Nearing Retirement as a State Employee

Getting Started

If you are approaching retirement, this page is designed to support you as you prepare for the transition from active state employment into retirement. Because retirement benefits and processes can vary, your departmental personnel office should always be your first point of contact for instructions specific to your situation. Your departmental personnel office should also provide enrollment packets and guidance to help ensure a smooth transition of your benefits into retirement.

Health Benefits

For information on health plans and premiums, visit Retiree Plans & Rates webpage on the CalPERS website.

An enrolled member’s health benefits will continue into retirement if their separation date from employment and retirement date are within 30 days of each other:

If the member’s separation date and retirement date are more than 30 days from each other, the member will need to request to enroll into retiree health benefits within 60 days of the retirement date.
If the member’s separation date and retirement date are more than 120 days from each other, the member will not be eligible for health benefits into retirement.

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Your health benefits may continue into retirement, but eligibility depends on the timing between your separation date from employment and your retirement date.

If your separation and retirement dates are 30 days or less apart, your enrolled health benefits continue automatically into retirement.
If your separation and retirement dates are more than 30 days but no more than 120 days apart, you must request enrollment within 60 days after your retirement date to continue coverage.
If your separation and retirement dates are more than 120 days apart, you are not eligible for retiree health benefits.

Dental Benefits

CalPERS maintains the dental benefit enrollment records for all state retirees, processes retiree dental enrollments and submits eligibility information to the appropriate dental plan.

To enroll in or continue dental coverage as a retiree, all of the following requirements must be met:

You are enrolled in, or eligible for, a state-sponsored dental plan on the date of your separation from state employment
You retire within 120 days of your separation date
You receive a monthly retirement allowance from CalPERS

Your departmental personnel office is responsible for enrolling you in dental benefits when you retire from state service. If you do not enroll in dental benefits at the time of your retirement, you may do so during any subsequent Open Enrollment period by contacting CalPERS.

If you are enrolled in a cash option in lieu of dental benefits when you retire, your enrollment will automatically stop. You have 30 days before or 60 days following your retirement date to enroll in a dental plan.

New dependents cannot be added at retirement. Retirement is not a permitting event to add dependents to dental coverage.

Union-specific provisions apply for some employees:

California Association of Highway Patrolmen (CAHP) employees who retired on or after September 30, 1992, may elect to continue enrollment in their union-sponsored indemnity dental plan or change to a state-sponsored dental plan. Under the terms of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between CAHP and CalHR, this is a one-time, irrevocable election.

California Correctional Peace Officers Association (CCPOA) employees enrolled in a union-sponsored dental plan must change to a state-sponsored dental plan and retire within 120 days of their separation date in order to continue dental coverage into retirement.

Vision Benefits

You have 60 days from the date of your retirement to enroll in a Retiree Vision Plan. Please work with your departmental personnel to assist you with enrollment options and check your eligibility. If you do not enroll within 60 days of your retirement date, your next opportunity to enroll in the Retire Vision Program will be the yearly open enrollment.

Group Legal Services

Prior to retirement, your departmental personnel office should provide an enrollment packet to continue the Group Legal Services Insurance Plan into retirement.

If the departmental personnel office did not provide a packet, the retiree, can contact ARAG at (800) 511-4007 to request an enrollment packet. Follow the directions in your enrollment packet to enroll.\

If You Are Not Enrolled at the Time of Retirement

You may enroll within 60 days of retiring.
If you do not enroll within this timeframe, you must wait until the next open enrollment period.

If You Are Enrolled at the Time of Retirement

You must re-enroll within 60 days of retiring to continue coverage into retirement.
If you do not re-enroll at retirement, coverage will end and you may enroll again during a future open enrollment period.

Life Insurance

Employees should contact MetLife up to 30 days after retirement to continue their coverage or they will lose the benefit.

Please note, employees do not need to wait until retirement to continue their coverage, as they can contact MetLife prior to retirement.

To start the process, employees can contact MetLife at (800) 252-8524

Long-Term Disability Insurance

Long-Term Disability coverage ends at retirement. However, if you are already on an approved Long-Term Disability claim at the time you retire, your benefits will continue, although the benefit amount may change.

If you are enrolled in Accident Insurance or Critical Illness coverage, you may continue these coverages into retirement by contacting the program administrator within 31 days of your retirement date.

Savings Plus

Savings Plus administers your 401(k) or 457 Plan account. To access articles, videos and webinars that can help you as you get close to retiring visit: Savings Plus Nearing Retirement Resources