help your employees learn where to find the information they need to perform their work with CalPERS. The following resources are available to help new contacts become familiar with CalPERS business procedures:
- Employer Education - Find training, events, and materials to assist you with your CalPERS-related business responsibilities.
- Circular Letters - Read critical business information on changes in policies and procedures.
- Email Subscriptions - Subscribe to the Employer Bulletin to receive important employer news, Circular Letters, and event updates.
- myCalPERS Employer Reports (Cognos) Catalog - View agency information and generate reports.
- Technical Resources - Find the documents and tools needed to develop XML files for reporting health, retirement enrollment, and payroll information to CalPERS.
User Access Role Change and Exit Checklist
As an SAA, it's your responsibility to deactivate myCalPERS access for individuals who should no longer be a contact.
Reasons You Must Deactivate An Account
- Permanent separation from employment
- A leave of absence
- An appointment change that impacts the need for system access
If you'd like the employee to remain an active contact while on leave of absence, their account should be locked, not deactivated.
Impacts of deactivating an account
- The contact changes from active to inactive
- The contact's access to myCalPERS is prohibited
- Communications to the individual are terminated, if the user was a primary contact
Instructions
Refer to Unit 2, Scenario 11 in the myCalPERS System Access Administration (PDF, 1.14 MB) student guide.
After deactivating an employee's myCalPERS access, the SAA has the ability to reactivate the account.
Some Reasons for Reactivating An Account
- Return from leave of absence
- An appointment change requiring myCalPERS access
- A former employee returning to a similar position
Impacts of reactivating an account
- The contact changes from inactive to active
- System access can be restored with the same user roles that were assigned prior to deactivation and/or modified at the time of reactivation
Instructions
Refer to Unit 2, Scenario 12 in the myCalPERS System Access Administration (PDF, 1.14 MB) student guide.
When an employee no longer needs access to myCalPERS, but should continue to receive CalPERS communications, it's the SAA's responsibility to lock their account.
Some Reasons for Locking An Account
- A leave of absence
- An appointment change that impacts system access - but not as a primary contact - and contact should continue to receive CalPERS communications
Impacts of locking an account
- The employee will remain an active contact
- The contact's access to myCalPERS is prohibited
- The primary contact will continue to receive CalPERS communications
When a contact needs access to myCalPERS after their account has been locked, it's the SAA's responsibility to unlock their account.
Some Reasons for Unlocking An Account
- Return from leave of absence
- A locked account after five consecutive, unsuccessful password attempts
Impacts of unlocking an account
- The employee will remain an active contact
- The contact regains access to myCalPERS
- The contact's system privileges are restored
Instructions
Refer to Unit 2, Scenario 8 in the myCalPERS System Access Administration (PDF, 1.14 MB) student guide.
It's the SSA's responsibility to ensure erroneous contacts are deleted promptly. A contact should only be deleted when they were created and granted access to myCalPERS erroneously.
Impacts of deleting an account
- The contact will no longer appear in the contact sections as either active or inactive
- The contact's access to myCalPERS is denied
- The deleted account cannot be reactivated
Instructions
Refer to Unit 2, Scenario 13 in the myCalPERS System Access Administration (PDF, 1.14 MB) student guide.