HEALTH BENEFITS INFORMATION SHEET
FOR NEW RETIREES
ENROLLMENT AND HEALTH SUBSIDY
When you retire your City-sponsored health insurance does not automatically continue. You must complete
LACERS’ Medical and Dental Plan Enrollment Form if you wish to enroll in a retiree health plan. LACERS’ health plan offerings are different from those available to active City employees.
To qualify for enrollment in a LACERS’ health plan, you must receive a monthly allowance from LACERS.
If your health plan premium deduction exceeds your monthly allowance, then you will need to contact
LACERS at (800) 779-8328 or lacers.health@lacity.org.
Eligible Dependents may enroll in the same medical and/or dental plans as you. New Eligible Dependents
must be added within 30 days of a qualifying event or during the yearly open enrollment period. Please consult
LACERS’ current Health Benefits Guide to review dependent eligibility requirements.
To qualify for a health subsidy*, you must:
 Be age 55 or older
Have at least 10 years of Service (the subsidy for part-time Members whose LACERS Membership
date is after April 22, 1990 is based on Service Credit).
Be enrolled in a LACERS-sponsored medical plan or be a participant in the Medical Premium
Reimbursement Program.
Submit proof of Medicare (A & B or B only) to LACERS upon turning age 65 or earlier if you
qualify.
NOTE: If you are age 65+, you must submit proof of enrollment in Medicare to LACERS within 60 days
of your retirement effective date. If you are younger than 65, you must provide proof of Medicare
enrollment to LACERS by your 65th birthday to remain enrolled in any LACERS’ health plan.
COVERAGE DETAILS
Effective Date of Coverage
Coverage begins on the first day of the month following your retirement effective date. Your active
employee health coverage continues through the end of the month in which you retire. If your
retirement effective date is the 1st of the month, your coverage begins that same day.
LACERS’ health premiums are paid one month in advance, therefore, we may need to collect premium
deductions due for your first coverage month from subsequent retirement allowance checks.
* Please refer to LACERS’ current Health Benefits Guide (available at www.lacers.org) for subsidy amounts.
Due to the processing requirements for changing your status from an active employee to a retiree,
you and your dependents, if any, may not be in the health plan’s database of coverage for at least one
month.
However, if your medical/dental needs are urgent, please telephone your health plan to verify that
coverage has been added to their database. If your health plan does not have you in their database,
please contact LACERS at (800) 779-8328 or lacers.health@lacity.org.
Your health plan ID cards will be mailed to you by your health plan 7-10 business days after you
have been added to the health plan’s database.
Due to LACERS’ Medicare requirements, health counseling is strongly recommended if you are retiring
after age 64, or if you plan to cover any dependents that are age 64+. The Los Angeles Administrative
Code §4.1103.2 requires that at age 65 you and your dependents enroll in all parts of Medicare for which
you are eligible (Parts A&B or Part B only) in order to qualify for a health subsidy. You must maintain
your Medicare coverage in order to remain enrolled in a LACERS medical plan.
Health counseling is available by request. You are encouraged to seek counseling if you are relocating at
or near the time of retirement.
Deductibles and Lifetime Maximums
Deductibles paid toward your active employee health coverage DO NOT carry over to your retiree
plan.
Lifetime maximums start over when you enroll in a retiree health plan even if you select the same
provider that you subscribed to as an active Member.
Forms Submission
Application for a LACERS medical and/or dental plan, changes to enrollment, and claims for the Medical
Premium Reimbursement Program must be made on the form(s) provided by LACERS. All forms should
be mailed directly to LACERS at the address shown below:
LACERS
360 E. Second St., Suite 200
Los Angeles, CA 90012-4207
ATTN: Health Benefits
For More Information
You may obtain additional information about LACERS’ health benefits, health plans, the Medical Premium
Reimbursement Program, enrollment, and eligibility by reviewing the current Health Benefits Guide included in your retirement packet, visiting www.lacers.org, or contacting LACERS at (800) 779-8328 or at lacers.health@lacity.org
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