Liebert Cassidy Whitmore provides representation, advice, and counsel to employers on public employee retirement plans, health and welfare benefits, the Affordable Care Act, and issues related to employee disabilities, including disability retirement, the interactive process, reasonable accommodations and employees on extended leave.
We advise district and university management on public employee retirement plans, including the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (“CalPERS”), the County Employees Retirement Law of 1937 (“37 Act”), the California State Teachers’ Retirement System (“CalSTRS”) and local agency retirement systems.
Our firm offers retirement system audits to review compliance with public retirement statutes, regulations, administrative interpretations, and charter provisions, and regularly provides advice and opinions on retirement system obligations, including enrollment, independent contractor status, retirement formulas, optional contract and statutory benefits, disability retirement eligibility and procedures, reportable compensation, unfunded liabilities, elected official benefits and post-retirement work restriction compliance.
We advise elementary through post-secondary colleges on the establishment and implementation of retirement incentives for faculty and staff.
We assist members of the California public school system navigate the restrictions and guidelines for the employment of CalPERS/CalSTRS retirees and retired annuitants.
The firm advises employers on all aspects of employee health and welfare benefits, including the complex and evolving Affordable Care Act (“ACA”). We also advise employers on compliance with the PEMHCA (a.k.a. CalPERS medical), health reimbursement accounts, health and welfare benefits for elected officials, vesting of retiree health benefits, and structuring and modifying benefits for retirees, current employees and future employees in order to manage the cost of benefits.
Our firm works with local agencies on every facet of the disability accommodation process, including identifying disabilities, requesting medical documentation and evaluation, ensuring leave rights of disabled employees, engaging in the interactive process, identifying possible reasonable accommodations, complying with applicable disability laws and, when necessary, disability retirements.
