Administrative Retirees

CalPERS 2% at 55 Plan

Employees are eligible for CalPERS service retirement at age 50  with five years of service credit.  A PERS disability retiree need not be 50 years old, but must have five years of service. 

Administrative employees working 20 or more hours per week are covered by the California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS) 2% at 55 Plan (single highest year salary formula).

CalPERS is a defined benefit plan with a normal retirement age of 55. Retirement benefits are based upon the employee's age and years of CalPERS service credit at the time of retirement.

VTA pays both the employee and employer contributions to PERS. The employee contribution is 7% of salary.  The employer's contribution varies each year based upon an annual actuarial valuation of the plan.

For more detailed information regarding CalPERS retirement benefits, visit their web site at www.calpers.ca.gov.

Retiree Medical Coverage

To be eligible for retiree medical coverage, administrative employees must retire directly from VTA, be age 50, and have 5 years of service (1,305 days) with VTA. 

Administrative employees hired on or after the following dates must have 8 years of service (2,088 days) with VTA to qualify for retiree medical coverage, retire directly from VTA, and be age 50.

• SEIU represented employees hired on or after 5/15/06
• TAEA represented employees hired on or after 12/5/06
• AFSCME represented employees hired on or after 8/10/07 
• Non-represented employees hired on or after 2/11/2008

Administrative retirees who retired before January 2, 2006, pay any premium in excess of the Kaiser single active employee rate.  VTA contributes the cost of the premium up to the single Kaiser rate. 

Administrative retirees who retired on or after January 2, 2006 pay $25 toward their monthly premium, plus any premium in excess of the Kaiser single active rate.

Spouses and registered domestic partners may continue under the retiree's medical plan at the retiree's expense.  A surviving spouse or registered domestic partner of a retiree may continue to purchase medical coverage through VTA after the death of the retiree as long as the surviving dependent was enrolled at the time of the retiree's death.

Medicare Eligibility

Retirees (and spouses/registered domestic partners, if applicable) who are age 65 or disabled must enroll in Medicare Parts A & B, and in a VTA Medicare supplemental plan.  Retirees are reimbursed for the cost of the Medicare Part B monthly premium.

As long as retirees retain enrollment in a VTA sponsored Medicare supplemental plan, they should not enroll in Medicare Part D outside of VTA.  Medicare Part D reimbursement is handled by the health plan.   Enrollment is only through the health plan.

Medical Plans

• Valley Health Plan HMO
• Valley Health Plan Medicare Plan
  (www.valleyhealthplan.org)
  
  
• Kaiser Permanente HMO
• Kaiser Senior Advantage Medicare Plan
• Kaiser Out-of-Area Medicare Plan (northern California only)(www.kaiserpermanente.org)
  
  
• PacifiCare HMO
• PacifiCare PPO
• PacifiCare Secure Horizons (Medicare Plan)
• PacifiCare Senior Supplement (Medicare Plan)
  (www.pacificare.com)

Transit Passes

VTA retirees, spouses, surviving spouses of retirees, and dependent children of retirees are eligible for transit passes, at no cost to the retiree, for use over VTA lines, including VTA paratransit services.