Paralyzed Davis Woman In Battle With Pension Giant CalPERS for Medical Care

DAVIS (CBS13) - A Davis woman who was paralyzed from the neck down in a car crash as a teenager is now in another fight for her life.

Sara Granda is forced to fight CalPERS for medical care that, she says, her survival depends on.

"I'm, like, fighting every single day often to stay alive," Granda said. "I'm tired, and I'm exhausted. I have zero idea how to get myself out of this."

Paralyzed and feeling powerless, Granda says her condition is getting worse.

"My safety is threatened," Granda said.

Two decades after surviving a car crash that left her paralyzed from the neck down at 17, now at 41, she is facing more medical problems requiring more money -- only she says her CalPERS covered health program won't pay it.

"It's extremely disheartening because these are all things that CalPERS could easily do, but to them, at least at this stage, it's just another day in the office of negotiations," Granda said.

Granda is an attorney herself and ironically works for California's Department of Health Care Services.

"But yet, heaven forbid, I actually work for the state but also need those services," Granda said.

CBS13 first met Granda a decade ago, after she overcame the odds and passed the state bar. The governor stepped in to help give her access to the exam she had to fight for in the California courts.

"All of a sudden the governor shows up and it's like, holy crap," Granda said in 2009.

Passing the bar proved to be a life lesson in perseverance.

Facing CalPERS with its $400 billion in investments is proving to be another test of her tenacity.

"Sadly, it's been a bit of a one-sided kind of process," Granda said.

CalPERS issued a statement reading:

"We are prohibited by law from commenting on Ms. Granda's medical care or CalPERS' medical coverage for her care.  CalPERS remains willing to discuss potential solutions with Ms. Granda or her attorney, should they choose to reengage in these discussions."

Granda's response?

"You know CalPers is either waiting for me to run out of money or sadly, I don't really want to say this because it's really upsetting, but to expire," Granda said.

She survived and thrived as an attorney for California's health care services and now she's in a high-stakes fight for her own care against California's pension giant.

Granda says she is seeking care that can prevent future hospitalizations.

She says she has had months-long hospital stays because of her condition in each of the past six years.