Q. The University gave employees the choice to go on Social Security or not during the 1970's. The employees decision was apparently irrevocable and anyone hired I believe after April 1, 1976 did not have a choice. I was hired in 1971 and was in my 20's when asked to make this decision. My question is this: why was the decision irrevocable? It would seem that a retiree on Medicare is cheaper for the University retirement system. Is the reason simply that the University did not want to pay the social security tax for more employees? S. A., UC Berkeley

A. Prior to 1976 UC employees were not covered by Social Security. Effective April 1, 1976, all new UCRP members were automatically covered by Social Security and existing members were given a choice. In April 1977 those UCRP members electing not to join Social Security in April 1976 were given a second opportunity to do so. As required by Social Security regulations, these members were advised that this would be their final opportunity to join Social Security and that their decision to join or not to join would be permanent and could not be changed in the future. Both in 1976 and 1977 communication materials were sent to members and group and individual counseling was made available.

Q. I immigrated to the US from the Netherlands in 1994; I have since become a US citizen. Recently I realized that I had still had an (inactive) retirement account which I built up through my work at Radboud University in Nijmegen, The Netherlands. Can I transfer my balance in that account to my UC 403(b) Plan account? I.H., UC Berkeley

A. Unfortunately, this is not possible. A non-US account does not meet Internal Revenue Code definitions, and is not eligible to be rolled over into a UC Retirement System plan, including the 403(b) Plan.

Do you have a question about your benefits that you’d like to have answered here? Send your questions to HRBBriefing-L@ucop.edu or UC HR/Benefits, HRB Briefing editor, 300 Lakeside Drive, 12th Floor, Oakland CA 94612. We will provide answers in a future issue of HRB Briefing.