Cleveland County Employee Benefits Committee Regular Meeting - October 1, 2026

The Employee Benefits Committee of Cleveland County, Oklahoma, met in regular session on October 1, 2026. The committee reviewed a status update from Classen Family Medicine, discussed extending urgent care benefits to county retirees, and finalized plans for the October 19–23 open enrollment period.

Consent Calendar

• Meeting called to order by Chairman Rod Cleveland. Roll call established Pam Howlett and Tammy Richards as present; Raimie McDaniel and Marilyn Williams were absent.
• Minutes of the September 3, 2026, regular meeting and the September 22, 2026, special meeting were approved unanimously.

Public Comments & Testimony

• No members of the public provided comment.

Discussion Items

• Status Update – Classen Family Medicine: Emergency Manager George Mauldin reported that a new clinic site is in use. August 2026 saw 194 patient encounters, consistent with the historical average of approximately 198 encounters per month. On-site clinic utilization has increased considerably. As part of the financial context, the committee noted the existing encounter reimbursement rate for Classen: $132 per encounter for the first 1,000 encounters per period, dropping to $82 per encounter thereafter.
• Extending Classen Urgent Care Benefit to Retirees: The committee discussed a proposal to extend the county's Classen Urgent Care benefit to retirees. A significant challenge identified is the county's inability to accurately track retiree coverage usage after they leave employment. Staff previously requested retiree data from the Oklahoma Public Employees Retirement System (OPERS) but was told it could not be provided. The committee discussed building an internal retiree list to move forward. Members debated whether the benefit extension should be retroactive to the date the county entered the Classen agreement or applied only to future enrollment. No action was taken, and staff was directed to continue information gathering.
• Open Enrollment Planning: Open enrollment was scheduled for the week of October 19–23, 2026. The committee planned a benefits fair with vendors including Aflac, Liberty National / Nationwide, EGID, and a pending invitation to Washington National. Staff is preparing a detailed breakdown of plan usage statistics for employees (e.g., urgent care visit frequency, impact on deductibles) — a level of analytical detail the committee noted had never been provided before. The plan involves distributing printed copies with payroll so employees can review their options before meeting with vendors. Cross-departmental cooperation from the Payroll, Assessor, and Treasurer offices was recognized.

Key Outcomes

• Minutes Approved: Regular meeting minutes (09/03/2026) and special meeting minutes (09/22/2026) were approved.
• Retiree Benefit Deferred: The proposal to extend Classen Urgent Care to retirees was continued for further research into tracking and implementation.
• Open Enrollment Finalized: The schedule, vendor participation, and information distribution plans for the October 19–23, 2026, open enrollment period were finalized.
• Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned following a motion. Prior to adjournment, a birthday milestone for Pam Howlett was acknowledged by the committee.