October 16, 2023
Circular Letter: 200-047-23
Topic: Membership

To: All CalPERS Contracted School Employers

Purpose

The purpose of this Circular Letter is to inform you of an enhancement made to the myCalPERS Summary panel when viewing member accounts. The enhancement provides additional information to help determine a member’s eligibility when electing California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) for a California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS) reportable position.

Background

Government Code section 20309 of the Public Employees’ Retirement Law (PERL) allows a CalPERS member who has taken a position requiring membership in CalSTRS to elect to remain reportable to CalPERS for that position. To qualify for the election, the member must have at least five years of CalPERS service credit or have been active under a school employer, Board of Governors of California Community Colleges, or State Department of Education within 120 days of the date of hire of the CalSTRS-covered position.

Enhanced Eligibility Indicators

When viewing a member’s Summary panel, the “Eligibility for Retirement System Election as of Today” indicator is now available to assist in determining eligibility.

The indicator will reflect “Yes” on the date being viewed if the member has met the eligibility requirements of one of the following:

• Five or more years of service credit in CalPERS
• Qualified employment within 120 days with an eligible employer (school employer, Board of Governors of Community College Districts, or State Department of Education)

It is important to note that the indicator does not validate if a member has retired from CalPERS or terminated CalPERS membership by refunding. Therefore, the indicator may reflect “Yes” even if the member has refunded or retired, or if the participant has no CalPERS membership. Since refunded, retired, and non-members are ineligible for the election, you must verify active membership in CalPERS.

Employer’s Responsibility

Prior to offering the member the opportunity to elect CalPERS membership, you must verify with CalSTRS that the position meets all election criteria and requires mandatory membership in CalSTRS on the hire date. Since the indicator in myCalPERS only shows a member’s eligibility for the date you are viewing it, it is important you review the member’s account for eligibility on the date of hire.

It is also the employer’s responsibility to provide the Retirement System Election (ES 372) form to eligible employees. Once a member elects CalPERS, you must provide the election form to CalPERS by completing the employer certification section when entering the member’s appointment in myCalPERS and uploading the ES 372 form. We will review the election and issue a formal determination letter to the employer once it’s complete.

Additional Resources

The myCalPERS Retirement Enrollment (PDF, 2.93 MB) student guide has step-by-step instructions on adding, modifying, and reconciling retirement appointments.

Questions

If you have questions, call our CalPERS Customer Contact Center at 888 CalPERS (or 888-225-7377888-225-7377) or contact the Member Election Team at Member_Election_Team@CalPERS.ca.gov.

 

Renee Ostrander, Chief
Employer Account Management Division