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DISABILITY PROCEDURES & SERVICES COMMITTEE MINUTES - 10-7-09

MEMBERSHIP
PRESENT

• James P. Harris, Chair
• Yves Chery, Vice Chair
• Sadonya Antebi
• Ed C. Morris
• Simon S. Russin, Alternate

ABSENT

ALSO ATTENDING
MEMBERS AT LARGE

• Edward Blecksmith
• Les Robbins
• William Pryor

STAFF, ADVISORS, PARTICIPANTS

• Robb Van Der Volgen
• Janice Golden
• James Castranova
• Vincent Lim
• J. Patrick Joyce
• Steve Tallant
• Oliver Kuzma, M.D.
• Debbie Juul
• Richard Schlosser
• Laura Gonzalez
• Andy Demetroulis
• Darren Huey
• Jim Alvarez
• Vicki Neely
• Maisha Coulter
• Penelope Rodriguez
• Mercie Martinez
• Debbie Semnanian
• Nichelle Porter
• Kerri Wilson
• Anna Kwan
• Debra Martin

ATTORNEYS

• Allison Barrett
• Thomas Wicke

GUESTS

• Lita Payne

1. APPOINTMENT OF VOTING MEMBER(S) IN THE EVENT ONE OR MORE REGULAR COMMITTEE MEMBERS ARE ABSENT
2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF May 6, 2009

   A motion was made by Mr. Morris and seconded by Mr. Chery to approve the minutes of the regular meeting of August 5, 2009.

   The motion passed unanimously.

3. III. FOR INFORMATION
   1. Manager’s Report

      Debbie Juul discussed the following topics with the Committee: Ms. Juul gave an update on the Hearing Officer Recruitment. A contract will be mailed to each officer for review and signature. The contracts are due before January 1, 2010. The Hearing Officers will be attending a training class on Tuesday, February 9, 2010 at the University Club in Pasadena.

      Ms. Juul and Mr. Joyce will present and discuss the Disability Annual Report at the next Committee meeting on November 4, 2009. The report will include information about last years static’s and trends. They will also review last year’s accomplishments and future plans.

   2. Obesity

      Debbie Juul and Lita Payne, from Retiree Healthcare, provided the Committee with some background information that addresses obesity. Several different articles were included in each Committee packet for review. Ms. Payne included the County’s Wellness newsletter and the first portion of their Wellness handbook, both items address obesity.

      Mr. James P. Harris discussed the obesity program that Safeway markets offer to their employees. Ms. Juul will retrieve the Safeway article from MPR and include it with the November 4, 2009 Committee packet. Mr. Harris recommended that Jim Castranova get the applicants’ attorney’s point of view on the proposed policy change that would require the applicant’s physician to include the applicant’s height, weight, and Body Mass Index on the first or second page of the medical report. Mr. Castranova will discuss the responses he gets back form the attorneys at the December 2, 2009 Committee meeting.

   3. Disability Retirement Overview

      Shari Altmark and Richard Schlosser gave an overview of the Disability Retirement Procedures and Services that are presented to County employees.

      Ms. Altmark discussed the process and the steps when applying for Disability Retirement. She also explained what procedures need to be taken when transferring from plan E to plan D. Mr. Schlosser gave an overview of the differences between Workers’ Compensation and Disability Retirement. He discussed and explained how work accommodations are addressed by each party involved.

4. ACTION ITEMS
   1. Procedures for Acceptance of Late Filings of Disability Retirement Applications

      Mr. James Castranova advised that the procedures for accepting Late Disability Applications be formalized to when the member is examined by the panel physicians that the physician specifically be asked to address whether the member was permanently incapacitated the last day of service. A motion was made by Mr. Morris and seconded by Mr. Chery on the staff recommendation.

      The motion passed unanimously.

5. MISCELLANEOUS

   (Discussion)

6. PUBLIC COMMENT
7. GOOD OF THE ORDER
8. ADJOURNMENT

The Board of Retirement has adopted a policy permitting any member of the Board to attend a standing committee meeting open to the public. In the event five or more members of the Board of Retirement (including members appointed to the Committee) are in attendance, the meeting shall constitute a joint meeting of the Committee and the Board of Retirement. Members of the Board of Retirement who are not members of the Committee may attend and participate in a meeting of a Board Committee but may not vote on any matter discussed at the meeting. The only action the Committee may take at the meeting is approval of a recommendation to take further action at a subsequent meeting of the Board.

Documents distributed to members of the Committee less than 72 hours prior to the meeting will be available for public inspection at LACERA at the time they are distributed to a majority of the Committee, provided the documents are subject to public disclosure and relate to an open session of the Committee. Such documents may be viewed Monday through Friday during normal 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. business hours. LACERA is located at 300 N. Lake Avenue, Suite 820, Pasadena, California.

Persons requiring an alternative format of this agenda pursuant to Section 202 of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 may request one by calling Cynthia Guider at (626)-564-6000, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, but no later than 48 hours prior to the time the meeting is to commence. Assistive Listening Devices are available upon request. American Sign Language (ASL) Interpreters are available with at least three (3) business days notice before the meeting date.

11/5/09