VCJPA provides the members the option of participating in the Employment Risk Management Authority (ERMA). ERMA is a statewide joint powers authority designed to provide broad coverage and tailored loss prevention services to reduce the employment practices liability (EPL) exposures of California public entities. ERMA provides the VCJPA with coverage of $2,000,000 excess of $100,000 per occurrence.

ERMA provides cutting edge loss prevention services designed to minimize the EPL exposure of its members. Those services include:

Employee Reporting Line:  A toll-free, third-party reporting service, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, providing an anonymous reporting service above and beyond what is already in place for reporting incidents of workplace wrongdoing.

Attorney Hotline:  ERMA members have access to free legal advice from two law firms that specialize in defending public sector employment practices claims: Jackson Lewis and Liebert Cassidy Whitmore through a toll-free number.

Employment Practices Training:  Live regional and individual training is provided by ERMA to assist the members in dealing with today's current economic issues and for the prevention of sexual harassment, discrimination and retaliation. Online training is available from ERMA to meet the state requirements for California mandates AB1825 and AB1234. In addition, two law firms provide EPL training workshops on a regional basis for ERMA members. These interactive and hands-on workshops are designed to provide members with practical advice on today's cutting-edge employment practices and economic issues.

For more specific information regarding ERMA, please contact Karen Thesing, Executive Director, or Ruth Graf-Urasaki, Litigation, at (800) 541-4591, ext. 1181 and ext. 2217, respectively.

Please visit the ERMA website for a calendar of upcoming ERMA Trainings.