Open Recruitment for Legal Management Assistant

VCERA is pleased to open a recruitment for a Legal Management Assistant. This position will prepare legal documents, support General Counsel in the management of joinder cases, perform legal research, and coordinate with operations staff in the areas of divorce and community property issues, disability case administration, and other probate-related matters. To learn more about the job opening and to apply, click on the link below.

Payroll Title: Retirement Legal Management Assistant IV-CC
Position Type: Full-Time
Recruitment Period: 9/24/2025 – 10/7/2025
Salary Range: $71,972.18 – $100,761.04 Annually
Job Posting: https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/ventura/jobs/5086290/retirement-legal-management-assistant-iv-cc

Open Recruitment for Fixed Term Benefits Specialist Trainees

VCERA is pleased to open a recruitment for two Benefits Specialist Trainees. This fixed term position will perform as an entry level benefits specialist, reviewing and processing member documentation, estimate and benefit calculations, and service credit purchases, and assisting in completing work on the Alameda Project. To learn more about the job opening and to apply, click on the link below.

Payroll Title: Retirement Benefits Specialist Trainee (Technical Specialist IV-MB)
Position Type: Fixed Term
Recruitment Period: 9/10/2025 – 9/23/2025
Salary Range: $60,797.95 – $85,125.49 Annually
Job Posting: https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/ventura/jobs/5066653/retirement-benefits-specialist-trainee-fixed-term

Amendments to Disability Retirement Process and Hearing Rules

At the Board of Retirement meeting held on July 28, 2025, the Board voted to approve amendments to the Disability Retirement Process and Disability Retirement Hearing Rules. The most significant changes included:

  • Adding an Introduction section to the Disability Retirement Hearing Rules that provides historical background of the New Model process changes and helps explain references to the 1999 Disability Hearing Procedures (DHPs)
  • Removing terminology of “Old Model” vs. “New Model” from both documents
  • Adding policy review and history information to both documents
  • Adding clarification to Step #10 in the Disability Retirement Process, including the addition of language to explain that the fast-track process is only available if there is no dispute in evidence regarding service connection in service-connected disability retirement applications, and removing language describing employer removal requests during the 21 days that was duplicative of Steps 19 to 22
  • Modifying Step #19 in the Disability Retirement Process by extending the period allotted for employer and applicant review of the preliminary recommendation from 21 calendar days to 21 business days, with the opportunity to request an extension to 30 business days with good cause (to which any parties may submit objection within 2 business days)
  • Adding clarification to existing rules in the Disability Retirement Hearing Rules regarding the Hearing Officer’s jurisdiction, including:
    • the adjustment of language in Rule #5 that an extended hearing commencement deadline would be per Rule #4 (and anything beyond that would end the Hearing Officer’s jurisdiction),
    • the addition of language in Rule #8 to expressly include post-hearing and remand disputes, and
    • the addition of language in Rule #17 to not include jurisdictional limits set in Rules #4 and #5 (number of days by which a hearing must commence) within the intervals that the Hearing Officer may shorten or lengthen
  • Adding new Rule #18 to the Disability Retirement Hearing Rules to clarify the procedures (that VCERA already follows by law) regarding release of psychiatric and/or psychological records

View the final updated documents and all information related to VCERA’s disability retirement policies and procedures on our Disability Retirement webpage.

New Video for New Employee Orientation

VCERA has a new “New Employee Orientation” video! While the video is intended to give new members an overview of their VCERA benefits, it’s also a useful refresher for members at any step of their career journey. The video includes information on benefit tiers, service credit purchases, reciprocity, retirement eligibility, and more.

You can find the new video on our New Employee Orientation webpage.

Contribution Rates for Fiscal Year 2025-2026

VCERA is funded by member (employee) contributions, employer contributions, and investment earnings. Together, these funding sources enable VCERA to offer its members retirement benefits that last a lifetime.

Employee and employer retirement contribution rates are adjusted annually based on recommendations from VCERA’s Actuarial Valuation by Segal. We have updated our website to reflect the new retirement contribution rates for the fiscal year beginning on July 1, 2025. Please find the updated rates on our Contribution Rates webpage.

You can find more information about contributions on our website.

Open Recruitment for Disability Retirement Benefits Manager

VCERA is pleased to open a recruitment for a Disability Retirement Benefits Manager. This position will manage the daily direction of specialized Disability Retirement operations staff, oversee the administration of disability retirement cases in accordance with applicable retirement laws and medical review standards, and collaborate with medical professionals, legal counsel, and leadership to ensure compliant and timely case processing. To learn more about the job opening and to apply, click on the link below.

Payroll Title: Staff/Services Manager II/III
Position Type: Full-Time
Recruitment Period: 7/9/2025 – 7/24/2025
Salary Range: $94,952.16 – $142,613.65 Annually
Job Posting: https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/ventura/jobs/4997121/disability-retirement-benefits-manager

Open Recruitment for Office Assistant

VCERA is pleased to open a recruitment for an Office Assistant. This position will be responsible for an array of clerical duties for VCERA, including customer service, document processing, record management, scheduling, and general office logistics. To learn more about the job opening and to apply, click on the link below.

Payroll Title: Office Assistant III-Confidential
Position Type: Full-Time
Recruitment Period: 7/3/2025 – 7/10/2025
Salary Range: $51,410.05 – $71,981.14 Annually
Job Posting: https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/ventura/jobs/4966589/office-assistant-iii-confidential

Alameda Implementation Status Update

VCERA staff are implementing the July 2020 California Supreme Court Decision, Alameda County Deputy Sheriffs’ Association v. Alameda County Employees’ Retirement Association (2020) 9 Cal.5th 1032, 1070, commonly referred to as “Alameda.” This implementation is being executed in accordance with the latest direction received from the Board of Retirement in Resolutions passed by the VCERA Board between October 2020 and April 2023.

VCERA staff are providing bimonthly Alameda implementation status updates to the Board of Retirement at Board meetings. Highlights from the latest status report include:

  • April of 2025 marked two years since the project kick-off, after the Board passed the Alameda Resolutions regarding Flex Credit and PEPRA Exclusions in April 2023.
  • The VCERA Project for Alameda Corrections team includes several staff, plus coordination with the County of Ventura and many other consultants and system support services.
  • The project consists of two phases:
    • Phase 1 – Calculate corrections to pensionable earnings & member contributions
    • Phase 2 – Calculate corrections to retirement benefits & process refunds with interest
  • VCERA is nearing the end of Phase 1 and has begun the setup and initial tasks of Phase 2.
  • A recent upgrade to the County’s payroll system has initiated a second testing round of County historical correction files. VCERA and County staff are closely collaborating on data cleanup and continued testing.
  • VCERA staff and project partners are now conducting final testing of the flex credit corrections for the period prior to 2004.
  • VCERA staff and project partners continue to develop and test modifications to the Pension Administration System, which are required for corrections file processing.
  • Next steps include the development and testing of a tool to apply interest to monthly benefit corrections and determine final amounts eligible for refund.
  • The refunds and benefit recalculations will begin after completion of Phase 1, and are projected to take a year or more to complete. An updated timeline estimate is expected to be available in summer 2025.
  • Affected members will receive individual communication prior to their corrections being processed.

VCERA will post additional updates about its Alameda Implementation as the multi-year project progresses. To receive email alerts when updates are posted to our website, please enter your information here: https://www.vcera.org/vcera-website-notifications.

Annual Benefit Statements Mailed

VCERA’s annual benefit statements as of December 31, 2024, as well as information about the Alameda Decision, were mailed to all active VCERA members on March 28, 2025. If you have any questions about your statement or the Alameda Fact Sheet, please contact VCERA at (805) 339-4250 or vcera.info@ventura.org.

This year, unlike prior years, VCERA’s participating employers chose not to include Deferred Compensation information from Fidelity on VCERA’s annual benefit statement. Please contact the County of Ventura at Deferred.Compensation@ventura.org for this information.

Open Recruitment for Senior Accounting Technician

VCERA is pleased to open a recruitment for a Retirement Accounting Technician. This position will be responsible for complex bookkeeping, accounts payable, fiscal data evaluation and analysis, fiscal monitoring, summarizing financial transactions for annual reports, and other accounting functions for VCERA. To learn more about the job opening and to apply, click on the link below.

Payroll Title: Senior Accounting Technician
Position Type: Full-Time
Recruitment Period: 3/19/2025 – 4/2/2025
Salary Range: $61,850.10 – $86,590.15 Annually
Job Posting: https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/ventura/jobs/4849277/retirement-senior-accounting-technician-cc