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Kern County ratifies termination of expedited workers' compensation resolution for deputies
Summary
The Board retroactively approved termination of the county'9s Expedited Resolution Process (ERP) with the Kern County Law Enforcement Association, effective May 11, 2026; labor representatives urged more study, while county counsel and risk staff pointed to statutory changes and administrative reforms since 2014.
The Kern County Board of Supervisors on June 16 voted unanimously to retroactively approve termination of the county'9s Labor-Management Workers'9 Compensation Expedited Resolution Process (ERP) agreement with the Kern County Law Enforcement Association, effective May 11, 2026.
County Counsel Kendra Graham and Risk Manager Lisa Gilmore briefed the board on the background and rationale for the action. The ERP was adopted in 2014 as a pilot to provide an expedited, independent resolution path for work-related injury disputes. Counsel told the board that substantial state law and administrative changes since 2014 have reduced delays and made a separate, contract-based pool of independent evaluators increasingly unnecessary.
"There will be no new ones added into it" once the program phases out, Graham said, and she noted that claims already in the process remain subject to the ERP terms until medical issues are resolved. Gilmore told the board that the county'9s standardized workers'9 compensation tools, plus a preauthorization plan for treatment, have improved timeliness of care.
Mike Cruz, president of the Kern County Law Enforcement Association, urged the board to pause the termination and analyze cost-savings data that the union said supported keeping the ERP. "There is no disagreement that the county can legally proceed. However, as a law enforcement officer, I am well familiar that despite possessing the legal authority for an action, it is still incumbent to assess the common sense logic of a decision," Cruz said.
Supervisors acknowledged the concerns and directed staff to continue discussions with KLEA after implementation. The board approved ratification of the termination and requested a follow-up review with KLEA in about a year to examine how the change affected members and program outcomes.
What happens next: ERP cases that predate termination will continue under the existing agreement until they resolve; county staff will administer new claims under standard workers'9 compensation procedures and will report back to the board on implementation and on any issues raised by KLEA.
