Category: Member
Friday, September 14, 2012
Talking about the new website. Asking for feedback.
Categories: MemberThursday, September 6, 2012
I've been at meetings of the South Dakota Retirement System's board of trustees and the Workers' Compensation Advisory Council over the last couple days. Actions taken at both meetings will ultimately end up as proposed legislation. I'll do an SDRS recap later, as it's fairly dense, complicated material. However, the Workers' Compensation Advisory Council recap is fairly short.
Workers' Compensation Advisory Council (agenda)
- Last legislative session, HB 1054 was introduced. HB 1054 failed to pass committee during the last session. It was a State Bar Association bill. It had a few parts. The Bar said it was a "package deal," in that if all the parts weren't included in the legislation, the Bar didn't want the bill to continue (usually, when an outfit or person is the key behind a bill, the "understanding" is that the bill must not be modified, at least without that entity's support). One part was an increase in the notice an employee must give to an employer when injured on the job, from 3 days to 7 days. During the legislative session, in committee, a boatload of business people and business lobbyists testified against that portion of HB 1054. Lots of those same folks testified the same before the Council today. The Council later today decided to pass that part, 4-2. Another part would allow "out-of-state practitioner[s]" to be used in Workers' Compensation cases. The rationale the Bar used today was that there is a shortage of doctors in the state, doctors that can provide the kind of testimony that can be useful for insurers in claims filed against them by employees who claim their injury occurred due to work. One proponent indicated doctors were giving so much testimony that they were contradicting themselves in different court cases, leading to impeaching themselves as witnesses. (Has the impeaching of doctors as witnesses led to a shortage of South Dakota doctors willing to testify for workers' compensation insurers in certain cases? Or has it simply made the case that honesty is always the best policy, regardless of who's paying the bill?) I testified against the issue today, stating, among other things, that any "lack" of South Dakota doctors was not really backed with any facts, and that South Dakota Workers' Compensation should be kept in South Dakota. Another point I made is that this proposed change wasn't limited to geographic areas or medical specialties where a lack of doctors would make out-of-state doctors useful. Another person, from a South Dakota medical organization, also opposed the issue. It passed 4-2. So, expect to see a bill with those two things in it at the next legislative session. One difference this time will be that the bill actually has the Council's support this time. HB 1054 was introduced without the approval of the Council at the last session, a fact that probably guaranteed it wouldn't go anywhere. The bill will have the Council's support next go-round.
Categories: Member, South Dakota Retirement System, Worker's CompensationFriday, August 31, 2012
SDSEO members occupy all sorts of roles in state employment. From support staff to supervisors to top administrators, we represent and support all. We ask all SDSEO members, regardless of role, to step up and be positive, productive employees that do the right things. But, really, when talking about who can really affect state employees and state employment for the better, I think it's the supervisors that matter most. If you treat your employees great, they'll be great. If you selectively treat them based on if you like them personally, you'll get greatness of nobody: those you don't like know they don't have a chance with you, and those you do like will take advantage of you, as that's the system you have put into place. Think about it.
The Argus Leader ran a story about South Dakota's rating for managing money. I have a quote in the story. The story link is here.
The South Dakota Retirement board meets next Wednesday and Thursday. A little writeup from reporter Bob Mercer's blog is here.
I've been talking forever about a new website design. Well, it's almost here. Stay tuned...
Categories: Blogs, Media, Member, South Dakota Retirement SystemThursday, August 16, 2012
A review of the SDBHR benefits news briefing.
Categories: Benefits, Benefits News Briefing, Bureau of Human Resources, MemberWednesday, August 15, 2012
(The quotation marks in today's post are mine and do not indicate a statement by anybody other than myself.) I spoke with someone who has been placed into the state's new "cost control" system for those with chronic conditions and who are on the state's health plan. The key part of the system is "case managers" who are to contact and monitor those with have been identified as being "high cost." If one relies on anecdotal evidence, I guess things are kind of "buggy" with the system, with the case manager component having the most bugs. If you are placed into the cost control system, please email or call me and let me know what you think about how the case managers operate. Call at 1-800-257-3736 or at (605) 224-8241, or email the office (office@sdseo.org) or myself (erico@sdseo.org).
Categories: Bureau of Human Resources, Health, Member, SDSEO OfficeMonday, August 13, 2012
I get quite a few phone calls from state employees some weeks. Other weeks, maybe just a couple. But of all the calls I get, there's just one kind I don't like: a call from a state employee who has been terminated from his or her position. I say those are the worst calls because they don't have to happen. Why don't they have to happen? Because of the SDSEO. With the SDSEO as an advocate and as an ear, it's my opinion that a state employee has a better chance of having a happy, healthy career as a state employee. At the SDSEO, we work for you.
In part, the SDSEO's mission is to see that members have better careers and career experiences. In line with that mission, all members have access to the SDSEO's main office, and all the assistance that we can provide. If you are a member and have a career question or issue, and if you want advice and assistance outside of state government, all you need to do is call or email, and we'll give you all the help and answers we have and can get. Really, it's that easy. Call at 1-800-257-3736 or at (605) 224-8241, or email the office (office@sdseo.org) or myself (erico@sdseo.org).
I encourage members to contact us if they have issues or questions, because what I most often see when it comes to employees who have been terminated from their position is a lack of understanding about the requirements and processes one must follow as a state employee. I see it as our job to help you understand those requirements and processes, so that you will never have to call me after you have been fired. Even if it seems nobody else wants you to succeed in your position, I guarantee you the SDSEO wants you to.
Not a member? Join here!
Categories: Board of Regents, Bureau of Human Resources, Grievance, Member, SDSEO Office, TerminationFriday, August 10, 2012
Have done a bit of traveling around the state the last couple weeks. I love traveling and meeting people, because I learn something new about what the SDSEO can do for state employees from everybody I meet. Sure hope to meet you someday.
Here's a roundup of some of what I've posted to Facebook and Twitter over the last couple weeks:
Twitter re-tweets
- A blogpost from Bob Mercer about an upcoming hearing on worker's compensation and proposed changes to South Dakota worker's compensation law. The post is here. The agenda for the meeting is here. Many of the proposals were part of failed efforts to change the law this past legislative session. I was at the legislative committee meeting where the proposed bill failed, and I recall the State Bar Association representative saying at the time that the proposals were all or none, in that either the Bar wanted all of the changes or none. The proposals failed. That wasn't the first time they had failed, though, as they were brought before the worker's compensation advisory board in both August and September of 2011. The advisory board voted against the changes at the September meeting. The minutes for Aug. 2011 are here, and the minutes for Sept. 2011 are here. I wonder what value "out-of-state" practitioners would add to the mix?
- An Argus Leader story by David Montgomery about Gov. Daugaard's 2011 budget cuts. That story is here. Something that gets left out of stories about the "surplus" is how many South Dakota public employee jobs were lost due to the cuts. (I lost my job at South Dakota State University when the unit I worked for was shuttered in June 2011, though the budget cuts may not have been fully to blame for the job losses in the unit for which I worked.)
- A blogpost by Montgomery about early polling data. It is here. Note that the poll is not of "likely" voters only.
- A Mercer blogpost about upcoming 2013 South Dakota Board of Regents meetings. It is here.
Facebook posts
- A blogpost by Montgomery about early dropouts in South Dakota legislative races. It is here.
- Another Montgomery blogpost, this one about an entity taking on South Dakota Republican leadership. It's here.
- A Mercer blogpost about Nielsen polling in South Dakota. And it is here.
- A Mercer news story about this week's Board of Regents meeting. It's here.
Categories: Facebook, Member, SDSEO Office, Social Media, TwitterThursday, July 26, 2012
I've been in the office all week, mostly working on SDSEO member outreach and SDSEO infrastructure (the things that help us work for you). State employee news has been fairly light as well, though I have posted a few things to Facebook.
Here's what I've posted to Facebook this week:
Categories: Investment Trust, MemberFriday, July 13, 2012
One of the things I've been doing over the past couple weeks is I've taken day trips east to west and north to south to distribute SDSEO informational folders. The folders' contents tell the story of the SDSEO: what we are, who we are, where we are, and what we do. Pretty much all of the folders' components have been posted here in Notes, but I thought I'd do an aggregate posting, so here are the contents of the folders:
- SDSEO newsletter
- SDSEO brochure
- Reinke Gray Investment Trust brochure
- "Accomplishments for You!" poster
- A letter from me
- An SDSEO Post-It pad or an SDSEO magnetic thermometer
- My business card
- A business reply envelope.
There are around 150 folders out there right now, and I'd like to have another 1,000 out in the next couple months. I have the contents; it's just a matter of arranging recipients. If you would like some to distribute, please contact me via email at erico@sdseo.org or via telephone at 1-800-257-3736 or (605) 224-8241.
The three trips I've taken over the past two weeks have been pretty fast-paced, where I bring the folders and run through what the contents mean to potential SDSEO members and supporters. I've left from and traveled back to Pierre on each trip; there's plenty to do at the main office in Pierre, but I want to get out as often as I can or am asked to appear. If I haven't touched base with you, I probably will over these next couple months. However, if you don't hear from me, make sure you email me at erico@sdseo.org or give me a call at 1-800-257-3736 or (605) 224-8241. The slogan on our material is "Working for You!", and I hold that close.
Categories: Associate Member, Lifetime Members, Member, SDSEO Office< Previous Page