LACERA provides the Community Property Guide: A Reference for Dividing Retirement Benefits in Dissolution Proceedings to assist parties involved in a dissolution of marriage, legal separation, or termination of a domestic partnership. Parties to such actions who choose to represent themselves may also utilize the information presented in the guide.
LACERA retirement benefits are administered pursuant to the County Employees Retirement Law of 1937 (CERL), Government Code Section 31450, et seq. The Community Property Guide summarizes applicable law and offers guidelines for fashioning appropriate court orders.
Sample Language for Court Orders
To assist in the preparation of court orders, the Community Property Guide includes a section containing sample language that may be included in a domestic relations order to direct the division of a member's retirement allowance. The documents are also linked below:
- No. 1: Sample Domestic Relations Order
- No. 2: Sample Language A
- No. 3: Sample Language B
- No. 4: Required Language for Non-California Domestic Relations Order
- No. 5: Sample Waiver of Interest
Although every effort has been made to accurately summarize applicable law, the Community Property Guide may not be used to estop LACERA, nor may any provision of the guide be read as contradicting case law or statute.