Health Benefits Update:
By Tom Moutes
More than ten years ago, LACERS began planning for a disaster. Staff worked on plans for how to respond to a very localized event impacting just the building LACERS is in. Staff also developed plans for a regional disaster like an earthquake and even worked on a plan for how to handle a pandemic, during which some staff could not report to work and the ones who could report in needed to take appropriate hygiene and distancing measures.
Much thought went into these emergency plans, especially from a technology perspective. Staff ensured critical information could be accessed remotely and made sure retirement checks could be processed. Staff also ensured that investment functions could be carried out and that LACERS contractors had emergency plans in place.
But there is one thing you know when you are performing disaster planning – you will never guess and prepare for the exact emergency you actually will face. The idea behind all of the planning is to try to have adequate resources available and some idea how you might deploy those resources when disaster strikes.
From all appearances, LACERS has done a great job implementing its disaster plan in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. To be sure, LACERS response has had to be incremental, as you cannot plan perfectly for a specific disaster scenario. But LACERS had many of the necessary resources in place and an idea of how to roll them out thanks to good planning and preparation.
Great job, LACERS!
