The San Joaquin County Employees’ Retirement Association (SJCERA) provides retirement, disability, and death benefits to employees of SJCERA-participating employers. Your SJCERA retirement is a defined benefit plan (a pension), providing vested members a lifetime monthly retirement benefit based on your age at retirement, years of service credit and final average compensation (FAC). The benefit you earn depends on your membership tier and type.
Membership
You become a SJCERA member on the first day of employment in a permanent, full-time position with a SJCERA-participating employer. Membership is mandatory except for:
- Elected officials: As an elected official, you are excluded from membership unless you “opt in” to membership, even if you were previously a SJCERA member. Contact SJCERA for more information.
- Age 60 and Older New Employees: If you have never been an SJCERA member and first begin working in a position eligible for SJCERA membership at age 60 or older, you may waive membership by completing the Membership Waiver form.
All new members must submit a completed Membership Certification form and provide proof of age.
Membership Tier
Your membership tier is based on the date you entered membership into SJCERA or, if you establish reciprocity, the date you entered membership in another California public retirement system. Your membership tier determines the formula used to calculate your benefit, retirement eligibility, highest average compensation period, and compensation that can be used in calculating your benefit.
Tier 1
You are a Tier 1 member if you were hired into a covered CA public agency before January 1, 2013, or you establish incoming reciprocity between SJCERA and another California public retirement system for employment occurring before January 1, 2013.
Tier 2
You are a Tier 2 member if you were first hired into a covered position at a California public agency on or after January 1, 2013. Tier 2 was established as a result of the Public Employees’ Pension Reform Act of 2013 (PEPRA).
Membership Type
Your membership type (Safety or General) is determined by your job classification.
Safety
You are a Safety member if your principal job duties consist of active law enforcement or fire suppression. Review the complete list of Safety Member job titles for more information.
General
You are a General member if your primary job duties are not law enforcement or firefighting services. All non-safety members.