SECTION
I: GENERAL INFORMATION
1. Q: What is My LACERA?
A: My LACERA is a web feature that connects you with your personal retirement network. It provides you secure 24-hour online access to your LACERA retirement account information.
As an active member, you can create a Retirement Benefit Estimate, a personalized online calculation of the benefits you will receive when you retire. You can also review your retirement plan information, track your recent LACERA contributions and interactions, and check your Annual Benefit Statement.
As a retired member, you can adjust your federal or state tax withholding elections and submit them online, view your recent Direct Deposits, 1099-Rs, and check your beneficiary designation(s). (6-25-09)
2. Q: My LACERA looks different. What's changed?
A: We expanded the My LACERA section of lacera.com into a full web site. My LACERA is the place to be to access your personal retirement information. As new technology develops, your ability to connect with your personal retirement network will continue to expand with more interactive features. (6-25-09)
3. Q: What online security measures are on My LACERA?
A: Your personal information is protected online by Safe2Login, Entrust Secure Server systems, and routine security audits by professional third-party security firms. (6-25-09)
4. Q: How does the My LACERA Retirement Benefit Estimate work?
A: The Retirement Benefit Estimate uses an online "wizard" to take you step by step through the variables involved in estimating your retirement allowance:
- Shows the date you first become eligible to retire
- Displays your personal data currently on file with LACERA, and automatically uses that data to calculate an estimate of your benefits
- Provides the option of entering different data such as alternate retirement dates or additional service credit to see how it affects your retirement allowance
- Calculates how your allowance and your survivor's allowance would be affected under each Retirement Option. (6-25-09)
5. Q: What's the difference between the Retirement Calculator and the Retirement Benefit Estimate feature on My LACERA?
A: The Retirement Calculator is an interactive planning tool that uses the data you enter to create projections of the monthly allowance you will receive when you retire. It only creates projections based on the Unmodified and Unmodified+Plus Retirement Options.
The Retirement Benefit Estimate automatically retrieves your personal data on file to calculate an estimate of your monthly retirement allowance. It also allows you to adjust your amount of service credit, pensionable earnings, and other information to see how your allowance and your survivor's allowance would be affected under each Retirement Option. (6-25-09)
6. Q: Can I use My LACERA to find out how much money I have in my retirement account?
A: Yes. My LACERA displays the current total of your retirement contributions and interest in the Your Employment Information section. Your contributions are updated each month and interest is accrued at the end of June and December. (6-25-09)
7. Q: I'm a contributory member. Can I see my retirement contribution rate online?
A: Yes. On My LACERA, your contribution rate is displayed in the Your
Employment Information section, along with your Plan information, service credit,
and amount of your total contributions and interest. (6-25-09)
8. Q: Will the My LACERA Retirement Benefit Estimate show me the available Retirement Options?
A: Yes. The Retirement Benefit Estimate will describe
each Retirement Option and calculate how your allowance and your survivor's
allowance would be affected under each Option. (Only calculations for Options
that apply to your personal situation will be shown.) LACERA offers six different
Retirement Options, which offer flexibility in addressing the diverse needs
of our members and their families: Unmodified, Unmodified+Plus, and Options
1, 2, 3, and 4. NOTE: Option 1 is not available to Plan E members. (6-25-09)
9. Q: I recently contacted LACERA to request a change of address. Can I see confirmation of this interaction on My LACERA?
A: Yes. A list of your communications with us will be displayed by
date and event in the LACERA Interactions section of My LACERA. (6-25-09)
10. Q: Can I make changes to my personal information on My LACERA?
A: Retired members can adjust their federal or state tax withholding
elections and submit them online. Other interactive web features are in the
works. My LACERA continues to grow and become more interactive; so stay tuned. (6-25-09)
11. Q: I just retired, and I am not currently able to access my retirement information on My LACERA but I could when I was an active member. What happened?
A: There is a brief window period from the time you switch from active member to retired member when you will not be able to access MY LACERA. Once your County department posts your termination date on the Auditor-Controller payroll system and the County issues your final payroll check, access to you're my LACERA account will not be available. After your termination date is posted, LACERA will process your retirement benefits through a retirement calculation program which is run on the 20th of every month. Once LACERA processes your retirement calculation, your status changes to retired member and you will be able to access your information on My LACERA again. (6-10-08)
(Back to the top) SECTION II: REGISTRATION
1. Q: Who can register for My LACERA?
A: Whereas previously, only active and retired members could use My
LACERA, now deferred members and survivors can also register and access their
personal retirement information on My LACERA. (6-25-09)
2. Q: How can I sign up for My LACERA?
A: Find the My LACERA logo on the lacera.com home page, and click “Sign Up” under New Users. It's a two-part registration process. Follow the prompts through the Safe2Login and My LACERA registrations. TIP: It's helpful to have personal identifying information handy, such as a recent paycheck for active members, or an automatic deposit receipt (ADR) for retirees. (6-25-09)
3. Q: What happens if I can't register with My LACERA?
A: Don't worry. After two failed attempts to register, you'll be prompted to call LACERA at 1-800-786-6464 to have one of our Retirement Benefits Specialists assist you with the process. Our Call Center hours are 7:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. PST Monday through Friday. (6-25-09)
4. Q: What if I forget my password after I register with My LACERA and can't sign back in?
A: After three failed attempts, you will be prompted to call LACERA at 1-800-786-6464; we'll assist you with the process. (6-25-09)
5. Q: My wife and I both work for the County and share the same email account. Can we still register with My LACERA?
A: Yes. However, in order for both of you to register with My LACERA, you will have to create an additional email account. Our system is set up to register only one individual per email address. (6-25-09)
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