CA AB2443

Authorizes judges aged 60+ with 15+ years of service (or 65+ with 10+ years) to retire and defer receipt of retirement allowances from January 1, 2024 through January 1, 2029, outside the existing eligibility requirements.

Establishes retirement allowance benefit factors ranging from 3.75% reduced by 0.07% per year before full retirement age, with a maximum benefit capped at 75% of final compensation and limited to 20 years of service credit.

Permits judges retiring under the new provision to continue health coverage under the Public Employees' Medical and Hospital Care Act (PEMHCA) while deferring allowances, with judges and spouses paying all employer contributions plus 2% administrative expenses.

Extends surviving spouse benefits to include those of judges who elected to retire under the new deferred allowance provision, allowing spouses to receive 50% of the judge's unmodified monthly retirement allowance.

All provisions sunset on January 1, 2029, unless extended by later legislation.