Vested Retirement Benefits

Vesting is the non-forfeitable right to receive an ACERA retirement benefit, provided membership is not terminated (i.e. you don't withdraw your contributions) prior to your retirement. Vested benefits are those benefits which are guaranteed under the 1937 Act County Employees Retirement law. You are always 100% vested in the money you contribute to ACERA and to the interest/investment earnings that are credited to your account. (Employer contributions are only vested when you retire.)

Vested benefits include a lifetime monthly retirement allowance (regular service retirement and disability retirement) and an annual cost of living adjustment (COLA). Please refer to the COLA section for more information.

ACERA offers a regular service retirement benefit allowance to members who meet the age and length of service requirements. See the Service Retirement and Eligibility section for more information. If you meet the age service requirement, your regular service retirement allowance will be granted automatically upon receipt of your completed application.

Under the formula, the benefit amounts are calculated according to these factors. Generally, the higher any of these factors, the greater your benefit.

• Your age at retirement
• Your amount of service credit
• Your final average salary

Your benefit allowance will also depend on your member and tier status in addition to the retirement benefit option you select at the time of your retirement.

ACERA also provides service connected and non-service connected disability benefits for those employees who become permanently disabled while working for Alameda County or Member District and whose disability prevents them from performing their jobs.

You have a vested right to apply for a job connected disability retirement as soon as you join ACERA. To receive a job connected disability , you must demonstrate that you were disabled on the job after having become a member of ACERA.

After accumulating five full years of membership in ACERA, you will vest in certain additional benefits. You will then be eligible to apply for a deferred retirement. For information on deferred membership/retirement, click here. Upon having 5 years of retirement service credit, you may apply for a non-service connected disability retirement. See Disability Section (click here) for more information, or to apply for a disability retirement, contact ACERA.

If you withdraw (refund) your accumulated retirement contributions when you terminate employment, you forfeit all future rights (vested and non-vested) to any retirement, survivor, and disability benefits.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):

• What deductions can be taken from my retirement benefit checks?
• Whats all this about Payment of Service Time, Redeposits and Purchases?
• How Can I Purchase Service Credit?
• What are Redeposits?
• Is there any way I can add additional retirement service credit to my service time?
• How do I convert my sick leave balance at retirement?
• What happens to my unused time left (such as vacation, floating holidays, comp time, sick leave) when I retire?
• What is Retirement Service Credit?
• When am I eligible to retire?
• Is this retirement plan the same as the deferred comp? And whats the difference between this retirement plan and a 401 (k) or other retirement plans?
• What is Vesting?