Introduction
The availability of Safety Plans A and B is determined by the member’s LACERA membership date:
- Members with membership dates prior to September 1, 1977 joined Plan A.
- Members with membership dates from September 1, 1977 to December 31, 2012 joined Plan B.
Welcome to LACERA Retirement Plans A and B for safety members. Both are comprehensive plans that provide a wide range of pre-retirement and post-retirement benefits and continuing benefits for eligible survivors and beneficiaries.
This brochure is designed to help you understand the details of Safety Plans A and B. The plans are complex, with a broad scope of provisions and components. They offer a full menu of retirement options along with opportunities to enhance certain benefits through reciprocity and/or the purchase of service credit.
Announcements and other material related to your retirement plan also appear in Pathways, our quarterly newsletter for active members.
About LACERA
The Los Angeles County Employees Retirement Association LACERA has the duty and authority to administer defined retirement plan benefits for the employees of Los Angeles County and outside districts, which include the Little Lake Cemetery District, Local Agency Formation Commission, South Coast Air Quality Management District, and Los Angeles County Office of Education.* We are responsible for collecting, depositing, investing, and managing the retirement funds contributed by the County, outside districts, and County employees.
LACERA was established under the authority of the County Employees Retirement Law of 1937 CERL and is by governed by CERL and the California Public Employees’ Pension Reform Act of 2013. Our association has been providing retirement, disability, and death benefits to eligible County employees, retirees, and their beneficiaries since 1938. In 1971, we began administering a retiree healthcare benefits program.
LACERA is an independent governmental entity, subject to the laws governing fiduciaries. Our staff operates under the direction of a nine-member Board of Retirement (with two alternate members) and a nine-member Board of Investments. We monitor laws and develop rules and policies in support of the best interests of our members, and offer individual counseling and retirement seminars to members in preparation for their retirement.
Our mission is to Produce, Protect, and Provide the Promised Benefits.
The Los Angeles County Employees Retirement Association (LACERA) is governed by the County Employees Retirement Law of 1937 and the California Public Employees’ Pension Reform Act of 2013; LACERA retirement benefits are administered in accordance with these laws. If there is any conflict between statements made herein and provisions of the applicable retirement law, the law will prevail.
For additional information, call LACERA at: 626-564-6132 or 800-786-6464, or visit our Member Service Center at 300 N. Lake Avenue, Suite 100, Pasadena, CA 91101-4199.
*Employees of South Coast Air Quality Management District hired after December 31, 1979 and employees of Los Angeles County Office of Education hired after July 1971 become members of retirement systems other than LACERA.