Ready to Retire

Schedule a retirement counseling session with a membership services representative. In your one-on-one session, we;ll:

• Estimate your monthly DERP Pension Benefit payment
• Review the DERP Plus Benefits
• Discuss your benefit payment options
• Explain tax withholding
• Go over your health insurance options and costs
• Describe the retirement process, paperwork, and deadlines

Three Ways to Schedule an Appointment:

1. Call us at (303) 839-5419.
2. Email Help@DERP.org.
3. Log in to your MyDERP.org account and click the Counseling Appointments button.

You must email your notification of intent to retire to your supervisor, the Office of Human Resources (OHR) or designated human resources representative, and to us.

Be sure to clearly indicate your last day of employment and state the reason for separation is retirement.

When we receive your intent to retire email, we’ll respond outlining the next steps and the documents needed.

Along with your Retirement Application, there are additional documents you must submit. To ensure you don’t overlook anything and to avoid delays, we’ve created a Retirement Checklist of everything you need to include with your application.

Certified Birth Certificate or Passport
Provide a copy for yourself, and if applicable, for your spouse/beneficiary and insurance dependent.

A certified birth certificate is a legal document issued by the vital records office in the state where you were born. The certified copy has a raised seal, the signature of the Local Registrar, and is printed on security paper.

We won’t accept a birth registration, driver license, or hospital-issued birth certificate.

If you don’t have your certified birth certificate, contact the vital records office in the state you were born to request your birth certificate.

Decree of Dissolution of Marriage
Provide a copy if applicable.

Marriage Certificate/Common Law Affidavit
Provide a copy of your marriage certificate or common law affidavit if applicable.

Medicare Card or Medicare Entitlement Letter of Award
Provide a copy for yourself and, if applicable, for your spouse beneficiary.

Medicare is for people 65 and older. Certain people younger than 65 can qualify if they have a disability or special conditions.

If you intend to enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan through DERP and already have Medicare, you must provide a copy of your Medicare card showing you have Parts A and B. If you’ve applied and been approved, but haven’t received your card, you must provide a copy of your Medicare Entitlement Letter of Award.

Visit the Medicare website for more information and to create or log in to your account.

Spousal Consent At Retirement
If you want to designate someone other than your spouse as your beneficiary to receive a lifetime monthly DERP Pension Benefit payment upon your death, your spouse must voluntarily consent to the designation by signing and notarizing this form.

Social Security Estimate or Award Letter
Provide a copy of your Social Security Estimate or Award Letter ONLY if you’ll be 62 or over when you receive your first DERP Pension Benefit payment. (This only pertains to Tier 1 and Tier 2 members eligible for the Social Security Make-Up Benefit.)

• Estimate of Benefits – If you haven’t applied for, and aren’t currently receiving, Social Security Administration (SSA) benefits, you must submit a copy of the Estimate of Benefits from SSA. You can get your Estimate of Benefits instantly online when you create or open your “my Social Security account.”
• Award Letter – If you’ve applied for, or are currently receiving SSA benefits, you must submit the original Award Letter (also known as a Notice of Award) you received from the SSA when your claim for benefits was approved. Keep in mind, it can take one to three months from the date your benefit is approved to receive your Award Letter. If you have misplaced your Award Letter you can request a copy by calling Social Security or visiting your local office. You cannot get it online. An Award Letter is not the same thing as a benefit verification letter.

We must receive your signed and notarized Retirement Application, and all required documents, within 30 days of your last day worked.

You can complete the Retirement Application securely on your MyDERP.org account. You will have to print the application, sign it, and have it notarized.

Submit the Retirement Application and all required documents to:

Email: Help@derp.org

Fax: (303) 839-9525

Mail: Denver Employees Retirement Plan, 777 Pearl St., Denver, CO 80203

Important – Your monthly DERP Pension Benefit payment will be deferred if you submit an incomplete package, or if we do not receive your complete package within 30 days of your last day worked. Failure to submit your retirement application and all other required forms and documents within 30 days of separation will result in your monthly DERP Pension Benefit payments being delayed and the loss of the Lump-Sum Death Benefit.

Your DERP Pension Benefit is effective the first day of the month following your separation if you’ve worked continuously up to retirement. Your monthly DERP Pension Benefit is deposited in your account on the first business day of each month.