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HomeMy WebLinkAbout09/23/2025 - Minutes Minutes approved by the LEOFF Board on 11/25/2025 CITY OF RENTON LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS & FIREFIGHTERS DISABILITY BOARD MINUTES September 23, 2025 – 9:00 a.m. Renton City Hall – 1st Floor Training Room #109 or Video Conference (MS Teams meeting) In Attendance: James Alberson Jr., Jim Phelan, Jim Matthew, Russ Olson, Ruth Perez, Alex Tuttle, Erika Eddins, and Jessica Cromer Not in Attendance: Kinal Ha CALL TO ORDER Ruth Perez called the meeting to order at 09:04 a.m. PUBLIC COMMENT: Ruth Perez called for public comments and there were none. APPROVAL OF MINUTES James Alberson Jr. moved to approve the July 22, 2025, meeting minutes and Russ Olson seconds. Motion carried. APPOINTMENTS None. OLD BUSINESS None. NEW BUSINESS #6866 – Request Board review for In-Home Care Erika Eddins informed the Board of a retiree with a chronic medical condition with supporting documentation to request assistance with activities of daily living, mobility, and transportation. The request for in-home care services that will be provided are for three hours per week at $43 per hour, or a monthly allowance of $516. Russ Olson moved to approve the request for in-home care and Jim Phelan seconded. Motion carried. #7408 – Request Board review for a Change in Facility – request for Adult Family Home and continued services of care giver for specific medical service. Erika informed the Board that this request is for a retiree who currently is approved for a monthly allowance of $7,700 for an assisted living facility. The retiree’s situation changed following a hospital stay and upon release from the hospital, the need for care increased and the retiree was moved to an adult family home for 24/7 care. The new cost of care, including already existing services of a nurse care giver for transportation to/from offsite for a weekly medically necessary procedure, brings the total cost of care up to $12,200 per month from $7,700. The request to the Board also includes asking for reimbursement for the full cost of care in August for each facility, as LEOFF Board Jim Phelan Member at Large (Chair) Ruth Pérez Council Member James Alberson Jr. Council Member James Matthew Fire and Emergency Services Russ Olson Police they were unable to provide advanced notice to leave the previous facility without forewarning due to the outcome of the hospital stay resulting in increased care needs. Jim Matthew moved to approve the request for the adult family home and continued nurse care services for transportation to/from medically necessary procedure at $12,200 per month. Jim Phelan seconded. Motion carried. Russ Olson moved to approve the reimbursement for the cost of both facilities in August. James Alberson seconded. Motion carried four to one. Jim Phelan was a nay vote. Vision Benefit Plan Design Consideration: Recommendation under HMA insurance to add a separate benefit allowance for medically necessary contact lenses effective January 1, 2026. HMA is recommending to all their plans to separate out medically necessary contact lenses, for very specific medical conditions of the eye such as corneal transplants, from the elective contact lenses benefit. Currently, the benefit for elective contact lenses is $450 for every two years and any medically necessary contacts would use that benefit reducing what’s available for elective contacts. The medically necessary benefit, if adopted, can be increased to $650 for every two years. Jim Phelan moved to approve $650, every two years, for medically necessary contacts. James Alberson seconded. Motion carried. There was a brief discussion regarding raising the elective contact lenses benefit to match the city plan for active employees from $450 to $650. Russ Olson moved raise the elective contact benefit for LEOFF 1 retirees to $650 every two years. James Alberson seconded. Motion carried. COMMENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS Erika announced that the Fire position is open for election and, separately, that Mayor Pavone appointed James Alberson for another two years in his current Board position and he was congratulated. ADJOURNMENT Ruth called for the meeting to be adjourned at 9:38 am.