Writer Forman Brown Isn’t Resting in Peace

The computer-operator foul-up recounted by writer Forman Brown (Editorial Pages, May 25), “The Ultimate Computer Victim Isn’t Resting in Peace,” was reflected recently in problems faced by an unknown number of retired teachers of the Los Angeles Unified School District.

I first heard of it when I received a letter from Kaiser-Permanente Hospital notifying me that my group had dropped me, and billing me for something over a thousand dollars for 1986. I was on the phone before too many seconds had elapsed, and when I told Kaiser that I was a retired Los Angeles teacher, they said, “Oh yes, we have lots of trouble with them. Why don’t you call them?”

The long-distance lines hummed while I tried to reach the L.A. medical insurance division. Finally, reaching them, I was asked for my employee number, then informed that they had no record of me in their computer files.

“Thirty-four years of teaching, and you have no record of me? What am I supposed to do about that?”

“Why don’t you phone the State Teachers Retirement Service in Sacramento and see if they can send you something that proves your retirement?” the Los Angeles insurance person suggested.

More dialing followed, leading to a promise from the State Retirement System that they would send the required proof. The request was taken calmly, as though they regularly received wild requests like that from Los Angeles. Hopefully, they have better computer operators in Sacramento.

While waiting for the proof of my existence to arrive, I went to a meeting of the Retired Teachers Assn., thinking to blow their minds with this absurd situation, only to find myself waiting in line. “Oh yes,” said the chairman, “we have lots of people with that problem.” So he announced to the group that all they had to do was phone the L.A. insurance division and all would be settled. Fortunately, on retirement, I had purchased a few shares of telephone stock.

I’m still waiting for proof of my existence to arrive from Sacramento. I hope a trustworthy mailman delivers it to the right computer operator in the insurance division of the Los Angeles Unified School District. In the meanwhile I will attempt to stay healthy.

GUY H. RANER

Chatsworth