To change your beneficiary, request a Change or Designation of Beneficiary form from the Retirement Office. If you need assistance completing the form, Retirement Office staff will be happy to assist you. Remember: your beneficiary designation with the Retirement Office is independent of the beneficiary you list for Employer sponsored life insurance policies. Changing your beneficiary on a form to be used for life insurance DOES NOT change your designated retirement beneficiary.

The Retirement Office has a full-time staff to assist you with any questions you may have about your retirement benefits. The location of the Retirement Office is: 136 N. Akers Street, Visalia, CA., 93291. The phone number is (559) 713-2900. The fax number is (559) 730-2631.

When you complete your retirement application, you will select a benefit option. The options available to you are described below. These options offer you different ways to provide financial security for yourself and your beneficiary. The option that is best for you will depend on your particular circumstances. All options guarantee you a lifetime benefit. Important note: Once you select a benefit option, and begin receiving payments, you may not change your mind. Option elections are irrevocable once benefit payments commence. Unmodified Option: Selecting this option provides the highest amount payable to the retiree, and a 60% lifetime continuance of the retiree's benefit paid to an eligible surviving spouse (if the retiree dies before the spouse does). If you do not have an eligible surviving spouse qualified to receive this benefit, your unmarried children will receive the 60% continuance until reaching 18 years of age, or until reaching age 22, if enrolled as a full-time student in an accredited school. (Check with the Retirement Office if you marry or re-marry after you retire.) Option 1: This option pays a lower monthly benefit to the retiree than the Unmodified Option and does not provide a continuance to the beneficiary. Instead, this option provides for a lump-sum payout to the beneficiary of any funds remaining in the retiree's account at the time of his or her death. The retiree's account is the amount of contributions and interest accumulated while working for Tulare County or outside districts. It does not include any portion of the Employer contributions made during employment. After retirement, the retiree's account is reduced each month as payments are made to the retiree. After the account is reduced to zero, the monthly benefits will continue for life to the retiree; however, upon the retiree's death, there would be no funds left to pay a lump-sum to the beneficiary. Option 2: This option pays less to the retiree than the Unmodified Option; however, it also provides a 100% lifetime continuance of the retiree's monthly benefit paid to a spouse or other beneficiary after the retiree's death. This option is usually chosen by retirees who are mostly concerned with providing a benefit for their spouse or beneficiary. For example, if a retiree is terminally ill at retirement, he or she may choose this option knowing that he or she will not draw the retirement benefit for long, but that it will provide the highest amount payable to his or her beneficiary. Option 3: This option also pays less to the retiree than the Unmodified Option, and pays a 50% lifetime continuance payable to a spouse or other beneficiary in the event that the retiree dies before the beneficiary. This option is most often chosen by retirees who want to receive an amount that is closer to what they would under the Unmodified Option, but would also like to provide a lifetime continuance to a non-qualified spouse or other beneficiary. Temporary Annuity Benefit: There is one other important option available to members who retire prior to first becoming eligible for Social Security benefits (age 62). This option, called the Temporary Annuity Benefit, allows the retiree to elect to increase any of the above options until he or she becomes eligible for Social Security benefits, at which time the monthly amount from TCERA is reduced for life. The younger you are at the time of retirement, the longer you will draw the increased benefit. For this reason, if you retire at age 50, for example, the increase in your monthly benefit will not be very much because you would draw the higher amount for many years before becoming eligible for Social Security. On the other hand, if you retire at age 60, the increase would be fairly substantial because you would draw the higher benefit for a short period of time before becoming eligible for Social Security. When considering this option, it is very important that you carefully consider the reduced amount of your monthly retirement benefit upon becoming eligible for Social Security benefits. The reduced amount is what you will receive from TCERA for the rest of your life.

If you are planning to retire within the next ninety (90) days, you should contact the Retirement Office for an appointment. Retirement applications cannot be accepted more than sixty (60) days prior to the effective date of retirement; for this reason, your appointment will generally be scheduled within two months of your retirement date. If you already have an estimate of your Social Security benefits, you can provide this to retirement staff. If you do not have your estimated Social Security benefits statement, you may want to request one from Social Security. You will be provided with a projected retirement benefit under the Temporary Annuity Benefit only if you provide a Social Security estimate [see FAQ entitled What benefit options do I have when I retire]. Special Note: If you are an inter-system member (i.e., having worked for more than one retirement system in California in which you have established inter-system membership), you must retire concurrently from all systems with which you have inter-system membership status. This means you have the responsibility to notify each system of your planned retirement date and remind them that you are an inter-system member so that all systems will coordinate your effective date of retirement [see FAQ entitled What is inter-system status]. You will be asked to bring certain documents with you to the retirement interview. These include your driver's license, social security card and original or certified copies of your birth certificate, marriage certificate and spouses's birth certificate (if applicable), etc. During the interview, retirement staff will explain your benefit options and amounts. Staff will also review with you your income tax withholding elections, health insurance, direct deposit, membership in the Retiree's Association, etc. You will be provided with copies of all documents you are asked to sign during the interview. Special Tip: It is a good idea to write down any questions you might have before coming to the interview. Then you can review your list of questions before the interview is concluded to make sure that all of your questions are answered. Retiring is a big step--it may be one of the most important career changes you make. You want to be sure that you have all the information you need before retiring so you can enjoy your retirement. If it is not possible for you to come into the Retirement Office, all of the paperwork can be handled through the mail. Contact TCERA at (559) 713-2900 and we can mail the forms to you, or you can download the forms from this website.

Designating a beneficiary is naming the individual(s) to whom any death benefits payable from the plan should be made, in the event of your death. It is important to keep your designation current. Married employees normally designate their spouse as beneficiary, although you can designate anyone you like. If you designate a minor child as your beneficiary, be sure to list information about the child's trustee or guardian as well. We are unable to pay benefits directly to a minor child; failure to designate trustee or guardian information could result in a delay of benefits. Keep in mind that California is a community property state. Therefore, if you are married when you are hired, or if you marry while working as a Tulare County employee, your spouse has rights to his/her community property interest in your retirement account. In certain circumstances, your spouse may have rights to any available death benefits, regardless of whether you name your spouse as beneficiary.

Inter-system status (also referred to as reciprocity), is the status of a member who has previously earned retirement service credit under for another California public agency retirement plan that has an inter-system agreement with TCERA and who meets eligibility criteria. Inter-system membership is designed to reward career public employees who serve more than one California public agency during their working lifetimes. You can think of it as "linking" your retirement benefits among each of your public agency employers. To qualify you must agree to leave your funds on deposit with your previous retirement plan and must enter your new plan no more than six (6) months after leaving your prevous retirement plan. Note to members: If you wish to elect Inter-system status, you should indicate that on your New Member's Enrollment Affidavit.

The retirement plan is a significant part of the overall benefits package provided to eligible Tulare County and qualifying outside agency employees.The retirement plan provides lifetime benefits to members of the retirement system [see Who are members of TCERA] who meet the minimum age and length of service requirements.

All 1937 Act county retirement systems, the State Teachers' Retirement System (STRS) and the California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS) have inter-system agreements. CalPERS is the retirement plan offered to most state employees, many California counties, cities and municipalities. As a result, TCERA has inter-system agreements with most counties in California, with the State of California, the State Teachers Retirement System, and with many of California's cities. Local cities covered by the CalPERS program include: City of Visalia, Hanford, Tulare, Lindsay, Porterville, Dinuba and the Exeter Police Department. Many major independent retirement plans in California also have inter-system agreements with TCERA. Some of these include the City of Los Angeles, City of San Diego, City and County of San Francisco and the County of San Luis Obispo. (Because new agreements can take place at any time, you are encouraged to contact the TCERA staff for information about specific inter-system agreements.) 1937 Act County Retirement Systems: Alameda Kern Merced San Diego Sonoma Contra Costa Los Angeles Orange San Joaquin Stanislaus Fresno Marin Sacramento San Mateo Tulare Imperial Mendocino San Bernardino Santa Barbara Ventura

Remember that your retirement is calculated on four factors: your membership type and tier, your age, length of service and your final average salary. For each quarter of a year increase in your age, up to age 65 for General members and up to 55 for Safety members, you receive an incremental age adjustment factor which slightly increases your benefit. For that reason, if you are age 59 and plan to retire this year, for example, you may want to make sure that your effective date of retirement follows the date you would turn 59 or 59 ¼ or 59 ½, etc. Another fact you will want to take into consideration is that the annual cost-of-living increase is effective on April 1st of each year. As long as you retire on or before April 1st, you will be eligible to receive the cost-of-living increase given that year.

No, not at the present time.Employee contribution rates are set by law.If you wish to increase your retirement savings, your may want to ask you department payroll clerk about enrolling in one of the deferred compensation plans offered by your Employer.These deferred compensation plans are not connected with TCERA in any way, but they do provide you with another method of saving for your eventual retirement.Contributions to a deferred compensation plan are also on a tax-derred basis.

Yes. Twice a year, the Retirement Office posts interest to your retirement account. In accordance with the County Employees Retirement Law, interest is posted on the prior six month's balance in your account as of June 30 and December 31. The rate of interest posted to your account depends on the investment performance of the overall pooled assets of the retirement system. The plan's assumed interest rate is set by the Board of Retirement.

Retirement Eligibility Tiers 1-3: If you are a General member, you must be at least age 50 to retire and have at least ten years of retirement service credit. However, a general member in Tiers 1-3 with 30 years of service may retire, regardless of age. A Safety member in Tiers 1-3 with at least 20 years of service may retire, regardless of age. Also, any Tier 1-3 member who reaches the age of 70 may retire, even if the member has less than ten years of service credit. Retirement Eligibility Tier 4: If you are a General member, you must be at least age 52 to retire and have at least five years of retirement service credit.Safety members must be at least age 50 and have earned at least 5 years of retirement service credit. There are no age or service exceptions for Tier 4 members.

Meetings of the Board of Retirement are open to the public and are subject to the requirements imposed by the Ralph M. Brown Act regarding public meetings. Agendas for Board meetings are posted at the Retirement Office at least 72 hours in advance of each meeting. A copy of the Board Agenda or Minutes is available upon request at the Retirement Office. You can also obtain copies of the Agendas and Minutes by downloading them from this website. The Board holds regular Board meetings normally on the second and fourth Wednesday of each month. An annual schedule of meetings is available by calling the Retirement Office or from this website. Agendas for any committee meetings established by the Board are also posted. All meetings are normally held at the Retirement Office. For additional information regarding Retirement Board or Committee meetings, please contact the Retirement Office.

As a new member of TCERA, you will be asked to complete a Member's Enrollment Affidavit. The Affidavit requires information from you such as your name, address, date of birth, social security number and inter-system status. You will also need information regarding your beneficiary (such as name, address, date of birth and social security number). Fill the form out completely, and legibly. This is the information that the Retirement Office will use to set up your retirement account. Be sure to sign and date the form.

refund of your retirement contributions is a withdrawal of your entire retirement account. Remember, your retirement account does not include any of the Employer contributions which have been paid into the retirement fund. The only way to realize the benefit of the Employer's contributions is to actually retire from TCERA and receive a monthly retirement benefit.

TCERA stands for the Tulare County Employees' Retirement Association. TCERA administers a defined benefit plan. This means that you are guaranteed a certain level of benefits at retirement, for life. The plan is governed by the County Employees Retirement Law of 1937 (31450, et seq.), a division of the California Government Code, and pertinent case law.

The Tulare County Employees' Retirement Association functions under the provisions of the County Employees' Retirement Law of 1937 (the '37 Act). One of the characteristics of the '37 Act is the establishment of a "Board of Retirement" to oversee the operations of the retirement plan. In Tulare County, the Board of Retirement consists of nine members. Four of these individuals are appointed by the Board of Supervisors, two are elected by General plan members, one is elected by Safety plan members, one is elected by retirees and the final member is the County Treasurer. All Board members (except the Treasurer) serve for three year terms and then have to be re-appointed or re-elected to continue serving on the Board. Board members are also referred to as Trustees since they are responsible for the overall health of the funds in the retirement plan held in trust for the plan members. Retirement Board members have a variety of responsibilities to the plan and plan members. The purpose of these duties are best described in "The California Pension Protection Act of 1992" which was passed by voters and is a part of the California Constitution. One of these sections reads: "Members of the Retirement Board of a public or retirement system shall discharge their duties with respect to the system solely in the interest of, and for the exclusive purposes of providing benefits to, participants and their beneficiaries, minimizing employer contributions thereto, and defraying reasonable expenses of administering the system. A Retirement Board's duty to its participants and their beneficiaries shall take precedence over any other duty." In order to fulfill their fiduciary responsibilities, Board of Retirement members must address issues related to investment of the funds in the retirement plan; approving an annual administrative budget for the Retirement Office; conducting and approving studies impacting employer and employee contribution rates; approving service retirement benefits; reviewing and taking action on applications for disability retirements; to establish educational programs and documents to better inform plan members of the structure and benefits of the retirement plan; and to hire competent staff to assist in accomplishing the goals and objectives of the Retirement Board. Given the wide-range of duties and responsibilities, the Board of Retirement is in a unique position to administer the retirement plan on behalf of the plan participants and plan sponsors. The mixture of County appointed members and employee elected members allows the Retirement Board the opportunity to consider all sides prior to making decisions impacting the long-term health of the Retirement Association. The Board of Retirement normally meets on the second and fourth Wednesdays of every month at the new Retirement Offices. The general public is welcome to attend. We encourage you to get to know the members of the Board, especially your elected representatives, and make them aware of retirement related issues that concern you.