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Alameda Administrative Appeal Process
VCERA has created the Alameda Administrative Appeal Request Form to provide members who are affected by the Alameda Decision with the opportunity to appeal VCERA’s corrections to their retirement accounts. Corrective actions could include removing certain pay items from a member’s final average compensation (FAC), refunding retirement contributions overpaid to VCERA, and reducing monthly retirement benefits.
Alameda Decision FAQs and Glossary
Although the California Supreme Court’s Alameda Decision touched all CERL retirement systems, VCERA was particularly impacted. The ruling affected multiple parts of VCERA’s operations, most importantly the recalculation of retirement benefits. To help members and stakeholders better understand the Alameda Decision, its broad impact and its implementation, VCERA has produced Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) and a Glossary of Terms. All of the terms in the Glossary are used in the FAQs, so referring to the documents simultaneously is encouraged.
VCERA Opens Recruitment for Investment Officer
VCERA is pleased to open recruitment for an Investment Officer. This position will assist the Chief Investment Officer (CIO) in overseeing VCERA’s public pension plan portfolio. To learn more about the job opening, click here to view the recruitment brochure. You can also click on the link below for more information and to apply.
Leave Straddling FAQs
The Alameda Decision excluded from Legacy members’ pensionable earnings payments for annual leave redemptions (i.e., vacation buydowns) that exceed what “may be earned and payable in each 12-month period” during their final average compensation (FAC) period. When multiple leave redemptions from two calendar years are paid in a 12-month period, the total redeemed hours in that period may exceed their redeemable calendar-year hour limit.
VCERA Opens Recruitment for Communications Officer
VCERA is pleased to open recruitment for a Communications Officer. This position will manage a communications strategy that fosters public understanding and awareness of VCERA’s goals, policies, programs and services to all members and stakeholders. To learn more about the job opening and to apply, click on the link below.
2024 Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA)
The 2024 cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for eligible retirees, beneficiaries and other payees with a retirement date of April 1, 2024 or earlier will be reflected in retirement benefit payments on April 30, 2024:
2023 Form 1099-Rs Mailed
Form 1099-Rs reporting the 2023 retirement earnings of retirees and other VCERA payees were mailed on January 26, 2024. The 1099-Rs are also available in Member Portal accounts. Members are encouraged to consult a qualified tax preparer with questions about their 2023 taxable income.
For information regarding income tax, please click here.
VCERA Opens Recruitment for Chief Operations Officer
January 9, 2024 – VCERA has opened recruitment for a Chief Operations Officer (COO). Under the direction of the agency’s Retirement Administrator, the COO manages the administration, direction, management and coordination of operational activities at VCERA, with a focus on member services. The COO must be an experienced and highly ethical professional who possesses outstanding interpersonal, technical and management skills. Prior retirement administration experience is highly desirable.
The annual salary range for the position is $191,189 – $260,089.
Notice of Special Election for Alternate Safety Member on Board
Due to a vacancy on the Board of Retirement, a special election for an Alternate Safety member representative will be held in April 2024. Only Safety members in the Fire Suppression group, including Airport Operations Officers and Harbor Patrol Officers, are eligible for this elected office.
Alameda Implementation Status Update – Dec. 2023
VCERA staff has provided the Board of Retirement with three Alameda Implementation status updates since October 2023. Highlights from those status reports include:
Amy Herron Appointed as Retirement Administrator
December 22, 2023 – The Ventura County Employees’ Retirement Association (VCERA) Board of Retirement has appointed Amy Herron as VCERA’s new Retirement Administrator, effective January 8, 2024. She will replace Rick Santos, who has held the position on an interim basis since August 2023, when the previous administrator retired.
Job Openings at VCERA – Updated
VCERA is pleased to open recruitment for the following positions. To learn more about the job openings or to apply, click on the links below.
VCERA Opens Recruitment for Retirement Administrator
September 20, 2023 – VCERA has opened recruitment for its next Retirement Administrator. As the agency’s top executive, the Retirement Administrator must be an experienced and highly ethical professional who possesses outstanding interpersonal, technical and management skills. Prior retirement administration experience is highly desirable.
The annual salary range for the position is $246,426 – $302,548.
Alameda Implementation Status Report – 9/11/2023
On September 11, 2023, VCERA staff updated the Board of Retirement on the progress of the Alameda implementation, which is divided into two phases:
Richard Santos Appointed as Interim Retirement Administrator
July 20, 2023 – The Ventura County Employees’ Retirement Association (VCERA) Board of Retirement has appointed Richard Santos as VCERA’s Interim Retirement Administrator. He will replace the retiring chief executive, Linda Webb, who held the position since 2015. Mr. Santos will begin meeting with Ms. Webb in early August before her departure later in the month.
Mr. Santos will lead VCERA until a full-time administrator is selected by the Board of Retirement following a nationwide recruitment that is scheduled to begin in September 2023.
VCERA Not Affected by PBI Data Breach
VCERA contracts with PBI Research Services (PBI) for death and beneficiary audit services. In late May 2023, a third-party file transfer software used by PBI, MOVEit, identified a vulnerability in its software that was actively exploited by attackers. The exploit provided attackers the ability to gain access to the MOVEit Administrative Portal only. PBI stated that its core systems and software were not accessed.
Impact of Alameda Decision on Flex Credit and Retirement Benefits
When the California Supreme Court issued the Alameda Decision on July 30, 2020, it ruled that retirement boards do not have the discretion to include in Legacy members’ compensation earnable “in-kind” benefits. As determined in prior case law, “flex credit” payments that are applied to healthcare-related benefits are considered to be in-kind payments. Accordingly, flex credit amounts that cannot be received by employees in unrestricted cash must be excluded from compensation earnable. These in-kind payments are examples of an “Alameda Exclusion.”
2023 Board of Retirement Election Results
Election results are in for the General Member, Safety Member and Retired Member seats on the VCERA Board of Retirement. On June 23, 2023, the Ventura County Elections Division issued certified results for the elections held on June 20, 2023. The following winning candidates will serve a three-term term starting on January 1, 2024.
For the General Member election, Greg Bergman received a plurality of the 743 votes cast among four candidates on the ballot.
Linda Webb Resigns as Retirement Administrator
June 15, 2023 – The Ventura County Employees’ Retirement Association (VCERA) today announced that Linda Webb has decided to step down as its Retirement Administrator, the chief executive position she has held since January 2015. The governing Board of Retirement is expected to appoint an interim administrator to lead the agency until a full-time replacement is identified following a nationwide recruitment.