CalPERS IT executive Karen Ruiz has been appointed project manager of the CalHEERS project, according to an announcement made today by Peter V. Lee, executive director of the California Health Benefit Exchange, also known as Covered California. The announcement was made during the organization’s monthly board meeting. Ruiz, whose first day will be May 1, currently serves as project director for the CalPERS Pension System Resumption (PSR).
May 29, 2012 – Karen Ruiz speaks at the Best of California awards ceremony. Photo: Bill Foster, Techwire.net
The $359 million California Healthcare Eligibility, Enrollment and Retention System (CalHEERS) project, which includes the development of a new Web portal set to go live later this year, will allow residents seeking health coverage under the Affordable Care Act a single resource, simplifying the eligibility and enrollment processes for the California Health Benefit Exchange, Medi-Cal and Healthy Families programs in the state.
Last year Ruiz was honored at the Center for Digital Government’s Best of California award ceremony, receiving a Leadership Award for Demonstrated Excellence in Project Management for her work on PSR, which is replacing 49 legacy systems and 60 support systems with a single system to manage pension and health benefits for public employees.
Ruiz’s announcement comes after the departure of James Joseph Brown Jr. who left the CalHEERS project under allegations of conflict of interest related to a former position he held in state government, according to the Sacramento Bee.
