FROM: Colin Bishop, Chief of Member Services
SUBJECT: Returning Retiree Certification: James Ells
RECOMMENDATION:
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Approve the request to extend re-employment of James Ells from November 5, 2021 thru November 4, 2022, 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:
Mr. Ells retired on March 16, 2019 as a Sheriff's Detective/Corporal from the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department and has been re-employed as Safety Extra Help since March 14, 2020.
Mr. Ells' initial post-retirement employment began 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 the re-employment of retirees, notably adding a provision for Board approval when the period of employment was either not specified or greater than 18 months.
Mr. Ells' original re-employment period was authorized to begin on December 7, 2019 and was scheduled to end on June 7, 2021. Per a memorandum received from the Emergency Operations Division dated May 19, 2021, there was a delay in getting this information entered into EMACS and as a result, the effective date was entered as March 14, 2020. The Division requested that the re-employment dates be modified to begin on March 14, 2020 and scheduled to end on September 14, 2021. SBCERA staff approved the modification, because the updated dates did not exceed the 18 months originally requested. Per a memorandum from the Emergency Operations Division dated August 25, 2021, the Division is requesting an additional 12-month extension for Mr. Ells to serve as a part-time extra help ...
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