Home < Retirees < Retirement and Savings Plans < University of California Retirement Plan (UCRP)
As a member of UCRP, you are eligible for survivor benefits and death benefits. You may be eligible for retiree health and insurance benefits.
Cost of living adjustments
A cost of living adjustment, or COLA, is an annual adjustment to retirement benefits, based on the average of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) increases for the Los Angeles and San Francisco metropolitan areas for the preceding year. The COLA is paid each July 1 beginning after you have received retirement benefits for one year. For example, if you retired September 1, 2006, you would be eligible for a COLA beginning July 1, 2008.
Generally, the COLA for any Plan year equals:
- 100% of the CPI increase up to 2%
- 75% of the CPI increase over 4%
- Maximum COLA 6%
Based on the availability of funds, UC also may periodically announce an ad hoc COLA designed to restore purchasing power to 75% of the purchasing power of the benefit at the time of retirement.
Survivor benefits
When you die, part of your retirement benefit is paid to your surviving spouse or surviving domestic partner (if you were married or in a partnership continuously from one full year before retirement until your death), or if none, to your eligible children, or if none, to your eligible dependent parents.
Death benefits
When an active, inactive, disabled, or retired member dies, UCRP pays a basic death benefit of $7,500 to the member's beneficiary, in addition to any monthly UCRP income that may be payable to eligible survivors or to the contingent annuitant. Beneficiaries of active, disabled, or inactive members also receive the CAP payment, if any.
Retiree health and insurance benefits
In general, if you continued medical, dental, and/or legal coverage at the time of retirement, you remain eligible to continue coverage. If you have other group or individual medical coverage (including TriCare for Life), you may "suspend" your UC-sponsored medical coverage and reenroll during Open Enrollment or at the time you lose the other coverage. For example, if you are retired but your spouse is still working and you are covered by his/her employer's medical plan, you may suspend your UC-sponsored coverage. If your spouse loses his/her coverage involuntarily (layoff, termination of employment), you may enroll in your UC-sponsored coverage within 31 days.
Members who were only eligible for Core level medical benefits upon retirement are limited to re-enrolling in Core Medical upon return from suspended coverage
To suspend your UC-sponsored coverage, you will need to complete form UBEN 100 [PDF]. If you are enrolled in a Medicare Advantage HMO plan, you also need to complete a Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug Plan Disenrollment form [PDF] and mail it to the carrier address on the form.
Call the UC Customer Service Center (1-800-888-8267) for more information.
