517. Retiring Employees
When an employee retires, it is necessary for the Personnel Office to complete and submit a new STD. 692 to CalPERS Health Benefit Services Division (HBSD) in order to establish the dental deduction in the retirement payroll system. To continue dental coverage into retirement, with no break in coverage, an employee must be enrolled in a dental plan on the day of separation from employment and retire within 120 days following separation. An employee who retires within the 120 days but elects not to enroll in dental may do so during any subsequent open enrollment period. All dental coverage enrollments continued into retirement within the required period, will be processed by CalPERS with no break in dental coverage.
A retiring State employee may enroll into a dental plan into retirement, even though they were not enrolled in a dental plan at the time of separation. The enrollment may be completed if the retiree was eligible to enroll as an employee at the time of separation for retirement, retires within 120 days of separation and receives any State retirement allowance. Upon election to enroll by the retiring employee, the Personnel Office is to complete and submit a new STD. 692 to CalPERS Health Benefit Services Division (HBSD) in order to establish the dental deduction in the retirement payroll system. An employee who retires within the 120 days of separation with eligibility to enroll into a dental plan upon retirement, but elects not to enroll in a dental plan may do so during any subsequent open enrollment period by contacting CalPERS HBSD, Eligibility and Enrollment Section. All dental coverage enrollments continued into retirement within the required period, will be processed by CalPERS.
Mail enrollments to:
CalPERS (Benefit Services Division)
Attn: Forms and Roll Administration Unit
P.O. Box 942716
Sacramento, CA 94229-2716
Vesting Requirements for Retiring Employees - General Information
Within certain bargaining unit Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs), there exists vesting requirements for the State's contribution toward the cost of retirees' dental premiums. In general, where vesting requirements exist, a certain length of State service time is needed to receive a State contribution toward the cost of dental premiums. Those units with dental vesting requirements may also have requirements that employees with employment dates starting on or after a certain date are subject to the vesting schedule stated in their bargaining unit's MOU. Please refer to your retiring employee's specific bargaining unit MOU to check for the existence of a vesting schedule and the terms and conditions of that schedule.
Responsibilities
Departments are responsible for ensuring that a new STD. 692 is completed and submitted to CalPERS. Each retiree is responsible for ensuring that a dental premium is being paid by verifying coverage on his/her monthly CalPERS earnings statement.
CalPERS HBSD has responsibility for processing dental enrollments and maintaining dental coverage for each retiree. All inquiries made by a retiree regarding his/her dental plan enrollment or changes should be referred to CalPERS HBSD. A retiree who has questions regarding dental plan coverage or claims should be referred to his/her respective dental plan carrier. Requests to change dental coverage outside of open enrollment or issues which cannot be resolved by the dental carrier should be referred to DPA, Benefits Division for review.
Coverage for Retirees
Coverage for a retiring employee continues or changes under the following conditions:
- A retiring employee, who is enrolled in DeltaCare USA or
SafeGuard and moves into an area where a prepaid plan is not available
will be allowed to change dental enrollment to Delta Dental at the time
of his/her retirement.
- An excluded employee who is enrolled in the Delta Premier dental
plan and receiving the enhanced level of coverage will be automatically
moved to the basic level of coverage upon retirement. (After the STD.
692 is processed by CalPERS).
- Employees enrolled in SafeGuard at the time of retirement will have the enhanced level of coverage (After the STD. 692 is processed by CalPERS).
- An employee in Bargaining Unit 5, CAHP, MUST make an
irrevocable election to either remain in the CAHP indemnity plan for the
duration of his/her retirement or select one of the State-sponsored plans.
This option is also available to a retiring manager or supervisor who
is designated as M05 or S05. If an employee elects one of the
State-sponsored plans, he/she may only change to another State-sponsored plan
during the normal dental open enrollment period for the duration of
his/her retirement. Personnel Office staff should ensure that a retiring
Unit 5 employee makes an election designating his/her choice of dental
plan.
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If a Bargaining Unit 5 employee elects not to have dental benefits at the time of retirement, they would still have the one-time election available to them during a future open enrollment period. The employee must remain in good standing and a dues paying member.
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- An employee in Bargaining Unit 6, CCPOA, MUST change to a
State-sponsored dental plan when he/she retires.
Coverage for Survivors of Deceased Retirees
When a retired employee dies and coverage was maintained for eligible dependents, the eligible dependents as survivors of the retiree are entitled to continue dental coverage if they were enrolled on the deceased member's coverage and will receive a continuing monthly benefit from CalPERS. Dependents who do not meet this criteria will be eligible for COBRA coverage.
Questions regarding eligibility as a survivor should be addressed to CalPERS, Post Retirement Division at (888) 225-7377. For additional information, please refer to the CalPERS Health Benefits Procedure Manual.