ABOUT LACERA

DISABILITY PROCEDURES & SERVICES COMMITTEE MINUTES - 12-2-09

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
• Gregg Rademacher
• Vincent Lim
• J. Patrick Joyce
• Richard Schlosser
• Oliver Kuzma, M.D.
• Debbie Juul
• Shari Altmark
• Laura Gonzalez
• Maria Muro
• Darren Huey
• Jim Alvarez
• Vicki Neely
• Maisha Coulter
• Penelope Rodriguez
• Mercie Martinez
• Debbie Semnanian
• Nichelle Porter
• Kerri Wilson
• Anna Kwan
• Debra Martin
• Andy Demetroulis
• Tamara Caldwell

ATTORNEYS

• Allison Barrett
• Thomas Wicke

GUESTS

• Jeffrey A. Hirsch, M.D.

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 November 4, 2009.

   The motion passed unanimously.

3. FOR INFORMATION
   1. Manager’s Report
      1. Percent of Disability Cases Granted – Represented and Pro Per

         Per Mr. Chery’s request, Ms. Juul provided additional information regarding the percentage of disabilities granted or denied and whether the applicant was represented or in pro per.

         For Fiscal Year 2009, overall, 68% of applications were granted, 2% were denied, and 10% were granted an NSCD when an SCD was requested. The granted number includes both those who requested an SCD and were granted SCD and those who requested an NSCD and were granted NSCD.

      2. Los Angeles Times (article) – Insurance Discounts for Healthy Habits Spur Debate in Washington

         Ms. Juul included the Los Angeles Times article in each Committee packet for the Board’s reference.

         Debbie Juul discussed the following topics with the Committee: Ms. Juul gave an update on the Hearing Officer Recruitment. Contracts will be mailed to each officer for review and signature. 20 of the 22 contracts were received and completed.

         Ms. Juul advised the Committee that the following will take place at the January 6, 2010 Committee meeting:

         • - Jim Castranova will be giving a refresher on “Presumptions”.
         • - Discuss the topics that the Committee would like additional information on for the year 2010.

   2. Guest Speaker – Jeffrey A. Hirsch, M.D.

      Topic: Syndrome X

4. ACTION ITEMS
   1. Proposal to Require Board Panel Physicians to Address Height, Weight and BMI in Report

      The Committee discussed with input from applicant’s attorney Tom Wicke and staff whether information regarding a member’s height, weight, and body mass index would be useful in determining the issues of permanent incapacity and causation.

      After further discussion, the Committee revised staff’s recommendation to: All panel physicians to include the member’s height and weight on their medical reports.

      A motion was made by Mr. Morris and seconded by Miss Antebi to accept the revised recommendation and submit to the Board of Retirement for approval. The motion was passed 3 to 1 with Mr. Chery voting no.

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.

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