Keeping you up-to-date on our work to increase your salary, improve and protect your benefits, and aggressively represent your professional interests in every forum where they are at stake.
CASE BOARD OF DIRECTORS UPDATE
CASE Candidates Certified for Upcoming Board Election. The CASE Elections Committee met last week to certify the nomination petitions received by the August 31 deadline. Optional statements submitted by approved candidates will be posted to the CASE website no later than October 6. Polls open October 13. For more information, visit the Elections page at the CASE website (password is membersmatter22).
The following candidates have been certified for the upcoming Board Election (asterisk denotes incumbent):
For President, 2023-25 Term (1 elected):
- R. Timothy O’Connor, Attorney V, State Compensation Insurance Fund*
For Vice President, 2023-25 Term (1 elected):
- Ryan Smith, Deputy Attorney General IV, Department of Justice*
For Secretary, 2023-25 Term (1 elected):
- Wade DiCosmo, Administrative Law Judge, Department of Industrial Relations*
For Treasurer, 2023-25 Term (1 elected):
- Rama Maline, Deputy Attorney General V, Department of Justice*
For Director-at-Large, 2023-25 Term (5 elected):
- Traci C. Belmore, Administrative Law Judge, Department of General Services*
- Daniel Fuchs, Deputy Attorney General V, Department of Justice
- Talene Ghazarian, Attorney III, Department of Health Care Services*
- Yun Hwa Harper, Deputy Attorney General V, Department of Justice*
- Simon Hovakimian, Administrative Law Judge, Department of Industrial Relations*
- Amanda Lopez, Deputy Attorney General IV, Department of Justice
- Viet Nguyen, Deputy Attorney General IV, Department of Justice
- Randall Rodriguez, Attorney IV, Department of Transportation
- Katherine Scott-Smith, Attorney III, Department of Insurance*
CASE Board Next Meets This Friday, September 8. The next meeting of the CASE Board of Directors will be held this Friday, September 8. Members who would like to attend via zoom, can sign up via the CASE Website (password: membersmatter22) no later than 5:00pm tomorrow, Thursday, September 7. A zoom link will be emailed to registered attendees on the morning of the meeting.
If you plan to attend the meeting and would like to speak, make sure to submit a speaker card by 9am on September 8.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
News of interest to CASE legal professionals:
- WCAB En Banc Doubles Down on Rejection of “Vocational Apportionment” in Nunes II – JD Supra
- California sues school district over its transgender notification policy – Reuters
REMINDERS
CalPERS Approves 2024 Health Plan Rates. As reported in CASE Files #30, in late July, CalPERS approved the results of final rate negotiations with their health plan providers to establish monthly premiums for 2024. The overall weighted average increase for CalPERS health plans will be 10.77% next year. Last year, the average rate increase was 6.75%.
CASE Members receive a monthly Consolidated Benefits (CoBen) allowance to cover health, dental, and vision premiums. Under CoBen, the state pays 80% of the premium for Unit 2 rank and file employees and their dependents. The state’s share of the premiums for CASE-represented employees is based on the weighted average percentage of the four most utilized plans. For 2024, those plans are Kaiser Permanente, PERS Gold, UnitedHealthcare SignatureValue Alliance, and Blue Shield Access+ HMO. Confirmation of the 2024 CoBen amounts and the employee’s out-of-pocket cost will be published in an upcoming CASE Files to help you determine whether you wish to make any changes to your coverage for 2024. These changes can be made during the open enrollment period from September 18 to October 13, 2023.
Rate changes in 2024 vary widely from plan to plan. All HMO and PPO Basic plans will see an increase over 2023 rates, and only two Medicare plans will see a decrease. The largest HMO Basic plan increase is for Kaiser Permanente Out of State at 13.59%, followed by Kaiser Permanente California at 13.07%. Medicare Advantage plans will see an average increase of 13.17%.
For Basic PPOs, PERS Platinum and PERS Gold premiums will increase by 12.18% and 12.17%, respectively. Medicare PPO plans will see an average increase of 6.62%. To view the complete list of health care rates for 2024, please click here. Keep watching CASE Files for more updates on this important topic.
Inspiring Through Service. A dedication to service unites all CASE Members. Article 9.12 of the CASE MOU provides all CASE legal professionals the opportunity to mentor youth in their communities. If you commit to mentor a child through a recognized mentoring organization for a minimum of 1 school year, you can use up to 40 hours of Mentoring Leave each calendar year. Mentoring Leave is used in an equal amount to your personal leave. CASE has collected information from several organizations with opportunities to volunteer statewide. Many qualify for Mentoring Leave, though some may not. You can view these options on the CASE website’s new Community Mentoring page. If you have questions about Mentoring Leave or know of an organization worthy of inclusion in our list, contact CASE. Want to volunteer? Reach out directly to listed organizations at the provided contact information.