Establishment And Control Of Funds - State Teachers' Retirement System - CA Education

Section § 22400

This law establishes a special trust fund called the Teachers’ Retirement Fund in California's State Treasury. Different sources, like employee and employer contributions, state funds, investment income, and donations, are added to this fund. It includes a sub-account called the Supplemental Benefit Maintenance Account for special funding purposes. Money can only be taken out of the retirement fund following certain auditing rules, but returns for mistakenly deposited funds can be made even if not audited.

(a) There is in the State Treasury a special trust fund to be known as the Teachers’ Retirement Fund. There shall be deposited in that fund the assets of the plan and its predecessors, consisting of employee contributions, employer contributions, state contributions, appropriations made to it by the Legislature, income on investments, other interest income, income from fees and penalties, donations, legacies, bequests made to it and accepted by the board, and any other amounts provided by this part and Part 14. General Fund transfers pursuant to Section 22954 shall be placed in a segregated account known as the Supplemental Benefit Maintenance Account within the retirement fund, which is continuously appropriated without regard to fiscal years, notwithstanding Section 13340 of the Government Code, for expenditure for the purposes of Section 24415.

(b) Disbursement of money from the retirement fund of whatever nature shall be made upon claims duly audited in the manner prescribed for the disbursement of other public funds except that notwithstanding the foregoing disbursements may be made to return funds deposited in the fund in error.

Teachers’ Retirement Fund employee contributions employer contributions state contributions investment income Supplemental Benefit Maintenance Account General Fund transfers Section 22954 Section 24415 disbursement procedures audited claims mistake deposits trust fund State Treasury donations and legacies

(Amended by Stats. 1999, Ch. 939, Sec. 28. Effective January 1, 2000.)

Section § 22401

This law states that any returns from investments for the retirement fund must be collected by the Treasurer and added to the fund right away. Additionally, any money received directly by the retirement system must also be deposited promptly into a specific fund in the State Treasury.

Return on investments shall be collected by the Treasurer, and together with any other moneys received for the retirement fund shall be immediately deposited to the credit of that fund and reported immediately to the system. Money in whatever form received directly by the system shall be deposited immediately in the State Treasury to the credit of that fund.

investment returns Treasurer retirement fund fund deposits State Treasury system reporting money collection fund management immediate deposit financial oversight

(Repealed and added by Stats. 1993, Ch. 893, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 1994.)

Section § 22402

Interest earned and other income from the Defined Benefit Program's assets are used to fund benefits for members of that program, rather than being added to individual member accounts.

Earned interest on plan assets with respect to the Defined Benefit Program that is not credited to member accounts under the Defined Benefit Program and the plan’s other income with respect to the Defined Benefit Program shall be allocated to provide benefits payable under the Defined Benefit Program.

earned interest plan assets Defined Benefit Program member accounts income allocation benefits payable program funding benefit distribution retirement plan pension funds account crediting plan income fund allocation pension benefits financial management

(Amended by Stats. 2000, Ch. 1025, Sec. 16. Effective January 1, 2001.)

Section § 22403

This section explains that when the Cash Balance Plan was created, one million dollars was loaned from the State Teachers’ Retirement System Defined Benefit Plan. This loan was an asset for the Defined Benefit Plan and a debt for the Cash Balance Plan. However, once these two plans merged, the loan was effectively canceled because the assets were combined into one unified State Teachers’ Retirement Plan.

The Legislature hereby finds and declares that pursuant to the authorizing legislation creating and establishing the Cash Balance Plan, the board transferred one million dollars ($1,000,000) in the form of a loan from the retirement fund holding assets at that time exclusively for the State Teachers’ Retirement System Defined Benefit Plan to the newly created Cash Balance Plan. That loan represented an asset receivable to the State Teachers’ Retirement System Defined Benefit Plan and a liability obligation to the State Teachers’ Retirement System Cash Balance Plan. As a result of the merger of these two plans authorized under this part, the assets held in the retirement fund shall hereby reflect the combined assets of the State Teachers’ Retirement Plan. That loan shall be discharged by the creation and establishment of the State Teachers’ Retirement Plan pursuant to the merger.

Cash Balance Plan Defined Benefit Plan State Teachers’ Retirement System one million dollars loan asset receivable liability obligation merger retirement fund combined assets loan discharged State Teachers’ Retirement Plan creation and establishment board transferred asset receivable liability obligation

(Added by Stats. 1998, Ch. 1048, Sec. 10. Effective January 1, 1999.)

Section § 22404

This law allows a board to decide not to deal with small payments or overpayments below ten dollars. If the total amount of these small payments or overpayments ever reaches or goes above ten dollars, they will either pay or collect the total amount without adding any interest.

(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of this part or Part 14 (commencing with Section 26000) to the contrary, the board may establish by plan amendment a specified amount or amounts, not to exceed ten dollars ($10), below which the system may dispense with:

(1) The processing of a benefit payment, an annuity payment, or any other payment, including adjustments to those payments, payable to a member, participant, or beneficiary.

(2) The collection of a benefit overpayment, annuity overpayment, or any other overpayments paid to a member, participant, or beneficiary.

(b) When the cumulative dollar amount associated with one or more benefit payments or overpayments, annuity payments or overpayments, or other payments or overpayments equals or exceeds the amount described in subdivision (a), that amount shall be paid to, or collected from, the member, participant, or beneficiary. That cumulative amount paid or collected shall not be credited with interest.

payment threshold dispense with payments small payments benefit payment processing overpayment collection cumulative amount plan amendment interest-free collection member payments participant payments beneficiary payments annuity overpayments benefit overpayments ten dollar limit payment adjustments

(Amended by Stats. 2015, Ch. 123, Sec. 7. (AB 991) Effective January 1, 2016.)