CalSTRS sets Benefit Connect go‑live for Sept. 23 after final readiness checks; independent overseer deems system ready

CalSTRS told trustees on Sept. 4 that its new pension administration platform, Benefit Connect, is scheduled to go live on Sept. 23 after a final round of cutover and readiness checks.

Anthony Sweeney, the pension solution project director, briefed the board on final work streams, member communications and cutover planning. Sweeney said six major work streams were in green status and staff were focused on post‑go‑live activities such as resolving residual data discrepancies, stabilizing employer contribution files and executing planned future releases. “Everything's now in a green status,” Sweeney said.

Sweeney described an eight‑week soft launch in a pseudo‑production environment that more than 650 staff used to process routine business, load employer contribution files, run monthly payroll jobs and generate correspondence. The team produced more than 24,000 pieces of member correspondence during testing, Sweeney said, and used the soft launch to identify and fix issues before cutover.

Chris Cabote of GuideHouse, the board’s independent oversight consultant, told trustees his team concludes the primary functionality is ready for production. Cabote emphasized that some known defects remain in a backlog and must be triaged: “There are still some defects that are, known, in the backlog that need to be resolved, and ... there will be defects that are found in production,” he said. GuideHouse said the project’s triage process involved business teams and decision‑makers and that the executive steering committee will make the formal cutover decision.

Board members asked about risk. Trustee Perrault asked whether any deferred defects were categorized as medium or high risk; project staff replied that deferred items were not high risk and that the team had documented workarounds incorporated into training and procedures. Trustees also asked about the longer‑term maintenance and operations (M&O) budget. Sweeney said CalSTRS has an authorized $104.7 million M&O allocation to support the 21‑month post‑go‑live stabilization and that future years’ steady‑state costs are expected to be lower once the program team and vendor mix are finalized.

Why it matters: Benefit Connect replaces legacy systems used to administer member accounts and process benefit transactions. Cutover periods commonly result in limited online access and slowed transaction processing; staff told trustees they are prepared with escalation paths, co‑located experts and increased contact‑center coverage to reduce member impacts.

Support and next steps: Staff said some services have already been placed into inquiry mode to clear in‑flight work and that data conversion activities will begin as systems enter cutover. Benefit Connect will be integrated with CalSTRS’ financial system following go‑live. GuideHouse and CalSTRS said post‑go‑live governance and a prioritized backlog will guide subsequent releases and defect resolution.

Ending: Project leadership thanked staff and consultants for the multi‑year effort and said the team will report back to the board on post‑go‑live status and stabilization work.