Our Roadmap to Change

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Our Roadmap to Change

• Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare
• Office of Income Maintenance

March 16, 2008
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The Challenge for HHS Agencies

• We all know todays reality - HHS agencies
  continue to face social, political, and economic
  constraints
• At the same time, we are looking to modernize,
  simplify, and improve our processes while
  maintaining our accountability

Increasing Caseloads
Workload
Decreasing Budgets
Decreasing Staff Counts
Human Resources
Financials
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Adapting to the Challenges and Emerging as a
Stronger Unit

• In the last six years, we have taken on this
  challenge and will continue to drive at our
  vision to become A Stellar Organization

The Past
The Present

• Food Stamp Accuracy Rate
• FY 2002 90.51
• Fiscal Penalty of 1.3M imposed
• FY 2003 91.79

• Food Stamp Accuracy Rate
• FY 2007 98.29
• Bonus of 5M awarded to PA in FFY 2004
• Bonus of 3.6M awarded to PA in FFY 2006

• Food Stamp Error Rate
• FY 2002 9.4

• Food Stamp Error Rate
• FY 2007 (0.27)

• TANF Work Participation Rate
• FY 2002 10.4

• TANF Work Participation Rate
• FY 2007 48.3

4
Our Roadmap to Change Guiding Principles to Set
the Direction

• Improving Customer Care and Service Delivery
• Assist Clients to Achieve Long-Term
  Self-Sufficiency
• Better Processes Through Technology Support
• Better Management of Operations and Resources

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Our Roadmap to Change Setting the Direction

• In 2003, we started the Philadelphia County
  Assistance Office (PCAO) Improvement project
• Our goal was to strategically consider approaches
  to improve the administration of the PCAO, while
  identifying issues and solutions that work to
  improve service delivery in all of our CAOs
  statewide
• We identified 23 strategic and tactical
  recommendations ranging from changes to
  communication strategy to developing technology
  solutions that automate manual processes
• These recommendations, along with our guiding
  principles, became our Roadmap to Change and
  emphasized the need to integrate policy,
  technology and operations to drive our business
  and build a better organization

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Guiding Principle Improving Customer Care and
Service Delivery
Key Initiatives Actions

• Change Centers
• Utilize a common 1-800
• Average 10,000 calls/month

• We implemented eight Change Centers across the
  state (and one local to Philadelphia)
• This increased our service delivery channels by
  allowing clients to call a 1-800 number to report
  changes to their case
• Staffed by CAO personnel who have received
  specific training on providing customer support
  and who can make basic changes to a case
• They have been a resounding success in providing
  quality customer service while conserving
  valuable CAO staff time

• The Modern Office
• Piloted in 2005
• Statewide in 2007

• Created a new service delivery model in our
  offices to respond to our clients needs
• Modern Office includes
• Scanning Imaging Stations to reduce reliance on
  paper
• Reception Greeter who conducts client triage in
  the office
• Client Service Representative to answer complex
  questions, process changes to a clients case,
  and initiate client benefit applications
• Self Service Stations to promote using COMPASS

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Guiding Principle Assist Clients to Achieve
Long-Term Self-Sufficiency
Key Initiatives Actions

• TANF Focused Initiatives
• Promote self-sufficiency by helping clients
  remove barriers to employment

• Implemented EARN Centers statewide
• Developed performance based metrics
• Implemented programs for special populations
• Maximizing Participation Project is a statewide
  program designed to help TANF recipients who have
  been repeatedly unsuccessful in obtaining or
  maintaining employment
• An intensive literacy initiative launched in
  2005, Move Up is a collaborative effort of the
  Department of Education and the Governor's Job
  Ready Pennsylvania Initiative

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Guiding Principle Better Processes Through
Technology Support
Key Initiatives Actions

• Medicaid Eligibility Determination Automation
• Piloted in 2005
• Statewide in 2006

• MEDA automated Medicaid eligibility determination
  and benefits computation
• Provided a consistent calculation process for
  eligibility results of approximately 1.9 million
  Medicaid customers across the Commonwealth
• Determines the appropriate Medicaid categories
  based on a complex hierarchy of Medicaid programs
  and computes client eligibility based on income,
  resources, category, non-financial eligibility,
  as well as other variables

• We moved from a manual, labor intense process for
  benefit renewals to an automated process that is
  driven by technology
• Automating the renewals process resulted in the
  following benefits
• Improved services to our clients
• Decreased workload for our staff
• Simplified forms layout and language to help our
  clients understand what information they must
  return to their caseworker
• Enhanced caseworker productivity and standardized
  processes statewide

• Automation and Standardization of Renewal System
• Piloted in 2005
• Statewide in 2006
• Average 60,000 renewal packets/month

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Guiding Principle Better Management of
Operations and Resources
Key Initiatives Actions
Professional Development

• We have consistently reviewed and updated our
  staff training programs so that staff are
  equipped with the skills they need to manage
  their work
• Where possible we use new technology solutions
  such as web-based learning to provide more
  development opportunities to a wider audience
• We encourage and foster team building and
  employee recognition in all of our offices and
  utilize FS bonus money to give back to our
  employees

• Data tool that allows us to see where we are
  doing well and where we need to do better
• Focuses on key areas, such as timeliness,
  accuracy, work participation rate, customer
  service, efficiency, and leadership development
• Looking at how well we are delivering critical
  support to families in need

Effective Management

• In 2004, an Error Reduction Committee was formed
  to address Pennsylvanias high error rates and
  associated Federal sanctions
• ERC included personnel from multiple departments
  of the organization and the diversity of
  experiences led to creative solutions
• In 2007, Pennsylvania received 3.6M from the
  Federal Government as an award for its low error
  rate and high accuracy rates

Problem-Solving through Diverse Teams
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But We Are Not There Yet

• With our Roadmap as our guide, we need to
  maintain our focus and continue the drive to
  become A Stellar Organization
• This means continuing to focus on the things that
  count and keeping the big ticket items in the
  forefront of our plans
• Many of our plans run into the future and we need
  to provide a solid foundation in the present to
  drive their success
• Our Roadmap is open to change if and when the
  need arises
• We have achieved significant successes over the
  past few years, but believe that there are still
  many other opportunities for improvement for the
  future

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The Journey Continues
Improving Customer Care and Service Delivery

• Reengineer Our Business Processes in the CAOs
• We need to review our current business processes
  and identify and reduce redundancies and
  inefficiencies that have developed over time
• Develop and implement smart business processes
  that are simple and clear for our staff and our
  clients
• Continue to increase our service delivery
  channels to meet the changing role of technology
  in society
• Continue to Improve Communications
• Redesign our client notices to simplify the
  language to our clients
• Rewrite communications focusing on Plain
  Language

Assist Clients to Achieve Long-Term
Self-Sufficiency

• Focus on our Employment and Training Support
• Continue to work with our CAOs to improve our
  employment and training rate
• Focus on expanding performance based contracts

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The Journey Continues
Better Processes Through Technology Support

• Integrate our Systems to Support our Staff
• We face a reality, like many other HHS agencies,
  that encompasses a mixture of systems that were
  built over time to serve different functions
• We need to integrate these systems to make
  back-end processing more efficient and streamline
  our staffs work
• Upgrade our Technology to Bring State of the Art
  Tools
• We are currently piloting a Workload Dashboard
  tool in our CAOs
• The tool creates a one-stop shop for CAO staff
  and management to help prioritize and manage the
  many tasks and activities each worker faces on a
  daily basis

Better Management of Operations and Resources

• Redesign Office Layout
• Redesign CAOs so they align with improved
  business processes and new service delivery
  channels
• Provide clients with additional services in
  reception areas
• Enhance Management Reporting
• Develop specific, smart metrics that measure
  performance
• Provide leadership with real-time data and
  metrics on performance
• Focus is on improving work, not tracking work

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The Journey Continues
Better Management of Operations and Resources

• Focus on Leadership Development
• Conducting mandated leadership training for our
  staff
• Redesigning the way we train staff
• Continue Plain Language Training
• Continue to provide plain language training to
  our Operations and Policy personnel to improve
  our communication style
• Simplify our policy manuals
• Create a Culture that Encourages Employee
  Recognition
• Enhance the incentives provided to staff for
  doing quality work
• Increase the opportunities for employee
  recognition and team opportunities such as pizza
  parties and retreats
• Redevelop our Case Worker Training Program
• Focus on developing training that helps new
  workers become productive caseworkers more
  quickly
• Adapt to the reality of our current workforce,
  where job changes are common, and create modular
  training for new staff
• Continue to enhance e-learning and other
  alternative channels for training

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Conclusion

• Guided by our Roadmap, we have achieved
  significant results
• Better service for our clients
• Reduced Food Stamp Error Rates and consequent
  fiscal awards for performance
• A dramatic increase in TANF work participation
• More effective training opportunities for staff
• Improved leadership potential at all levels of
  the organization
• A move towards smarter, simpler business
  processes supported by technology

• Lessons we have learned
• Your vision and guiding principles need to be
  developed early and emphasized often
• Staff at all levels need to be cognizant of the
  vision and guiding principles
• The Roadmap should be realistic and set concrete
  goals, but also flexible to change if needed
• Technology should simplify work, not complicate
  cumbersome processes
• Staff need and want to be coached and developed
• Leadership at all levels needs to buy in to the
  Roadmap

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Questions and Answers