County-Sponsored Retiree Health, Dental and Vision Care Plans
SJCERA manages eligibility and enrollment in employer-sponsored group retiree health plans for members who retire from employment with San Joaquin County. (If you are retiring from another SJCERA participating employer, please consult with your employer’s benefits manager regarding your options for coverage after retirement.)
San Joaquin County negotiates and controls the plan design and coverage with each insurance carrier for the active employee and retiree plans. Information about the health, dental, and vision care plans available to retirees and applicable monthly insurance premiums is provided to you as part of your retirement application interview with SJCERA. Please note that the coverage available to you as a retiree may be different than the coverage options available to you as an active County employee.
Your retirement from active County employment is an event that qualifies you to change health, dental, or vision coverage. You may also add or defer coverage for yourself or your dependents at the time of retirement. If a birth, legal adoption, marriage, or registered domestic partnership occurs in your household, you have 60 days from the date of the qualifying event to add a new dependent to your coverage.
You may also change your health, dental, or vision coverage and add or delete dependents during any annual open enrollment period.
When you and/or your dependents become eligible, you must subscribe to Medicare parts A and B. You will be eligible to enroll in retiree health plans that coordinate with or supplement Medicare coverage. Please see the Medicare Enrollment Page for forms.
Delaying Enrollment
If at the time of retirement you have access to other, possibly more affordable, coverage for yourself and/or your dependents, you may choose to defer participation in County-sponsored retiree health, dental and visions plans for yourself and/or your dependents. You must record this intent with SJCERA in writing.
If you do not formally defer coverage, or if you enroll in coverage and later discontinue coverage for reasons other than enrolling in other group coverage sponsored by another employer, you will not be allowed to subsequently re-enroll in County-sponsored group plans.
County Group Plans and Open Enrollment, visit: https://www.sjgov.org/department/hr/employee/retirement
If you wish to cancel any of your insurance coverage through SJCERA, contact our office and ask for your Retirement Payroll Technician at 209-468-2163, we will provide you with documentation to do so. Please note that insurance changes will be effective the 1st of the month if the request is received by SJCERA on or before the 15th.
If you are cancelling a Medicare Supplemental plan it is imperative that we have this cancellation one month prior to ensure your medicare and supplemental are no longer attached.
San Joaquin County Policy states once you have canceled your insurance coverage, you do not have the option to reenroll at a later date unless there is a qualifying event within 60 days of that event and have had continued employer-sponsored insurance coverage.