General Members Plan D Center

On January 1, 1983, the County of Los Angeles withdrew its employees from the Social Security system. The withdrawal stopped contributions toward both Social Security and Medicare, potentially affecting your eligibility for Social Security and Medicare benefits.

Social Security Eligibility

You may be eligible for Social Security if you:

• Earned enough credit prior to the County’s withdrawal from the Social Security system
• Earned enough credit through Social Security-covered outside employment
• Are eligible through your spouse/ex-spouse

Social Security can affect your LACERA retirement allowance. For Plan D members employed by the County prior to 1983, your LA CERA retirement allowance is subject to a reduction for Social Security-covered service while employed by the County.

Prior to January 1, 2024, retired member federal benefits were subject to the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO), but the Social Security Fairness Act ended WEP and GPO in January 2025 with an effective date of January 2024. As a result, the Social Security Administration (SSA) no longer reduces retirement, spousal, or survivor benefits for LACERA members eligible for Social Security. If your benefits were previously reduced, SSA must recalculate them retroactive to January 1, 2024.  If you never applied for Social Security benefits due to WEP or GPO, you may now qualify and should consider applying. For more information about the repeal of the WEP/GPO, payment schedule, applying for spousal benefits, and other updates, visit the Social Security Administration’s information page about the Social Security Fairness Act.

Medicare Eligibility

Employees hired prior to March 31, 1986, do not contribute to Medicare. Employees who did not contribute enough toward their Medicare benefits prior to this date might still qualify for Medicare through other means, such as through a spouse/ex-spouse, Social Security disability, or Social Security-covered outside employment.

Employees hired after March 31, 1986, contribute toward Medicare benefits through a deduction known as the federal Health Insurance Tax (H.I.T).

LACERA Allowance Reductions: Pre-1983 Employment

If you were covered by Social Security while employed by the County prior to 1983, your LACERA retirement allowance is subject to a fixed dollar amount reduction for each year of Social Security-covered service, based on your retirement age.

To calculate your potential reduction using the table below, find your age at retirement and plan reduction amount, and multiply it by your number of years of Social Security-covered County service. As an example, the reduction amount for a Plan D member retiring at age 60 with 10 years of Social Security-covered service would be $67.10 per month ($6.71 x 10 years of service).