HCJFS shows adaptability by exceeding 90 percent timeliness for public assistance for one year
It is no secret that in
2008 and 2009, this agency endured some pretty dramatic cuts. The
Hamilton County Job and Family Services workforce dropped from 1,600
employees to about 800.
The public demanded we do
more with less, and we have known for a long time that is exactly what
we have been doing.
But this month, we will
celebrate an important anniversary that shows not only our commitment to
serving the public but our ability to adapt to the changing times.
As of March 1, we will
have met our goal to exceed a 90 percent timeliness rate for public
assistance claims for a full year. That means in the last year more than
90 percent of consumers who reapplied for food assistance and more than
96 percent of consumers who applied for the first time received a
determination within the required 30 days.
This may seem like an odd
cause for celebration to an outsider, but to us, it represents our
ability to face a challenge head-on and tackle it. After the dramatic
cuts we endured when the economy slowed, making a determination on
public assistance claims in a timely manner was one of our biggest
challenges.
In part, because at the
same time the number of public assistance claims rose dramatically. The
number of Medicaid consumers we served in 2012 (178,000) is 40 percent
higher than in 2007 (127,000)when we were at full staffing levels. The
number of food assistance consumers is even more striking. In 2012 we
served 135,000 individuals needing food assistance. That is nearly 90
percent higher than in 2007 when we served 72,000. And unfortunately,
the numbers don’t show any sign of slowing.
In other words, we are
now serving nearly double the number of food assistance consumers with
half the staff in a timely manner.
Of course there is the
occasional application that we can’t process in 30 days, but a majority
of the applications that are not processed within that time frame are
because we have granted extensions to the consumers to allow them more
time to deliver verification documents.
In fact, not only were we
the first major metropolitan county to pass the 90 percent mark, other
counties have begun to ask us for their help.
Our training of Summit
County took them from just over 70 percent to more than 90 percent in
January. This is the highest they have ever been. In addition, our
training of Butler County took them from 37 percent to 81 percent in
January.
As you may know, we’ve
made important changes that allowed for this success. A stronger use of
electronic data, increased communication with staff, face-to-face
interviews, and same day case authorization have made big differences.
We’ll also continue to
increase our efforts, devising new ways for consumers to interact with
us, such as the kiosk that is scheduled to go into the lobby this month.
(You can read more about the kiosk in this Update story).
Our efforts to utilize
electronic data and analysis of food stamp fraud has also proven
overwhelmingly successful. Recent efforts have resulted in a savings of
more than $200,000 in fraudulent food stamp benefits.
But the real credit for
our success has to go to our staff. Their ability to adapt to changing
procedures, and their commitment to serving the residents of Hamilton
County is what makes our accomplishments possible.
And this commitment and
adaptability will only be more important moving forward. Hamilton County
will continue to change and present new obstacles, but we have already
proven we are up to the challenge.
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