Bell v. San Bernardino Cty. Employee's Retire. Assn. CA4/1

**Bell v. San Bernardino County Employees Retirement Association** This case involved a worker named Bell who applied for disability retirement benefits through the San Bernardino County Employees Retirement Association (SBCERA). When SBCERA denied his disability benefits application, Bell wanted to challenge that decision in court. However, he waited too long to file his lawsuit. The court ruled against Bell, finding that he missed the legal deadline to challenge SBCERA's decision. California law requires workers to file court challenges to retirement benefit denials within 90 days. Since Bell failed to meet this strict 90-day deadline, the court threw out his case without even considering whether his disability claim had merit. **What this means for workers:** If your employer's retirement system denies your disability benefits, you have only 90 days to take legal action. This deadline is firm and courts won't make exceptions, even if your underlying claim is valid. Workers should act quickly when benefit applications are denied and consider consulting with an attorney immediately to understand their options. Missing this short window means losing your right to challenge the denial in court, regardless of how strong your case might be.