Social Services Appropriations Subcommittee Meeting Overview - Russell T. Frandsen

Last Updated: September 23, 2014

Below are some of the materials covered in the Tuesday, September 23^rd Social Services Appropriations Subcommittee meeting.  The numbers in front of the document name refer to the order of items on the 9/23 agenda. 

Morning Agenda(http://le.utah.gov/interim/2014/pdf/00003902.pdf)

• 2. Background Check Report (http://le.utah.gov/interim/2014/pdf/00004218.pdf) - Report on Possible Consolidation of Background Check Systems
  1. Recommendations from agencies:
     1. "[Direct Access Clearance System (DACS)] will allow coordination between the Department of Health and Department of Public Safety for a federal and state criminal record search on fingerprints. The Department of Public Safety will retain submitted fingerprints and run a nightly routine to match these fingerprints against any new charges, arrests, warrants or convictions and notify the DACS system. This rap-back process allows the Department of Health the ability to only require an applicant to be fingerprint once because of the continuous monitoring of the system.  The DACS system and rap-back process could potentially be used by other agencies to gain further efficiencies. The Department of Health will not have unrestricted access to the DACS system until July 2015. During the next two years, the agencies involved in this report will review business requirements and coordinate to determine the feasibility of expanding the system to other agencies."
     2. "It is also possible to gain efficiencies through the consolidation and sharing of LiveScan machines across the State. It could be beneficial to all agencies if machines were accessible to all agencies as opposed to only being available to the owner of the machine."
• 4. In-depth Budget Review Recommendations (http://le.utah.gov/interim/2014/pdf/00004221.pdf)
  1. Seven funds have unfinished recommendations.  Would legislators like to pursue any of them? 
• 5. Proposed Performance Measures for New State Funding - In compliance with intent language below are the performance measure reports from each agency with a summary by the Fiscal Analyst (http://le.utah.gov/interim/2014/pdf/00004200.pdf) for new funding from state funds and TANF federal funds.
  1. Health - http://le.utah.gov/interim/2014/pdf/00004210.pdf  
  2. Human Services - http://le.utah.gov/interim/2014/pdf/00004253.pdf   
  3. Workforce Services - http://le.utah.gov/interim/2014/pdf/00004205.pdf
  4. USOR - http://le.utah.gov/interim/2014/pdf/00004256.pdf
• 9b. A Performance Audit of the Department of Workforce Services Work Environment (http://le.utah.gov/interim/2014/pdf/00004235.pdf)
  1. The Department of Workforce Services will provide an update on the following 14 recommendations from the legislative audit:
     1. "Improve data tracking and analysis to determine and isolate the efficiency gains achieved from any new process-improvement programs."
     2.  "Address the financial and motivational sustainability of their Pay for Performance program given the reduction of incentive amounts resulting from increased employee participation."
     3. "Continue to account for inequitable opportunities among employees by recognizing outputs that better define the performance of its workers."
     4. "Tighten Eligibility Services Division controls over the determinations process or adjust incentives to control for potential negative employee behavior."
     5. "Consider improving its ability to track individual work process inputs and/or shifting focus from individual-oriented rewards to incentives better matching existing interdependent work processes."
     6. "Consider additional nonmonetary enrichments and work process changes that may cultivate employee trust and reestablish intrinsic, public-service-oriented motivators."
     7. "Limit Pay for Performance incentives to only its eligibility specialists, unless supervisor and management incentives are redesigned to isolate the individual impacts of supervisors and management."
     8. "Develop hierarchy-specific benchmarks for accuracy that are similar to existing productivity requirements."
     9. "Continue addressing any remaining issues associated with selection bias in the Performance Review Team case review process."
     10. "Develop processes to document the frequency and basis that errors identified by Performance Review Team case reviewers are being appealed and overturned."
     11. "Adjust its sampling methodology to provide a greater level of confidence in conclusions about employee performance."
     12. "Adopt guidelines and tools that specify acceptable employee performance and clarify when negative personnel actions are appropriate."
     13. "Determine ways to slow the rate of large scale changes and ensure that employees are able to effectively adapt to changes."
     14. "Update its client data access policy from zero tolerance to allow more firm but flexible policy."
• 10a. Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Report (http://le.utah.gov/interim/2014/pdf/00004265.pdf) - the committee will need to determine if it agrees with the direction taken by Workforce Services regarding TANF and also suggest (if desired) additional areas for Workforce Services to pursue.
  1. In compliance with intent language, the Department of Workforce Services prepared the linked report providing the following information:
     1. Detail of DWS efforts to serve families in need statewide including additional ways of serving families pursued in the prior six months
     2. Analysis of relevant fiscal implications including implications on systems and staffing
     3. Review of demographic data informing why individuals are currently not receiving services
     4. Review of other options to implement additional services and programs
     5. Inventory of other states currently availing themselves of options not currently in place in Utah
     6. Further options for Legislative consideration to use available TANF funding to better serve families in need statewide

Afternoon Meeting (http://le.utah.gov/interim/2014/pdf/00003901.pdf)

• 3a. Subcommittee Questions from the 2014 General Session - Human Services (http://le.utah.gov/interim/2014/pdf/00004238.pdf)
• 5a. Local Mental Health Medicaid Match Report  (http://le.utah.gov/interim/2014/pdf/00004241.pdf)
  1. Intent language required the Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health with the Utah Association of Counties and local mental health centers to provide this report, which includes historical information on Medicaid match paid by local authorities along with their Medicaid-related caseloads.  The report also includes several recommendations which the committee will need to decide upon including the following two questions in response to the report's recommendations:
     1. Does the Legislature want to fund the $6.4 million local Medicaid match request with ongoing funding for FY 2016?
     2. Does the Legislature want to include the Medicaid "match dollars" with the Medicaid Consensus monies, in order for this funding to receive automatic future increases?
• 13. Summary for Social Services Members (http://le.utah.gov/interim/2014/pdf/00004227.pdf)
  1. A subcommittee member requested a comparison of what the Social Services Appropriations Subcommittee recommended vs. final action by the Legislature.  This documents does that comparison using the following highlighting system:
     1. Green = subcommittee recommendation implemented as recommended
     2. Yellow = subcommittee recommendation changed in some way, notes explaining the difference
     3. No color or red = subcommittee recommendation not funded or item rejected
  2. On page 14, there is a list of new intent language statements and bills with fiscal impact that affect Social Services' agencies. 
• 14a. What is a CHC - April '14 (http://le.utah.gov/interim/2014/pdf/00004232.pdf) - What is a Community Health Center?
  1. "Health centers are community-based and patient-directed organizations that serve populations with limited access to health care."