CHAPTER 9. Member and Employer Duties [22450. - 22461.]

Cal. Education Code - EDC 9.

in effect

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 22450. Section 22450.

(a) Each member and beneficiary shall furnish to the board any information affecting his or her status as a member or beneficiary of the Defined Benefit Program as the board requires, which may include, but shall not be limited to, the following: (1) Financial statements, certified copies of state and federal income tax records, or evidence of financial status. (2) Employment, legal, or medical documentation. (b) A member who has not had any creditable service reported during the prior school year shall provide the system with his or her current mailing address and beneficiary information. (c) For a trust that is designated as an option beneficiary, as defined in Section 22149, the following documentation is required: (1) The member shall provide an acknowledged certification that includes each declaration prescribed by clause A-6 of Section 1.401(a)(9)-4 of Title 26 of the Code of Federal Regulations and a declaration that the trust meets the requirements and conditions as defined in Section 22149. The certification shall be submitted to the system at the time of election of the beneficiary and is required for the election to be valid. The certification shall be in the form of an acknowledged declaration signed by the member and by all then-acting trustees of the trust. (2) After the member’s death, the then-acting trustee or trustees of the trust shall provide an acknowledged certification that includes each of the declarations prescribed by clause A-6 of Section 1.401(a)(9)-4 of Title 26 of the Code of Federal Regulations and a declaration that the trust meets the requirements and conditions provided in Section 22149. The certification by the trustee or trustees of the trust shall be submitted to the system upon the member’s death and shall additionally certify that the trust has not been revoked, modified, or amended in any manner which would cause the representations contained in the certification to be incorrect. The certification shall contain a statement that it is being signed by all of the then-acting trustees of the trust and shall be in the form of an acknowledged declaration signed by all the then-acting trustees. (3) At any time, upon demand by the system, the member or trustee of the trust shall provide a copy of the trust instrument.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 22451. Section 22451.

(a) Each member shall file a statement with the board, at the option of, and upon the form furnished by, the system, giving the following information: (1) Date of birth. (2) All service previously performed subject to coverage by the plan or its predecessors. (b) Each person becoming a member on or after January 1, 1983, shall include in the health résumé required by the teacher preparation and licensing agency all information that shall verify any and all handicaps and disabling conditions at the time of application. Upon request by the system this information shall be made available when an application for disability benefits is received.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 22451.5. Section 22451.5.

(a) Upon request by the system, a member shall provide proof of his or her date of birth to resolve any discrepancy between the member’s date of birth as originally documented on the records of the system and the member’s date of birth as subsequently submitted. (b) A member shall provide proof of the date of birth of a person who is, or the beneficiary of a trust that is, designated by the member as beneficiary under an option selected pursuant to Chapter 28 (commencing with Section 24300) if the beneficiary is not also a member of the plan. (c) Documentation substantiating the date of birth of a member’s dependent child shall be provided if an allowance payable under this part will include an amount for that dependent child. (d) At the time application is made for payment of a family allowance or survivor benefit allowance to a surviving spouse or dependent parent, a member’s surviving spouse or dependent parent shall provide proof of his or her date of birth. (e) At the discretion of the board, an original document, a certified copy of the original, or a photocopy shall be acceptable to establish proof of the date of birth.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 22451.7. Section 22451.7.

The system may withhold benefit payments until proof of the date of birth of a member, beneficiary under an option selected pursuant to Chapter 28 (commencing with Section 24300), surviving spouse, dependent child or dependent parent has been received and accepted by the system.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 22453. Section 22453.

(a) Except as provided in Section 22454, the signature of the spouse of a member shall be required under the Defined Benefit Program on any application for, or cancellation of, an unmodified allowance; the election, change, or cancellation of an option; or any request for a refund of the member’s accumulated retirement contributions or accumulated annuity deposit contributions ; and under the Defined Benefit Supplement Program on any application for, or cancellation of, a retirement benefit, disability benefit, or termination benefit; and under either the Defined Benefit Program or the Defined Benefit Supplement Program on any other requests related to the selection of benefits by a member in which a spousal interest may be present, unless the member declares, in writing, under penalty of perjury, that one of the following conditions exists: (1) The member is not married. (2) The current spouse has no identifiable community property interest in the benefit. (3) The member and spouse have executed a marriage settlement agreement pursuant to Part 5 (commencing with Section 1500) of Division 4 of the Family Code that makes the community property law inapplicable to the marriage. (4) The spouse is incapable of executing the acknowledgment because of an incapacitating mental or physical condition. (5) The member does not know, and has taken all reasonable steps to determine, the whereabouts of the spouse. (b) This section shall not be applicable to an application for a disability allowance under the Defined Benefit Program. (c) The sole purpose of this section is to provide for spousal protection in the selection of specified benefits made by a member.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 22454. Section 22454.

If a spouse refuses to sign an application, as set forth in Section 22453, the member may bring an action in court to enforce the spousal signature requirement or to waive the spousal signature requirement. Either party may bring an action pursuant to Section 1101 of the Family Code to determine the rights of the party.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 22455. Section 22455.

(a) The county superintendent and other employing agencies shall furnish any further information concerning any member or beneficiary the board may require. (b) Any information or reports required to be submitted to the system by an employer pursuant to this part or Part 14 (commencing with Section 26000) shall be submitted in a form, including, but not limited to, electronic transmission, as directed by the system.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 22455.5. Section 22455.5.

(a) The Legislature finds and declares that the federal Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 (P.L. 101-508) requires all public employers to provide their employees with either social security coverage or membership in a qualified retirement plan. (b) Employers shall make available criteria for membership, including optional membership, in a timely manner to all persons employed to perform creditable service subject to coverage by the Defined Benefit Program, and shall inform part-time and substitute employees, within 30 days of the date of hire, or by March 1, 1995, whichever is later, that they may elect membership in the plan’s Defined Benefit Program at any time while employed. Written acknowledgment by the employee shall be maintained in employer files on a form provided by this system. (c) Employers shall be liable to the plan for employee and employer contributions and interest with respect to the Defined Benefit Program from the date of hire, or March 1, 1995, whichever is later, in addition to system administrative and audit costs, if an audit or a member’s complaint reveals noncompliance. However, no employer shall be liable for employee contributions for service performed prior to January 1, 1995.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 22456. Section 22456.

At any time upon the request of the system, the employer shall furnish a statement of the amount of contributions deducted from the compensation of any member, the service performed and the compensation earned by the member since the end of the period covered by the last report of the employer. The system may use the information shown in the statement in determining contributions to be paid by or to the member or to a beneficiary, or use it in determining the member’s status upon retirement, even though the member’s and employer’s contributions will not be received by the board until after the payment or determination.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 22457. Section 22457.

(a) Each county superintendent shall give immediate notice in writing to the board of the employment, death, resignation, or discharge of any person employed by the county or by a school district or community college district in the county to perform creditable service subject to coverage by the Defined Benefit Program. (b) Every other employing agency shall give similar notice with respect to each person it employs to perform creditable service subject to coverage by the Defined Benefit Program.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 22458. Section 22458.

Each employer shall provide the system with information regarding the compensation to be paid to employees subject to the Defined Benefit Program in that school year. The information shall be submitted annually as determined by the board and may include, but shall not be limited to, employment contracts, salary schedules, and local board minutes.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 22458.5. Section 22458.5.

Upon request from the system, each employer shall provide the system with information regarding the certification qualifications, minimum standards, or provisions of an approved charter for the operation of a charter school required to perform creditable service pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 22119.5, in a position.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 22459. Section 22459.

(a) The county superintendent or other employing agency shall withhold the salary of any member who fails to file information required by the board in the administration of the Defined Benefit Program, or to pay amounts due from the members to the fund with respect to the Defined Benefit Program. (b) The salary shall be withheld by the county superintendent or employing agency upon his or her own knowledge, if any, of the failure or upon notice from the board of the failure of the member to file or pay. (c) The salary shall be withheld and not released until notice is given by the board to the county superintendent or employing agency, or until the county superintendent or agency knows otherwise, that the information has been filed or the payment has been made.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 22460. Section 22460.

(a) If a member terminates employment with less than five years of credited service, the employer shall notify the member of the following: (1) That unless the member is eligible, or becomes eligible in the future, for concurrent retirement pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) of Section 24201, the member is eligible only for a refund of accumulated retirement contributions under the Defined Benefit Program and the return of the member’s accumulated Defined Benefit Supplement account balance. (2) The current rate of interest that shall be earned on accumulated retirement contributions that are not refunded and the current minimum interest rate that shall be applied to the member’s Defined Benefit Supplement account. (3) Actions that may be taken by the board if accumulated retirement contributions are not refunded under the Defined Benefit Program and the member’s Defined Benefit Supplement account balance is not returned. (b) Employers shall transmit to a member who terminates employment with less than five years of credited service the information specified in subdivision (a) as part of the usual separation documents.

Cal. Education Code - EDC § 22461. Section 22461.

(a) Upon retaining the services of a retired member under Section 24114, 24116, 24214, 24214.5, or 24215, the school district, community college district, county superintendent of schools, California State University, or other employing agency shall do both of the following regardless of whether the retired member performs the services as an employee of the employer, an employee of a third party, or an independent contractor: (1) Advise the retired member of the earnings limitation or employment restriction set forth in Sections 22714, 24114, 24116, 24214, 24214.5, and 24215. (2) Maintain accurate records of the retired member’s earnings and report those earnings monthly to the system and the retired member regardless of the method of payment or the fund from which the payments were made. (b) This section shall not be construed to make any school district, community college district, county superintendent of schools, the California State University, or other employing agency liable for any amount paid to the retired member in excess of the earnings limitation under any circumstance, including the failure to inform the retired member that continuation of service would exceed the limitations.

Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026