Oklahoma County commissioners on Monday voted to amend language in the 2021 interim employee handbook so that certain medical personnel who work 12-hour shifts averaging 36 hours per week are explicitly eligible to participate in the county retirement plan.

The board approved the change following a presentation from the representative of the public trust authority, Miss Etherington, who said the revision is narrowly tailored to retirement eligibility and is designed to help the authority recruit and retain nurses who are accustomed to 12-hour hospital shifts. "When that happened, a number of employees were hired directly from Turnkey," she said, recounting the authority's shift to in-house medical services, "we need to make ourselves as attractive as we can be, to recruit and keep those people." She added the amendment would not change county compensation or leave policies.

Supporters argued the change closes a narrow eligibility gap caused by differing handbook definitions and federal definitions used for overtime and detention staff. "There is a statute that specifically allows a public trust authority ... to allow the employees of that public authority to participate in the retirement," said Miss Sanders, speaking as counsel in the meeting, and said there is no legal impediment to adopting the narrow change. Commissioners discussed where the language should be placed in the interim handbook (section 6.1 vs. 6.8) and directed the handbook committee to finalize the exact location and wording.

Commissioner discussion included questions about fiscal impact and employer relationships. The authority representative said she did not expect a negative fiscal impact to the county and said more employees participating in the retirement plan could be mutually beneficial. One commissioner asked for a written opinion from the district attorney's office clarifying that the change would not create joint-employer liability; Miss Sanders agreed to provide written confirmation.

After brief deliberation and clarifying amendments to the motion (inserting the requested language into the interim handbook in the "appropriate section" as determined by the handbook committee), the board approved the motion by voice vote.

The change, as approved, is limited to clarifying retirement-eligibility language for medical personnel who work 12-hour schedules averaging 36 hours per week and does not, by itself, alter pay rates, leave accrual, or require any employee to change schedules. Miss Etherington said the authority will continue engaging with county counsel, the handbook committee and the DA's office to finalize language and placement in the handbook.

What happens next: the handbook committee will review placement and final wording; the DA's office will provide the written clarification requested on legal implications, and further handbook work will continue as part of an overall handbook revision process.