You can arrange to have a third party manage your CalSTRS account and benefits if or when you become incapacitated and can no longer manage your financial affairs. That authority could extend to changing your mailing address, instituting or changing direct deposit authorizations, and changing tax withholding preferences.

A durable power of attorney is the most common method used to delegate authority to act on your behalf. This document permits you to act as a principal and appoint an agent. The document also identifies the extent of authority granted to your agent as well as when that authority becomes effective. A durable power of attorney can be drafted by an attorney or purchased as a commercially available fill-in-the-blank form. We do not provide this form. In addition, we may require an agent to execute an affidavit affirming the agent’s authority under the durable power of attorney.

An agent does not have the right to use your myCalSTRS account or to set up access to it under the agent’s name. Agents are authorized to act only by submitting paper forms.