FROM: Colin Bishop, Chief of Member Services
SUBJECT: Returning Retiree Certification: Debra Holman
RECOMMENDATION:
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Approve the request to extend employment of Debra Holman from February 29, 2020 to March 1, 2021 because an extreme necessity exists to continue the retiree's employment beyond the 18-month limit, and thus the standards of SBCERA Board Benefits Policy No. 032: "Retirees Returning to Work," have been met.
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BACKGROUND:
Ms. Holman retired on October 18, 2014 and has been re-employed for four (4) years as a Sheriff's Communication Dispatcher II for the County of San Bernardino Sheriff's Department.
Her initial post-retirement employment began in February 2016, after the implementation of the California Public Employees' Pension Reform Act of 2013 (PEPRA), which placed additional restrictions on retirees returning to work. In April 2018, the Board approved an updated version of its policy on "Retirees Returning to Work," which changed some of the processes for reviewing and permitting extensions for retirees returning to work, notably adding a provision for Board approval when the period of employment was either not specified or greater than 18 months.
Accordingly, in February 2019, the Sheriff's Department filed for an additional extension for Ms. Holman to continue working until February 2020. The Board of Retirement granted the extension after determining an extreme necessity existed to continue the retiree's employment. The department is now making an additional request for extension which would cover the period of time from February 29, 2020 through March 1, 2021. This recent request outlines the critical shortage of Dispatchers despite aggressive recruitment efforts over the past year. During this time, the department had 370 applicants referred to them and interviewed 282 applicants. Of those, 47 were hired, including 6 Dispatcher 1 Trainees on January 6, 2020. The next Sheriff's Dispatch Academy is scheduled to start Mar...
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