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CalPERS webinar unveils retired annuitant hiring questionnaire, highlights stopping points to avoid violations
Summary
California Public Employees Retirement System staff demonstrated a new retired annuitant hiring questionnaire for employers and walked through key compliance rules — including 60‑ and 180‑day waits, a 12‑month unemployment break, a 960‑hour annual cap and salary‑schedule requirements — and resources for filing documentation.
The California Public Employees Retirement System hosted a webinar to introduce a new retired annuitant hiring questionnaire designed to help employers screen appointments for compliance with state rules.
The CalPERS employer educator led attendees through where to find the form on calpers.ca.gov and how the questionnaire uses stopping points to prevent noncompliant hires. The presenter said the form “does not need to be returned to us, but … should be completed or retained in the employee’s file.”
Why it matters: The questionnaire centralizes checks employers must make before offering a retired annuitant (RA) appointment — for example, verifying breaks in service, whether the appointment is limited duration or an emergency assignment, and whether compensation aligns with a publicly posted salary schedule.
Key rules explained by the presenter include: employers must confirm no verbal or written pre‑retirement agreement to return to work and a 60‑day bona fide separation for retirees who left under their normal retirement age; a concurrent 180‑day waiting period applies in most cases (with narrow exceptions for firefighters, peace officers, FERP qualification or gubernatorial emergency orders); and California law prohibits appointing an RA who received unemployment insurance for work with a CalPERS employer in the 12 months before reappointment.
The webinar reiterated that all retired annuitants are limited to 960 hours per fiscal year (July 1–June 30) across all CalPERS‑covered appointments and that compensation must fall within the publicly available salary schedule for the position and be paid hourly. The presenter warned repeatedly: “Do not move forward with the appointment as it can lead to a violation” when a stopping point is triggered.
On benefits, the presenter said RAs are not covered under bargaining or education code benefits and are entitled only to the hourly rate; limited reimbursements such as uniform cleaning or work‑related travel (net zero) are allowed and certain deferred compensation contributions are permitted so long as they are not employer matches to a CalPERS plan.
The session closed with guidance on related resources (Publications 33 and 37, employer reference guides), myCalPERS upload capabilities for justification documents, and training offerings including instructor‑led business‑rules classes and self‑paced modules. CalPERS provided a contact phone number for assistance.
