2023 California Code › Government Code - GOV › TITLE 3 - GOVERNMENT OF COUNTIES › DIVISION 4 - EMPLOYEES › PART 3 - RETIREMENT SYSTEMS › CHAPTER 3 - County Employees Retirement Law of 197 › ARTICLE 1.5 - Alternative Plan for Counties with Populations in Excess of Six Million › Section 31491.

31491. (a) Retirement of a member or former member who has met the requirements for age and service shall be made by the board, at which time the member or former member becomes a retired member.
(b) Any member who has completed 10 years of service shall be vested under the plan created by this article.
(c) Any vested member or vested former member who has attained the age of 65 years may be retired upon filing with the board a written application on a form provided by the board for normal retirement setting forth the desired effective retirement date.
(d) Any vested member or vested former member who has attained the age of 55 years may be retired upon filing with the board a written application on a form provided by the board for early retirement setting forth the desired effective retirement date.
(e) The normal retirement pension shall consist of an annual allowance payable in monthly installments for the life of the retired member equal to 2 percent of his or her final compensation multiplied by the number of years of service to the preceding completed month to which the member is entitled to be credited at retirement, not to exceed 35 years, added to 1 percent of the member’s final compensation multiplied by the number of years of service in excess of 35, not to exceed 10 years, reduced by the estimated primary insurance amount, if any, multiplied by the fraction of the number of years of service with the employer subject to coverage under the federal system, not to exceed 35 years, divided by 35.
In no event shall the normal retirement pension, when added to the estimated primary insurance amount, exceed 70 percent of the member’s final compensation unless the years of service to which the member is entitled to be credited at retirement exceeds 35, in which case the normal retirement pension, when added to the estimated primary insurance amount, shall not exceed 80 percent of the member’s final compensation.
(f) The early retirement pension shall consist of an annual allowance payable in monthly installments for the life of the retired member in an amount which is the actuarial equivalent of the normal retirement pension to which the retired member would be entitled if otherwise eligible for normal retirement, which shall be computed by multiplying the normal retirement pension by the early retirement adjustment factor set forth opposite the member’s age as of the birthday immediately preceding the date of retirement, in the following table:
Age
ERA Factor
55  ........................
.39
56  ........................
.43
57  ........................
.47
58  ........................
.51
59  ........................
.56
60  ........................
.61
61  ........................
.67
62  ........................
.74
63  ........................
.82
64  ........................
.90
The ERA Factors set forth in this subdivision shall be used until adjusted by the board in accordance with the interest and mortality tables adopted by the board.
(g) The board, upon the advice of the actuary, shall establish and adjust, as required, the table of estimated primary insurance amounts, which shall be utilized in computing the retirement benefit. For purposes of this article, the primary insurance amount shall be estimated based on the employee’s age and salary as of the date of retirement or the date of termination of a vested member, whichever is applicable, provided that:
(1) An employee’s prior career earnings shall be assumed to have been subject to the federal system and to have increased on a year-to-year basis at a rate equivalent to the rate of increase in the average per worker total wages reported by the Social Security Administration, and
(2) For those members who have not attained the normal retirement age under the federal system as of the date of retirement (i) future earnings in employment covered by the federal system shall be assumed to continue at the rate of pay received by the employee from the employer as of the date of retirement or the date of termination of a vested member, whichever is applicable, and (ii) future wage bases, as defined by the federal system, shall be assumed to continue at the wage base in effect in the year of retirement or the year of termination of a vested member, whichever is applicable, and (iii) cost-of-living increases in the year of retirement and delayed retirement credit provided under the federal system shall not be included in the calculation of the estimated primary insurance amount.
(h) The employer shall certify the years of service to be credited at retirement and the final compensation to be utilized in computing the normal and early retirement pension.
(i) At the time of application for retirement, the member or former member shall provide adequate proof (1) of age and (2) of the eligibility of persons, if any, who at that time would otherwise qualify for the survivor allowance provided for in Section 31492.
(j) Notwithstanding subdivision (e) of Section 31491, any retired member receiving a normal retirement pension shall, as soon as possible but not later than six months following retirement, present evidence required by the board of the retired member’s actual primary insurance amount. For purposes of this subdivision, the actual primary insurance amount shall be the amount payable under the federal system on the retired member’s date of retirement without regard to delayed retirement credit or any deductions on account of work. Following receipt of that evidence, the board shall adjust the retired member’s pension from the date of retirement to equal the amount of the pension to which he or she would have been entitled on that date had the estimated primary insurance amount equaled the actual primary insurance amount.
(Added by Stats. 1981, Ch. 910, Sec. 1. Effective September 28, 1981.)