Author: Anikka Abbott

The 2026 cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for eligible retirees, beneficiaries, and other payees with a retirement date of April 1, 2026 or earlier will be reflected in retirement benefit payments on April 30, 2026.

• Safety retirees and General Tier 1* retirees: 3.0%

The COLA awarded to Safety retirees and General Tier 1 (Legacy) retirees is based on the year-over-year change (as of December) in the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim region. If the CPI change, after being rounded to the nearest half percent, is more than the 3.0% COLA maximum, the excess will be “banked” and applied to a COLA in a future year when the annual CPI change is less than 3.0%. The regional CPI change from December 2024 to December 2025 was 3.0% after rounding. The Board of Retirement approved the 3.0% COLA at its meeting on January 26, 2026.

• General Tier 2 and Tier 8* retirees (eligible SEIU and CNA service**): 2.0%

The COLA awarded to eligible General Tier 2 (Legacy) and Tier 8 (PEPRA) retirees represented by SEIU or CNA is 2.0%. This percentage is not subject to CPI changes. The 2.0% General Tier 2 and Tier 8 COLA increases are automatic under the terms of the Board of Retirement Regulation and applicable labor agreements, and require no additional Board approval. For SEIU retirees, this applies to any eligible service rendered on or after March 16, 2003 (for retirements on or after March 13, 2005). For CNA retirees, this applies to any eligible service rendered on or after June 25, 2023.

If you would like to learn more about VCERA’s annual COLAs, click here or contact VCERA.

*For more information about benefit tiers, click here.
**SEIU is the Service Employees International Union. CNA is the California Nurses Association.

Form 1099-Rs reporting the 2025 retirement earnings of retirees and other VCERA payees were mailed on January 29, 2026. The 1099-Rs are also available in Member Portal accounts. Members are encouraged to consult a qualified tax preparer with questions about their 2025 taxable income.

For an explanation of how to read your 1099-R, click here. For information regarding income tax, click here.

At its December 16, 2025 meeting, the Board of Supervisors approved revisions to the Bylaws and Regulations (Bylaws) that had previously been approved by VCERA’s Board of Retirement at its July 28, 2025 meeting, as well as revisions to the Tax Compliance Regulations (Tax Regulations) that had previously been approved by VCERA’s Board of Retirement at its October 27, 2025 meeting.

The Bylaws of the Board of Retirement address a variety of administrative and operational matters. They were last revised in September 2019.

The approved changes to the Bylaws include:

• Updated Annual Calendar of Meetings – clarified meeting schedule to better align with current practice, provide flexibility, and include committees
• Clarified Employees Included in Membership – restructured paragraph to clarify that all employees (both safety and non-safety) who are scheduled to work 64 hours or more biweekly become members upon appointment
• Removed Disability Hearing Procedures (DHPs) Attachment – kept sentence that states the Board of Retirement “shall promulgate disability hearing procedures to ensure fair and efficient proceedings regarding applications for disability retirement”; removed the attachment of the DHPs from the Bylaws

The Board adopted several recommended updates to VCERA’s Tax Regulations to conform with recent changes in federal tax law, as well as conform to current administrative practices. The updates include changes required by the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act of 2019 and the SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022 (the SECURE Acts), and published relevant IRS guidance, as well as a few formatting enhancements. They were last revised in January 2016.

The affected Tax Regulations include these Internal Revenue Code (IRC) sections and changes:

• IRC Section 401(a) Distribution Restrictions for Return to Work and Separation from Service – updated with minor formatting enhancements and rewording of titles for clarity (similar changes were made to all of the regulations in this list)
• IRC Section 401(a) Normal Retirement Age – updated to align VCERA’s normal retirement age definition with the applicable provisions in the CERL, in compliance with the new safe harbor provisions and guidance issued by the IRS. (Note: This does not result in any changes to member retirement eligibility.)
• IRC Section 401(a)(9) Required Minimum Distributions – updated to reflect changes under the SECURE Acts* and updated Treasury Regulations, including those related to the required beginning date for commencing payments depending on the participant’s birthdate
• IRC Section 401(a)(17) Compensation Limit – updated to reflect the limit in effect at the time of approval
• IRC Sections 401(a)(31) and 402(c) Rollovers – updated to simplify and streamline the definition of “spouse” to conform to applicable laws regarding recognition of same sex marriages
• IRC Section 415 Annual Benefit and Additions Limits – updated to reflect the limit in effect at the time of approval, and to simplify and streamline the definition of “spouse” to conform to applicable laws regarding recognition of same sex marriages

View the final updated documents and all information related to Board policies and procedures on our Board Governance webpage.

See redline versions below for all changes made:

• VCERA Bylaws and Regulations – redline
• Tax Regulations Package – redline

*The SECURE 2.0 Act passed in December 2022. Among other changes, it increased the Required Minimum Distribution Age (RMD) to age 73 effective in 2023, and to age 75 in 2034. This change in RMD age thresholds will allow members to further delay their retirement date until they reach a later age.

At its December 16, 2025 meeting, the Board voted to re-elect Aaron Grass, Elected Safety Member, as its Chair. Trustee Grass joined the Board in 2021 and has served as Chair since 2024.

The Board also elected Donald Brodt, Appointed Public Member, as Vice-Chair. Trustee Brodt joined the Board in 2023, and this will be his first term as Vice-Chair.

The Chair and Vice-Chair positions are nominated and elected annually by the Board of Retirement from its own members. The positions are governed by their respective charters. To learn more about VCERA’s Board of Retirement members, visit our Board Members page.

VCERA is pleased to open a recruitment for a Retirement Legal Management Assistant. This position will prepare legal documents, support General Counsel in the management of joinder cases, perform legal research, and coordinate with operations staff in the areas of divorce and community property issues, disability case administration, and other probate-related matters. To learn more about the job opening and to apply, click on the link below.

Payroll Title: Legal Management Assistant IV-CC
Position Type: Full-Time
Recruitment Period: 12/11/2025 – 1/9/2026
Salary Range: $71,972.18 – $100,761.04 Annually
Job Posting: https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/ventura/jobs/5156530/retirement-legal-management-assistant-iv-cc

VCERA is pleased to open a recruitment for a Managing Attorney. This position will plan, organize, and oversee legal operations with a focus on the County Employees Retirement Law of 1937 (CERL) and the California Public Employees’ Pension Reform Act of 2013 (PEPRA); analyze Board of Retirement policies and regulations to ensure alignment with state and federal statutes; provide expert legal counsel to senior leadership; and draft and review a wide range of legal documents. This position will support VCERA’s General Counsel. To learn more about the job opening and to apply, click on the link below or view the informational brochure.

Payroll Title: Retirement Managing Attorney
Position Type: Full-Time
Recruitment Period: 12/8/2025 – Continuous (first review date 1/9/2026)
Salary Range: $188,953.77 – $264,561.22 Annually
Job Posting: https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/ventura/jobs/5097976/retirement-managing-attorney

VCERA is pleased to open a recruitment for a Legal Management Assistant. This position will prepare legal documents, support General Counsel in the management of joinder cases, perform legal research, and coordinate with operations staff in the areas of divorce and community property issues, disability case administration, and other probate-related matters. To learn more about the job opening and to apply, click on the link below.

Payroll Title: Retirement Legal Management Assistant IV-CC
Position Type: Full-Time
Recruitment Period: 9/24/2025 – 10/7/2025
Salary Range: $71,972.18 – $100,761.04 Annually
Job Posting: https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/ventura/jobs/5086290/retirement-legal-management-assistant-iv-cc

VCERA is pleased to open a recruitment for two Benefits Specialist Trainees. This fixed term position will perform as an entry level benefits specialist, reviewing and processing member documentation, estimate and benefit calculations, and service credit purchases, and assisting in completing work on the Alameda Project. To learn more about the job opening and to apply, click on the link below.

Payroll Title: Retirement Benefits Specialist Trainee (Technical Specialist IV-MB)
Position Type: Fixed Term
Recruitment Period: 9/10/2025 – 9/23/2025
Salary Range: $60,797.95 – $85,125.49 Annually
Job Posting: https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/ventura/jobs/5066653/retirement-benefits-specialist-trainee-fixed-term

At the Board of Retirement meeting held on July 28, 2025, the Board voted to approve amendments to the Disability Retirement Process and Disability Retirement Hearing Rules. The most significant changes included:

• Adding an Introduction section to the Disability Retirement Hearing Rules that provides historical background of the New Model process changes and helps explain references to the 1999 Disability Hearing Procedures (DHPs)
• Removing terminology of “Old Model” vs. “New Model” from both documents
• Adding policy review and history information to both documents
• Adding clarification to Step #10 in the Disability Retirement Process, including the addition of language to explain that the fast-track process is only available if there is no dispute in evidence regarding service connection in service-connected disability retirement applications, and removing language describing employer removal requests during the 21 days that was duplicative of Steps 19 to 22
• Modifying Step #19 in the Disability Retirement Process by extending the period allotted for employer and applicant review of the preliminary recommendation from 21 calendar days to 21 business days, with the opportunity to request an extension to 30 business days with good cause (to which any parties may submit objection within 2 business days)
• Adding clarification to existing rules in the Disability Retirement Hearing Rules regarding the Hearing Officer’s jurisdiction, including:
  • the adjustment of language in Rule #5 that an extended hearing commencement deadline would be per Rule #4 (and anything beyond that would end the Hearing Officer’s jurisdiction),
  • the addition of language in Rule #8 to expressly include post-hearing and remand disputes, and
  • the addition of language in Rule #17 to not include jurisdictional limits set in Rules #4 and #5 (number of days by which a hearing must commence) within the intervals that the Hearing Officer may shorten or lengthen
• Adding new Rule #18 to the Disability Retirement Hearing Rules to clarify the procedures (that VCERA already follows by law) regarding release of psychiatric and/or psychological records

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View the final updated documents and all information related to VCERA’s disability retirement policies and procedures on our Disability Retirement webpage.