Bill
AB 1844
Allows judges in JRS II to designate a non-spouse beneficiary for post-retirement benefits, with survivor benefits extended to designated beneficiaries and no 20-year service cut-o
Authority: California Assembly, 2025-2026 Regular Session
Sponsor: Assembly Member Blanca Pacheco (also co-sponsor)
Status: Passed the Assembly and advanced to the Senate in March 2026 (read third time, ordered to Senate). Action history shows favorable votes and standard progression through committees.
Purpose and intent
- To modify and expand how beneficiary designations work under Judges’ Retirement System II (JRS II).
- Specifically, it allows a judge who elects an optional retirement payment plan to designate a non-spouse beneficiary to receive payments after the judge’s death, while preserving the rights of a spouse under community property laws.
- It also expands survivor benefits to designated beneficiaries, aligning them with existing survivor benefits for spouses, and relaxes certain eligibility and service requirements for beneficiary eligibility.
Key provisions and changes
1) Allow designation of a non-spouse beneficiary (new Section 75574)
- Judges who elect an optional retirement payment plan may designate a beneficiary other than their spouse to receive the post-retirement benefits.
- Designations must respect community property rights of the nonmember spouse and may be made at any time by signed writing filed with the Board.
- The designation can be by class (e.g., a defined group), with board rules governing entitlement and a conclusive determination of entitlement by the board.
- The designation does not further liability beyond the designated beneficiary, and the board’s determination is a complete discharge for the benefits.
2) Survivor benefits extended to designated beneficiaries
- For a surviving designated beneficiary of a judge who was eligible to retire, the bill preserves the option to elect certain survivor benefits after death, mirroring spouse survivor provisions.
- This includes eligibility to receive either a prorated monthly allowance or monetary credits, depending on the judge’s retirement status at death.
3) Changes to minimum service requirements for designated beneficiaries
- The bill removes the 20-year minimum service requirement for the surviving spouse of a judge who died in office to receive an allowance, and extends similar treatment to designated beneficiaries.
- The survivor benefit structure begins after the judge’s death, subject to the same cost-of-living adjustments and calculation methodologies as other survivor benefits.
4) Technical and alignment updates (various sections)
- The amendments touch multiple Government Code sections (75522.5, 75570, 75570.5, 75571.5, 75590, 75591) to align formulas, election windows, and benefit calculations with the new designation framework.
- The changes maintain cap limits, e.g., not exceeding 75% of final compensation and limiting service calculation to 20 years for retirement calculations, as already in law, with adjustments for beneficiary provisions.
4) Effective and applicability notes
- The bill specifies that these sections apply to judges who retire under these provisions before January 1, 2029.
- The new designation rights and survivor provisions are designed to complement existing optional settlements (Return of Remaining Contributions, 100% and 50% beneficiary options, and Flexible Beneficiary Option 4), providing greater flexibility for beneficiary planning.
Potential impacts
Timeline considerations
Notes
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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