Section 31691 Of Article 8.5. Group Insurance From California Government Code >> Division 4. >> Title 3. >> Part 3. >> Chapter 3. >> Article 8.5.
31691
. (a) The board of supervisors of any county by ordinance, or
the governing body of any district under the County Employees
Retirement Law, by ordinance or resolution, may provide for the
contribution by the county or district from its funds and not from
the retirement fund, toward the payment of all or a portion of the
premiums on a policy or certificate of life insurance or disability
insurance issued by an admitted insurer, or toward the payment of all
or part of the consideration for any hospital service or medical
service corporation, including any corporation lawfully operating
under Section 9201 of the Corporations Code, contract, or for any
combination thereof, for the benefit of any member heretofore or
hereafter retired or his or her dependents. At least one of these
plans shall include free choice of physician and surgeon.
(b) The benefits provided by this section are in addition to any
other benefits provided by this chapter.
(c) The board of retirement may provide on behalf of a member who
has retired, or an eligible surviving spouse who was married to the
member for one year prior to the date of retirement of the member,
or, if there is no such spouse, the surviving unmarried children of
the member who are under 18 years of age, or under 22 years of age
and full-time students, for the hospital and medical benefits
enumerated in subdivision (a) from the earnings of the retirement
fund that are in excess of the total interest credited to
contributions and reserves plus 1 percent of the total assets of the
retirement fund. The board may provide for the benefits enumerated
from like sources when the board of supervisors or the governing body
of a district has elected to provide these benefits to its active
employees, even though the benefits are not provided to those who
have retired from the service of the county or district. Hospital and
medical benefits provided under this section shall be provided in
compliance with Section 401(h) of Title 26 of the United States Code.
They may also be provided in compliance with Section 31592.2.
(d) Except in a county of the first class, upon adoption by any
county providing benefits pursuant to this section, that has adopted
Article 5.5 (commencing with Section 31610), the Supplemental Retiree
Benefits Reserve established pursuant to Section 31618 shall be
substituted for the excess earnings described in subdivision (c).