A. For purposes of administering the Oklahoma Employees Insurance and Benefits Act, the Director of the Office of Management and Enterprise Services is authorized to hire and appoint an Administrator who shall be in the unclassified service and shall serve at the pleasure of the Director of the Office of Management and Enterprise Services.

B. The Director of the Office of Management and Enterprise Services may hire a director of internal audit and one attorney licensed to practice law in this state. The attorney hired by the Board shall have not less than five (5) years of experience in matters related to the insurance industry. The Director shall directly supervise the duties of the director of internal audit, and shall not delegate the supervision to the Administrator or any other employee. In addition to duties assigned by the Director, the director of internal audit is authorized to audit all records of health providers and pharmacists who enter into any contract with the Board in order to ensure compliance with said contract provisions.

The Director shall employ such persons as are necessary to administer the provisions of the Oklahoma Employees Insurance and Benefits Act, the State Employees Flexible Benefits Act and the State Employees Disability Program Act. The Director may employ a maximum of two attorneys for purposes of administering the Oklahoma Employees Insurance and Benefits Act. The Administrator or one of the deputy administrators shall have not less than seven (7) years of group health insurance administration experience on a senior managerial level.

C. The Director shall not contract for private legal counsel except for extraordinary situations other than normal day to day situations, and when approved by the Attorney General. The Director may contract with a nonemployee consulting actuary, a nonemployee medical consultant and a nonemployee dental consultant subject to competitive bid at least every three (3) years. The Director may contract with health care providers for a level of reimbursement for the payment of claims incurred by the plan participants. The Director may at its request use the services of the office of the Attorney General and the actuarial services of any actuary employed by the Insurance Commissioner and may also seek the advice and counsel of the Insurance Commissioner of the State of Oklahoma or any employee of the Office of the Insurance Commissioner.

Added by Laws 1977, c. 261, § 2, emerg. eff. June 17, 1977. Amended by Laws 1978, c. 306, § 1, emerg. eff. May 10, 1978; Laws 1988, c. 165, § 22, emerg. eff. May 24, 1988; Laws 1989, c. 322, § 9, operative July 1, 1989; Laws 1990, c. 244, § 10, emerg. eff. May 21, 1990; Laws 1991, c. 219, § 10, emerg. eff. May 22, 1991; Laws 1992, c. 400, § 17, eff. July 1, 1992; Laws 1998, c. 285, § 4, emerg. eff. May 27, 1998; Laws 2006, c. 264, § 73, eff. July 1, 2006; Laws 2012, c. 303, § 15, eff. Nov. 1, 2012.