Leveraging Your Service Center Investment

1. Santa Cruz Benefits Call Center Expansion Leveraging Your Service Center Investment Santa Cruz County Benefits Call Center

2. Santa Cruz Benefits Call Center Expansion Why? • Increase client access to benefits and client satisfaction with decreasing staff • Focus eligibility efforts, gaining efficiencies • Increase access to data and improve individual accountability • Leverage supervisor and clerical resources • Leverage technology investments

3. Benefits Call Center - History All Benefits Division Eligibility Under One Division 20% Reduction in workforce since 2006 CalWORKs Child Only April 2009 CareerWorks and Benefits Division Merged- January 2009 MC Mail In Apps in BCC Mar 2009 Foster Care Implementation into BCC Oct 2008 Staff Layoffs- August 2008 Foster Care program moves from Family & Children division to Benefits Division- March 2007 CalWORKs Assessment April 2008 Foster Care Assessment March 2008 1st Year Audit March 2007 Imaging Implementation Begins Nov 2006 Imaging Strategy June 2006 Benefits Call Center March 2006

4. Benefits Call CenterOrganization Chart Program Manager Gidget Ramirez Asst. Analyst LaRaye Davis Program Coordinator David Brown Staff Development Kimberly Peterson PHONE UNITS CASE MAINTENANCE UNITS CLERICAL FOSTER CARE Supervisor Lorena Moran 8 CMEWs Supervisor – Imaging Martha Lerma 3 Technicians, 1 ClerkII Supervisor Lucy Rodriguez 4 EW IIIs Supervisor Natalie Samarripa 9 PEWS Supervisor Edgar Austodillo 5 CMEWs Supervisor Blanca Varquez 9 PEWs Supervisor – Clerical Sonia Lykins 7 Clerical Workers MC Mail-In Apps 3 EW IIIs Supervisor Tony Martinez 9 CMEWs Supervisor Rosa Zaragoza 4 CMEWs Child Only 3 EW IIIs 4

5. Programs in the BCC

6. Growing Demand and Operational Implications • Department priority to provide initial access to benefits, protecting intake staff when possible • Prioritization of tasks that have a detrimental effect on clients • Access to data allows accountability; leads to increased productivity • Staff productivity increased by 24% in one year- # of tasks completed per EW

7. Leveraging Supervisor Resourcesconsistency in span of control Clerical Supervisor II All Clerical and Imaging 1 Clerical Sup 1 8 Clerical; 3 Imaging Eligibility Supervisor I Medi-Cal & Food Stamps 9 Phone EW Eligibility Supervisor I Foster Care & Medi-Cal Mail In 4 EW III-Foster Care; 3 EWIII MC Mail In Eligibility Supervisor I Medi-Cal & Food Stamps 9 Phone EW Program Manager Eligibility Supervisor I CalWORKs Child Only 4 EW II- MC/FS Case Maint 3 EW III- CalWORKs Eligibility Supervisor I Medi-Cal & Food Stamps 8 Case Maintenance EW Eligibility Supervisor I Medi-Cal & Food Stamps 8 Case Maintenance EW Eligibility Supervisor I Medi-Cal & Food Stamps 8 Case Maintenance EW

8. Foster Care Details Issues • Dependencies on Social Workers completing case papwork timely and completely • Provider reporting manual and in consistent- resulting in overpayments • Clerical support required for CWS/CMS database under-estimated Decision: In 2008 staffing decreased from 5 EW to 4 EW, 2.5 to 1 Clerical Implementation Details: • With InTelegy Corporation- the following changes were made: • Imaging of all Foster Care cases • Bank the Foster Care and AAP caseload • Move EW staff to one location (BCC) • Implement phone queue for FC/AAP; Schedule Staff to ensure 8-5 phone coverage • Log all FC and AAP work through T2 Success: • Foster Care eligibility in banked case load, under one roof, allowing for coverage and scalability • Service Center reporting provides accountability and access to workload and call volume statistics • Call Service Levels- 90% answered in 20 seconds

9. CalWORKs Child Only Issues • Development of processes for Child-Only cases Decision: Child only case does not require in-person support or employment services; growing demand in Intake Implementation Details • 27% of total CalWORKs caseload is Child Only • Benefits Services Division formed an implementation committee, developed a detail project plan and implemented this program in 6 months Success • CalWORKs EWs now supporting many more cases/EW than in traditional model- allowed for 2 EWIII to cover Intake appointments at district offices • Phone service levels are 60% answered in 20 seconds

10. Medi-Cal Mail In Applications Issues • Clerical for intake process lengthy, application registration process requires additional clerical support outside of typical mail and task assignment process Decision: Medi-Cal Mail In do not require in-person; wanted to improve processing time Implementation Details • Benefits Services Division formed an implementation committee, developed a detail project plan and implemented this program in 5 months • Requested volunteer transfers; received more requests than required Success • Able to work with EW program strengths to staff this effort • Mail-in applications now a priority; no longer left undone due to urgent, in-person requirements of Generic intake staff

11. Call Center Technology The Benefits Call Center leverages multiple technologies Ascent Capture/FORTISDigital Case File Storage CalWIN Automated Eligibility System SIEMENS Hi-PathTelephone Tech IVR and ACD T2(in-house)Task Mngmt Tracking Software MS Excel Workforce Management and Scheduling VERINT Call Recording/Screen Capture and Quality Review

12. Future Wish List • Automated appointment reminders • CalWIN interface to link with web application tool (San Francisco model) • Enhanced Reporting capabilities from T2 and ACD • Phone system upgrade to allow expansion of call center to other buildings (VOIP) • CalWIN interface/IVR application for Foster Care provider reporting (Alameda model) • Continued evaluation for call center support of additional programs

13. Thank you! • Questions? • Claudine WildmanEmployment & Benefit Services Division DirectorSanta Cruz County Human Services Department • (831)-454-4236 • Claudine.wildman@hra.co.santa-cruz.ca.us