CalPERS members who trek to an in-person CalPERS Benefits Education Event (CBEE) are rewarded with a one-stop shop to ask questions and receive answers on the spot.
This was illustrated in our Ask the Experts room at our recent CBEE in Visalia, which featured multiple booths focused on various topics catered to members’ retirement journeys.
Here’s a taste of what you can expect inside one of our Ask the Experts rooms, and what information awaits.
Health Benefits Program
One of the popular booths is the CalPERS Health Benefits Program, where members can ask about their health plan options today and in retirement.
As it turns out, they take full advantage of this opportunity — according to Nina Harrison (shown on the left in above image), who works in CalPERS’ Health Account Management Division, and was one of the team members who staffed the booth.
Members often came out of their classes — which are focused on a specific area on retirement — with different questions than they had coming in, especially when it comes to health benefits, she said.
“Their biggest questions are, ‘Can I keep my health benefits into retirement? And how can I keep those health benefits into retirement?’” Harrison explained.
In addition, members also ask how to get their spouse or partner onto their health plans in retirement, Harrison said. Premiums, she adds, is yet another facet they’re curious about — all questions she and her team do their best to clarify.
“If I feel like I can’t completely help them, thankfully we have our partners all around this giant building so that I can direct them where they need to go.”
Social Security Administration
Another CBEE booth with strong foot traffic is Social Security Administration — which Andy Nguyen (shown above) of the Pension Contract and Pre-funding Programs Division worked to field member questions.
Because CalPERS is the state administrator for Social Security programs, members have many questions as they near retirement — especially with new federal legislation that affects some members’ Social Security benefits.
Among some of the questions he said members tend to ask include:
- When can I start withdrawing Social Security benefits?
- Does my CalPERS benefit have any impact on my Social Security benefits?
- Does my spouse or survivor get my Social Security benefit if I pass?
Nguyen and his team are well-equipped to respond to such inquiries — and better yet, he’s able to help them further by getting them signed up on the Social Security website in the Ask the Experts room.
With Visalia being Nguyen’s first CBEE, he said he recognized the value of his and other CalPERS team members’ in-person presence to assist members.
“I know a lot of people go online to find their own answers, but a lot of them are more comfortable talking to someone in person — especially a representative from CalPERS or the federal office,” he said. “They have a lot more confirmation that their questions have been answered by an expert.”
Power of Attorney and Beneficiary Designation
Another booth with a constant flow of traffic is for Power of Attorney and Beneficiary Designation — which Dawn Penman (shown above) of our Retirement Benefits Services Division helped run.
The reason so many members inquire about these crucial services is they’re rightly told just how important it is to have these designations buttoned up, she said.
The biggest question members have on this topic is, what’s the difference between a CalPERS special power of attorney, and a beneficiary, and why do I need both?
As Penman explained, a CalPERS special power of attorney is someone a member can designate to make CalPERS-specific decisions on their behalf while they’re alive (in the event they become incapacitated, for example). A beneficiary is who your benefits will be distributed to in the event you pass.
There’s great value in being in person to help with these forms — especially since the Special Power of Attorney Form (PDF) requires a member’s signature. Not just that, but the impact of hearing someone explain this complicated topic right in front of you can’t be overstated.
“For me, I can read it — but I’m not going to understand what I’m reading,” Penman explained. “And so, to actually have somebody I can talk to in person and walk me through the form, that would be a huge benefit for me. And that’s what our members are finding.”
CalPERS Regional Office: General Benefits Information (Fresno)
Humberto Sanchez (shown in middle of bottom row in above image) of CalPERS’ Customer Education & Outreach Division was one of several team members from our Fresno Regional Office tending to the General Benefits Information booth.
He and his co-workers fielded an array of questions from members — requiring them to be general experts.
Members arrived with many items they wanted cleared up — including when the best time to retire would be, and how cost-of-living adjustments work in retirement, Sanchez said, among other questions almost certainly better addressed in person.
“They can see a face behind CalPERS,” Sanchez explained. “And we’re able to provide them with more resources, depending on the questions they’re asking.”
Sanchez noted he and his colleagues were grateful to have the computer kiosks there to help each member with their unique situation. And for even more specific questions, he said he appreciated having other subject matter experts there as backup.
Bilingual in Spanish, his ability to help in that language is also invaluable. Sanchez said his region has many Spanish speakers, and when they come to the Fresno Regional Office seeking guidance, he’s able to point them in the right direction.
Asked whether he thought attending a CBEE was worthwhile, his answer was undoubtedly yes. Members who attend a CBEE early on would be better prepared for retirement than those who don’t, and that knowledge is precious as you get closer, he said.
“Now they have a better guide on how to retire,” Sanchez said. “‘Okay, I know all the steps. Okay, I have all my ducks in a row for retirement.’”
To attend our next CalPERS Benefits Education Event – being held April 11 and 12 in Burbank — register for free today.