Following are the steps you will want to complete two months before your planned retirement date, and links to help you get started.
Submit your retirement forms
Consult with a Retirement Benefits Specialist to submit your Retirement Benefit Estimate (RBE) and Election to Retire form. They will help you finalize your retirement paperwork, as well as provide you with healthcare and dental enrollment forms for LACERA-administered plans.
You will need the following documents:
- Completed RBE and election form
- A photocopy of your Certified Marriage Certificate or Certificate of Registered Domestic Partnership.
- A photocopy of the beneficiary's certified birth certificate for Unmodified Plus or Options 2, 3, or 4
- A photocopy of the birth certificate for any dependents who will be covered under LACERA-administered health and/or dental insurance
- A signed attestation certifying that the copy submitted is a true and correct copy of the certificate and that the copy contains no alterations from the original.
- LACERA Beneficiary Designation Form
- Completed direct deposit application with a voided check from your checking account
- Completed tax withholding form (IRS W-4P/California DE-4P)
Other documents you may need to submit, depending on your individual circumstances:
- If you were divorced during County employment, conformed copy of all the pages of your Judgment of Dissolution and any other orders directing the division of benefits. If you are in the process of a divorce at the time of retirement, LACERA cannot pay your retirement allowance until these documents are received.
- Social Security Statement for Plan E members with service prior to 1983 or contributory members selecting the Pension Advance Option.
- A photocopy of the birth certificate accompanied by a signed attestation certifying that the copy submitted is a true and correct copy of the certificate and that the copy contains no alterations from the original for any dependents who will be covered under LACERA-administered health and/or dental insurance.
Complete any outstanding service credit contracts
Contracts must be paid within 120 days following retirement.
Announce your retirement date
Notify your employer and supervisor about your retirement date. You and your employer will receive an official Board-Approved Retirement Letter.
To ensure you receive your first allowance check by direct deposit at the end of the month following the month you retire, your termination date must be posted on the 15th of the month following the month you retire. Please verify that you have completed any necessary items with your department so that they can post your termination date timely. A delay in your termination date could delay your first check by a month.