All State Employees Begin Prefunding Retiree Health Care
Your August paystub will likely reflect a deduction for something called CERBT. That stands for the California Employers’ Retiree Benefit Trust. Along with the General Salary Increases received by supervisors, managers and confidential employees on July 1, the budget includes provisions to begin prefunding retiree health care. While some excluded employees have already seen this contribution take effect, all state employees are now prefunding retiree healthcare.
Your contribution as a percentage of salary is matched with a state employer contribution. The purpose is to reduce the “unfunded liability” for retiree health care which has received substantial negative public and media attention and to ensure that your valuable earned health benefits will be available when you retire.
In July, CalHR announced that excluded and exempt employees not directly associated with a bargaining unit, e.g., E48, E97, E98, and E99, will begin prefunding 0.8% of their pensionable compensation to Other Post-Employment Benefits (OPEB) effective with the August 2018 pay period.
ACSS compiled the following chart showing the legislatively approved contribution rates for OPEB and information provided by CalHR for exempt and excluded employees not related to a specific bargaining unit. OPEB Contribution rates:
OPEB Rates for EXCLUDED EMPLOYEES
AFFILIATED WITH BARGAINING UNIT
Effective August 2018: |
CERBT |
1, 3, 4, 11, 14, 15,
17, 20, 21 (SEIU Units) |
1.2% |
| 2 |
1.3% |
| 6 |
4% |
| 7 |
2.7% |
| 8 |
3% |
| 9 |
1% |
| 10 |
1.4% |
| 12 |
2.5% |
| 13 |
2.6% |
| 16 |
1.4% |
| 17 |
1.2% |
| 18 |
2.6% |
| 19 |
2% |
Exempt and excluded employees
not directly tied to a BU |
0.8% |
Details of the OPEB provisions are available here: http://hrmanual.calhr.ca.gov/Home/ManualItem/1/1422
Click here to read OBEB FAQ's from CalHR.