Police Officer Retirement and Medical Coverage in Idaho? (Boise, Coeur d'Alene: fit in, houses)

[apjean]

Hello,
My husband and I are considering moving our family to Idaho. My husband has been in law enforcement for 10 years in CA. We are researching the Idaho retirement system, PERSI, and it seems we would be giving up a lot to move our jobs there. Is there something we are missing? Are police officers investing in another state plan or in other ways to help during retirement? Is medical coverage offered for retirement? Thank you so much for any insight you can provide. We are in our 30's, and feel like Idaho is the perfect place for us. However, it seems we would be giving up a lot to leave the CALPERS system.
Take care, AH

[kttam186290]

Why would you want to leave a beautiful place like Temecula, California to live in Idaho?

You will regret it after a couple of years.

There's a reason PERSI is not as great as PERS, and that is because Idaho wages are awful and the COL is high. Consequently it takes almost every penny you've got (on Idaho wages) to live in the state.

There was a series of recent articles in the Coeur d'Alene Press about the sad state of wages in the Kootenai County (Idaho) Sheriffs Department and how many of its officers, and other local jurisdictions, were trying to bail on those departments and join the Spokane (Washington) law enforcement agencies because of the better pay and benefits.

If you insist on leaving beautiful, sunny, balmy Temecula and moving to Idaho, then I'd look into the Washington state law enforcement agencies on the other side of the border.

[snatale1]

ID vs CA

• Groceries 20%less
• Housing 64%less
• Utilities 30%less
• Transportation 15%less
• Health Care 4%less

Don't forget THAT has the biggest effect on day to day life! CA is liberally destroyed and playing the typical game. PRETEND their doing a ton for you....yet bankrupting you on the other end! Which do you think is more advantageous to you in the end? You guy have 30 more working years in you, with all thats not stolen from you via the state and insane COL think what you'll have!



Again, not sure of your political leanings but it really doesn't matter. You can keep the Liberal Mindset of "what can the state do for me" OR you can move to a place more sane and think "What can "I" do for me!" You'll be better off financially and in the present and in the end in ID.



Good Luck

[redwood66]

If you are looking for an LE job the highest paying in North Idaho is Idaho State Police - comparable to CHP as far as duties, but assist with local roads when necessary and also investigations. Yes the wages are less but the quality of life is better IMO. I am retired LE and there are many of us here from CA. I am not familiar with Temecula so cannot compare for you. I would imagine that the counties and cities in the Boise area might pay more.

Edit - one thing I can tell you since I have a PERSI retirement also, the medical coverage should you retire before Medicare age is not covered as it is with a fully vested CalPERS retirement. This is a big and expensive factor on when you can afford to retire. I am not sure about public safety in PERSI and medical though so you may want to check that out, but I do not think it is covered.

[oregonwoodsmoke]

Or, you could stay in CA long enough to qualify for their retirement plan which probably includes medical, and then bring your big monthly pension check to Idaho where the cost of living is lower.

[apjean]

Thank you all for your responses. We want to live in a place that more matches our mindset and we have young kids. Temecula is a very nice city and the weather is wonderful. However, in the 10 years we have lived here it has gotten even more crowded, houses continue to be build, and traffic is becoming insane. Yes, I know progress is progress. For me, Idaho seems like a slower pace of life, a better place to raise our kids, and a chance to be part of a great community that we would fit into.
In addition to getting your opinions on this site, I emailed and got a response from a police human resources department. Their rep said police officers in their department receive something called a Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA) to help with medical costs after retirement. They are also eligible for social security. It is hard to determine whether or not this would be adequate when he retires. Take care,

April

[volosong]

Gotta warn you, apjean . . . parts of north Idaho is growing pretty fast. I'm thinking especially on the Rathdrum Prairie. In twenty years we're not going to be able to recognize it and will all be sitting around and wondering what happened. It's a little bit scary.


.

[redwood66]

Originally Posted by apjean

Thank you all for your responses. We want to live in a place that more matches our mindset and we have young kids. Temecula is a very nice city and the weather is wonderful. However, in the 10 years we have lived here it has gotten even more crowded, houses continue to be build, and traffic is becoming insane. Yes, I know progress is progress. For me, Idaho seems like a slower pace of life, a better place to raise our kids, and a chance to be part of a great community that we would fit into.
In addition to getting your opinions on this site, I emailed and got a response from a police human resources department. Their rep said police officers in their department receive something called a Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA) to help with medical costs after retirement. They are also eligible for social security. It is hard to determine whether or not this would be adequate when he retires. Take care,

April

Good to know about the HRA.
Depending on what LE your husband is in CA he probably does not contribute to Soc. Sec. or if he has enough quarters of Soc. Sec. in another non LE job it will be reduced when withdrawn because of the Windfall Elimination Provision. That is likely also to apply if you moved here after he has already become vested in CA. Two retirements are always good though! I will agree with volosong about the increase in population in Kootenai County in north Idaho.

Windfall Elimination Provision

https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10045.pdf

[apjean]

Originally Posted by redwood66

Good to know about the HRA.
Depending on what LE your husband is in CA he probably does not contribute to Soc. Sec. or if he has enough quarters of Soc. Sec. in another non LE job it will be reduced when withdrawn because of the Windfall Elimination Provision. That is likely also to apply if you moved here after he has already become vested in CA. Two retirements are always good though! I will agree with volosong about the increase in population in Kootenai County in north Idaho.

Windfall Elimination Provision

https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10045.pdf

This is very good to know. My husband is with Fish and Wildlife, so I don't think he contributes to social security. We will look into this further, and I appreciate your help! It's strange trying to plan for retirement 30 years away, while not knowing much about how the programs work. Take care!

April

[apjean]

Originally Posted by volosong

Gotta warn you, apjean . . . parts of north Idaho is growing pretty fast. I'm thinking especially on the Rathdrum Prairie. In twenty years we're not going to be able to recognize it and will all be sitting around and wondering what happened. It's a little bit scary.


.

The Rathdrum prairie has certainly caught our eye, too. We are planning to visit in a few weeks. I know what you mean about the area changing. In the 70's our city, Temecula, had a population of about 2,000. Today the Murrieta/Temecula area has over 200k. Just in the 10 years we have lived here, we can see the difference. Now even on Saturdays and Sundays there is traffic on the freeway. It's not just the traffic that is the problem. There are many reasons we feel that are causing us to want to leave. This has been a decision two years in the making. It is hard to weigh all of the reasons to stay or go and to decide what is best. We would be giving up a lot, but we would also be gaining so much in Idaho.