Alameda Update

Article

SCERS is experiencing delays in finalizing the adjustments to comply with the California Supreme Court decision in the case of Alameda County Deputy Sheriffs’ Association et al. v. Alameda County Employees’ Retirement Association and Board of Retirement of ACERA (Alameda).

Due to the complexity of this effort, SCERS is now working toward a goal of beginning the processing of corrections by March 31, 2022, and completing this effort by June 30, 2022.

Since the Court’s ruling in July 2020, SCERS has been working diligently to identify the impacted population and review the payroll records of active, deferred, and retired members whose compensation included pay elements that can no longer be included in pension calculations, dating back to January 1, 2013.

SCERS has obtained payroll data from employers and has established and tested a methodology to automate the correction process through its software system. However, SCERS experienced a setback in December 2021 when finalizing the data set, which includes more than 100,000 payroll records, and is re-reviewing the raw data to ensure its accuracy. Instead of a piecemeal approach with multiple rounds of adjustments to members, SCERS intends to push through corrections at one time, to the greatest extent possible.

Each member who is affected will receive an individual letter and advanced notice describing the adjustment. Because SCERS will need to recover overpaid benefits from retirees, we will work with members to ensure that the recovery period is fair and reasonable.

The Alameda correction project is a top priority for SCERS, and we appreciate your patience as we manage this significant workload.