Boards approve vendor selections and administrative changes, including death-audit software and disability-verification forms

Trust administrators presented a set of operational and vendor items and trustees approved each by recorded vote.

Death-audit software: Staff reviewed three proposals and recommended the Berwin group's product at $3,000 per year with the option to lock a three-year rate; trustees approved the recommended contract so staff can run monthly searches covering the plan roster. The purpose of a death audit is to check public records and obituaries against plan payments to recover erroneous payments and confirm beneficiaries.

Legal retainer amendment: Counsels asked the boards to exclude disability hearings from the monthly retainer and bill those proceedings at the hourly outside rate; trustees approved the amended retainer to reflect that change. Staff noted disability proceedings have increased in recent years and the change clarifies billing for significant extra work.

Disability verification forms: The administrator and counsel presented a physician-attestation form that retirees will take to an MD or DO to confirm continuing eligibility for a disability pension. Trustees discussed frequency and privacy/redaction of medical details for public records and authorized the administrator to periodically distribute the verification forms.

Why it matters: These operational approvals aim to strengthen benefit integrity (death-audit checks), clarify legal billing practices, and provide a standardized, administratively manageable process for confirming continuing disability eligibility.

What happens next: The administrator will finalize contract paperwork for the death-audit vendor, the city attorney will confirm conflict checks for any outside firms, the amended retainer will be implemented for future disability hearings, and disability-verification forms will be mailed/emailed on the adopted schedule.