Through Benefits Management Technology Inc. (BMTI) we are fortunate to be able to offer to retirees, group plans from PacifiCare and Kaiser with competitive rates and a stipend to help pay for those plans.  Vision and Dental plans are also offered.

Tier 1, 2, 4 & 5 members are currently eligible with five full years of service and tier 3 members with 10 full years of service. Service-connected disability retirees have no minimum years of service requirement. Partial years, other public service time and golden handshake time are not used in the service time calculation.

The non-vested Health Insurance Stipend is currently set at $12.33 per year of service up to a maximum of $370.00 per month for 30 years of service.  Please note, the Health Insurance Stipend is taxable.   In order for StanCERA to remain a qualified plan, the IRS requires that this benefit be taxable income.  StanCERA can not deduct payments for non-plan sponsored health insurance.  This benefit is perodically reviewed and adjusted, please click on the new Retiree Health Allowance  policy  and Guidelines to read in their entirety.

Special Cost of Living

The Special COLA is an Ad Hoc benefit and was originally initiated in 1999 and provides additional increases for certain retired members receiving monthly retirement payments who have lost significant amount of purchasing power due to inflation.  This is a non-vested benefit that is reviewed on an annual basis.

The Retirement Board voted to grant the 2008 special one-time supplemental payment to retirees who retired on or before April 1, 1981 and had accumulated over 20 percentage credits in their "Cola Bank."  The 2008 Special Cola was calculated by multiplying the recipients' monthly retirement allowance  (excluding health allowance) by the accumulated COLA percentage above 20% times 12 months.  The maximum payment for 2008 was $2,400 and was paid as a lump sum on the January 2, 2007 benefit check.  The Special COLA is an Ad Hoc benefit to provide some relief to retirees, who have lost significant amount of purchasing power due to inflation.  This is not a vested benefit, but is reviewed on an annual basis. 

Burial Allowance

StanCERA offers a one-time lump sum $5,000 burial allowance for the original retiree, providing StanCERA was their last public service.  This allowance is not a life insurance policy; it is a taxable benefit to the beneficiary.

Revised 01/11/08