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Pre-Retirement Survivor Benefits

I have received several emails and phone calls from members who recently married and want to know what benefits are available to their family if they are injured or pass away before they retire. We do not pay into Social Security, so we do not have the survivor benefits those in the private section do. I first remind them to keep their beneficiary information current. I then explain that the state has many Lump Sum and Monthly benefits available based on your age and years of service.

Beneficiaries for lump sum benefits can include any person or class of people. A class is a group of individuals that you can choose to leave your benefit to, such as children, grandchildren, relatives, etc. If you pass unexpectedly, CalPERS will divide your benefit among all the individuals in that class.

Marriage or birth of a child is one of several events that invalidates the Pre-Retirement Lump-Sum Beneficiary Designation (PDF) you were required to fill out when first hired. They will now be paid accordingly to law. Once you have the form on file, you can log in to your myCalPERS account and change it online or download and fill a new form out. You should give a copy to your personnel office and spouse. You may also want to change your Local 2881 Beneficiary Designation form #2881 and other forms you have named a beneficiary, such as your State Savings Plus account, banks, life insurance companies, etc. These are NOT changed and remain the same.

We suggest you use the union Survivor Benefits form to list all beneficiaries you may need to update along with the policy locations and the company addresses. This form also contains contact information for your State health, dental, vision, and other optional plans.

Suppose you were to pass away off-duty and do not have enough quarters to qualify for Social Security benefits. In that case, you might receive several One-time Lump Sum benefits (plus some possible monthly benefits we will discuss later).

The Lump Sum benefits are:

The Limited Benefit: If you are seasonal and not employed at the time, your beneficiary will receive a return of your CalPERS contributions plus interest if you plan on returning to State service in the future.

Basic Death Benefit: The return of member's contributions and interest through the date of death. An additional one-time payment may be based on the member's earnings. Plus, one of several monthly benefits.

Group Term Life Insurance: This is a tax-free lump-sum benefit payable to the same beneficiary who will receive the Basic Death Benefit. For members with fewer than 20 years of state service, the benefit is $5,000 plus an amount equal to six months' pay (50 percent of your earnings for the 12 months before your death). For members with 20 or more years of state service, the benefit is equal to $5,000 (because you qualify for another better option described later).

Next month I will cover the various monthly benefits you may qualify for. Download any of the forms above, review all your beneficiaries, and make any needed changes you need or wish to update.

Classic Stuffing

Ingredients:

• 1 stick unsalted butter, plus more for baking dish
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 5 stalks celery, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon chopped sage
• 1 tablespoon chopped thyme
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 3 cups low-sodium chicken or turkey broth
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley
• 16 cups 1/2-inch stale country white bread cubes
• 2 tablespoons fat from the turkey drippings
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and butter a 3-quart baking dish. Melt the butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, sage and thyme; season with 1 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Cook, stirring, until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Add the broth and bring to a boil, then remove from the heat.
2. Whisk the eggs and parsley in a large bowl. Add the bread and the vegetable-broth mixture and stir until combined. Transfer to the prepared baking dish. Drizzle with the turkey drippings (or dot with butter); sprinkle with the paprika.
3. Cover the dish with foil and bake 30 minutes, then uncover and bake until golden, 25 to 30 more minutes.

Cook's Note: You can assemble this stuffing the day before - keep in the fridge until baking.

Recipe found via Food Network.