One year before Retirement
- Request a formal estimate to assess your monthly benefit
- Discuss your plans with your spouse
- Attend a Retirement Seminar
- If applicable, complete and submit a Request
to Purchase Service Credit Form and submit to MercedCERA
- Contact MercedCERA should you have a marriage
separation as you must provide MercedCERA a copy of the court
order resolving the claim before you can receive benefits.
Retirement benefits are considered community property.
Nine months before Retirement
- If you’re also a member of another public retirement system
in California, there are steps you need to take to ensure you
receive all the benefits you deserve from each system. Contact
that system to ensure your retirement date and benefits are
coordinated.
- Research Social Security and Medicare options.
- If you have Social Security benefits coming later after
retirement, you may increase your monthly MercedCERA pension
income until age 62. Ask MercedCERA about a Social Security
Modification.
Six months before Retirement
- If you have not done so already, request a formal estimate
from MercedCERA by completing a Request
for Estimate form.
- Review the retirement plan options available to ensure you
have proper time to think about what alternative best suits your
needs.
- Ensure you have a copy of your and your spouse’s birth
certificate or current passport, a marriage license or domestic
partner registration (if applicable), and/or any court divorce
decrees/settlement.
Two months before Retirement
- Make an appointment and meet with a MercedCERA Benefits
Analyst.
- Complete and submit a Retirement Application with MercedCERA.
Once You’re Retired
It’s not until you’ve ended employment that the actual final
number of sick/vacation hours are available. Once your
termination payroll information is available from your
employer, you will be requested to make your final formal
selection of pension options based on the final salary
information.
