Working After Retirement? Know the Rules
By Beverley Heasley, CSEA Chapter 262 Pre-Retirement Resource Specialist
Working after retirement sounds like an oxymoron, however, there are many reasons why people continue to work after retirement. You might want to work in a different role, choose to work only part-time, or maybe you can’t imagine what you would do without work. Whatever the reason, CalPERS permits working after retirement, but you must keep in mind that there are specific laws governing the type, timing, and amount of work you can accept after retirement without affecting your pension.
If you are a normal service retiree, you can work for any private industry employer not associated with any CalPERS employer without restrictions.
The most common type of work after retirement is as a retired annuitant or a CalPERS retiree working as an at-will employee for a CalPERS employer without reinstating from retirement. If you would like to return to your former employer, or any CalPERS-covered agency, you must wait 180 days after your retirement date before you can return to work for them. Without exception, the maximum number of hours you may work in a fiscal year (July 1-June 30) is 960 hours. The work must be temporary or substitute work and cannot be a permanent position. You will not accrue additional service credit or any additional retirement benefits. There is an equal responsibility between you and your employer to ensure that your employment is lawful and meeting the requirements for working after retirement.
Additionally, there are Social Security considerations. Typically, if you claim Social Security between the ages of 62 and 67, and you return to work, you may be subject to the Social Security Administration’s Retirement Earnings Test, and your benefits may be reduced.
Want to learn more?
CalPERS has a video that provides a basic overview of when and how you can return to work after you retire:https://youtu.be/ZPCg96duBok
You may also reference the CalPERS publication Employment After Retirement (https://www.calpers.ca.gov/docs/forms-publications/employment-after-retirement.pdf). Social Security provides the following booklet - How Work Affects Your Benefits:https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10069.pdf
Do you have a question about CalPERS retirement? Contact the CSEA Chapter 262 Pre-Retirement Resource Specialist Beverly Heasley at bheasley@mtsac.edu.
Open Enrollment Ending . . . You MUST Enroll Now
There are only 3 workdays to enroll in a health benefit plan! If you do not enroll in a plan by Tuesday, October 15, you will be placed on the District’s basic plan as agreed in the bargaining agreement transition to the Self-Insured Schools of California health benefit plan. If you are currently an opt-out and wish to continue as an opt-out, you also must enroll by filling out the Opt-Out verification form. Don’t forget to make an appointment to see a benefits specialist to submit your enrollment information and make an appointment with the American Fidelity representative for dependent verification. Bring the required verification documentation with you to the appointment.
All CSEA 262 members must enroll during the open enrollment period, even if you are an opt-out. If you do not select a plan during open enrollment, the District will enroll you in the single-person plan, which you will not be able to change until next year’s open enrollment or a qualifying life-event occurs.
If you will be covering a spouse and/or any dependents, you must also complete the dependent verification forms and make an appointment with American Fidelity for the dependent verification review. You must have the required documents with you when you attend your review with American Fidelity. If you have no dependents and are only enrolling yourself in the plan, please contact Human Resources to verify whether you need an appointment with American Fidelity.
Do not delay . . . Enroll today!
Local Halloween Events Sure to Frighten!
Halloween is coming! You can have a ghoulishly good time at a number of theme parks and attractions throughout Southern California, and you don’t have to spend a fiendish amount of cash. Your CSEA Member Benefits department has dug up deals from many amusement parks that feature highly anticipated Halloween events, including Universal Studios’ Halloween Horror Nights, Knott’s Scary Farm, and California’s Great America Halloween Haunt.
Long Beach’s Aquarium of the Pacific transforms into the Scarium of the Pacific, where you can discover creatures lurking in the depths October 26 and 27th. It is a spooktacular, educational Halloween event for the whole family with a children’s costume contest, creepy coloring contest, magic shows, underwater pumpkin carving, spooky storytelling, and kooky crafts.
Knott’s Scary Farm is the largest and most haunting Halloween experience in Southern California. The fully transformed theme park encompasses 14 uniquely haunted mazes and attractions, sinister shows, and more than 1,000 horrifying creatures lurking in the fog and hiding in every corner of the park. Knott’s Scary Farm takes place on select nights and is not recommended for children under 13. For children under 13, however, you can visit Knott’s Spooky Farm, a family-friendly Halloween celebration geared towards kids ages 3-11.
If someone walking past a mirror and not casting a reflection is more your thing, then Buena Parks’ Pirate’s Dinner Adventuretransmogrifies into the Halloween Spooktacular, ‘Vampirates’ as you board Evil Captain Sebastian the Black’s pirate ship and join him and his crew as they attempt to defeat the Vampire Hunter. It’s a family-friendly spooky good time while enjoying a four-course meal so delicious it’s scary.
To Purchase tickets, you can call the CSEA Benefits Office at 866-ITS-CSEA (866-487-2732) to receive tickets by mail. You can also log onto the CSEA web site at http://www.csea.com and click on the “Benefits” tab on the top menu, then select “Halloween Events.” Here you will find even more attractions with a link to purchase tickets online. The tickets are printed right to your home printer … scary easy!
Classified Professionals
At the October Board meeting, the following classified professionals were newly hired or promoted:
Permanent New Hires
Daniel Hernandez, Printing Services Technician (Printing Services)
Donna Rutherford, Lead Printing Services Technician (Printing Services)
Promotions
Amanda James, Administrative Specialist IV (Counseling and Guidance)
If you happen to see any of these colleagues during your day, extend a warm welcome, invite them to lunch, show them around, and make them feel welcome. Bring them along to the next Chapter meeting so they can introduce themselves.
Resignation(s)
Denise Cisneros, Registration Specialist (English as a Second Language), effective 8/8/19
Daniel Hernandez, Printing Services Technician (Printing Services), effective 9/30/19
Maria Valdez, Administrative Specialist IV (Natural Sciences), effective 9/20/19
Retirement(s)
Kevin House, Public Safety Officer II (Police and Campus Safety), effective 3/31/20
James Friesen, Lead Event Services Technician (Technical Services), effective 10/31/19
Upcoming CSEA Training Opportunities
CSEA prides itself on offering members the training they need to succeed. CSEA staff work side by side with member-volunteers who can teach you everything you need to know, from how to get the most at the bargaining table to how to create a chapter Web site. Listed below are upcoming training opportunities. All trainings below are held at the Santa Fe Field Office in El Monte. The address, phone numbers, and link to register will be found on the web site link below. You must be registered and log in to the CSEA.COM web site to register for training classes. ALL TRAININGS ARE FREE TO MEMBERS! If you are not yet a member and would like to join, contact anyone on the Chapter 262 Executive Board.
If you considering becoming a Chapter Union Steward or would just like to learn more about your rights, the CSEA Santa Fe Field Office is offering the steward training series now through November. Union Steward Training dates are listed below. To become a steward, you need to take all three classes in order. Other field offices also offer the training on different dates. If you want to see the full schedule of training, click on the link below to the training directory. Contact the SFFO if you are interested or talk to the Chapter Chief Steward Liz Jauregui via e-mail at chiefsteward@csea262.org or call 909.274.5342.
Union Steward Training Level 2 • Saturday, October 19, 2019 8:30am • 6 hours
Union Steward Training Level 3 • Saturday, November 23, 2019 8:30am • 6 hours (Thanksgiving is Nov. 27)
For information or to register, contact Santa Fe Field Office at 626.258.3315 or 800.988.6949 ext. 3315 or e-mail sfforsvp@csea.com.