North Carolina Work Support Strategies (WSS)

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North CarolinaWork Support Strategies (WSS)

• Action Plan Overview
• Summer 2012

www.pcghumanservices.com
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Work Support Strategies Grant

• North Carolina was one of nine states to
  participate in the WSS Planning Year, during
  which a state-county project team reviewed,
  analyzed, and reflected on data, national best
  practices, and current operations (March,
  2011-February, 2012).
• At the conclusion the planning year, NC developed
  an Action Plan for achieving a more effective and
  efficient service delivery model (February,
  2012).
• North Carolina became one of six states to
  receive funding for Implementation (04/12-03/15).

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Tenets of WSS Initiative

• 1. Families will tell their story once and
  receive the services they need.
• 2. There will be no wrong door to accessing
  benefits. Clients will have a choice in when,
  where, and how they receive benefits.
• 3. Community partners will provide new avenues
  for accessing services.
• 4. The state and counties will work together to
  make operational improvements, maximize the use
  of technology, and make the service delivery
  system as efficient as possible.
• 5. Customer service, efficiency, and data will
  drive the development of service delivery models
  and the development of staffing roles.
• 6. Counties will retain flexibility in how they
  implement, but outcomes, performance, and a
  positive customer experience will provide the
  ultimate measure of success.
• 7. Accessing benefits will not be a hindrance to
  working families. Service delivery will be
  designed in a way that supports working families
  and their ability to maintain employment.

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Planning Year Activities
Activity Finding
County Operations Review Programs collect much of the same eligibility information Administrative churning occurs frequently Communication across program areas is oftentimes limited
Data Analysis Enrollment has increased significantly in recent years Application processing time varies greatly from county to county Nearly half of recipients receive more than one benefit Many cases denied for procedural reasons More capacity is needed to collect and analyze data
Policy Review Opportunities were identified to streamline policies across programs Policy requirements tend to vary by program, resulting in a confusing application/recertification processes for clients and staff There is no body dedicated to focusing on joint policy development
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Planning Year Activities
Activity Finding
Client Surveys Many clients coming into a DSS office already receive one program, and are applying for another Clients would most like to see shorter wait times, the ability to apply for multiple benefits simultaneously, and receive benefits sooner
County Promising Practices A review of promising new practices in counties led to streamlined services, staff-time savings, and improved client experience Examples included express application Center (Wilson), task management model (McDowell), integrated caseloads (Brunswick), case banking (Mecklenburg), intake teams (Sampson), and electronic document management (Robeson)
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Implementation Overview Action Steps
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Action Step 1 County/State Partnerships

• Formalize and strengthen county and state
  partnerships.
• Develop cross-program state and county leadership
  bodies.
• Economic Policy Governance Board
• Work Support Strategies Committee
• Develop and implement more systemic state-county
  communication process.

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Action Step 2 Organizational Culture

• Develop organizational culture that supports new
  service delivery system.
• Create and implement practice model.
• Continue implementing and monitoring local
  process improvement work.
• Engage staff and supervisors in WSS planning,
  implementing, and monitoring.

a centralized practice model, informed by the
counties themselves, will give the state a much
needed structure for laying out core
requirements, expectations, outcomes, and
consistency in customer experience while
capitalizing on the innovation and expertise of
counties who are implementing best practices.
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Action Step 3 Infrastructure

• Build infrastructure to support new service
  delivery system.
• Drive a focused effort to put infrastructure in
  place.
• Maximize opportunities created by NC FAST.
• Leverage infrastructure created by Health Care
  Reform.
• Design and implement a local approach to No Wrong
  Door.
• Develop and implement a central data security
  plan.

By addressinginfrastructural barriers through a
mindful strategy, we can lay the groundwork for
business process improvements that will
ultimately benefit both the client and county
line staff.
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Action Step 4 Communication

• Communicate vision for a new service delivery
  system.
• Undertake focused communication efforts to
  support/reinforce WSS vision.
• Conduct client education efforts.
• Indentify and implement quick wins.

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Action Step 5 Data

• Increase capacity for data collection and
  analysis.
• Prioritize standard reports currently available
  and streamline state/local reporting.
• Develop WSS dashboard.
• Provide additional resources to counties to
  empower them to optimize data usage on the local
  level.

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Action Step 6 Policies and Procedures

• Reduce burdensome policies and procedures.
• Streamline policies across programs in order to
  reduce the burden on counties and clients
  wherever possible.
• Design and implement a more systemic process to
  execute policy changes, especially those that
  support the new WSS vision for service delivery.
• Charter joint state-county policy and quality
  control work group to develop quality assurance
  practices that support the new vision for service
  delivery.

the cumbersome policies currently in place
result in clients spending a lot of time managing
their benefits rather than working toward
self-sufficiency.
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Action Step 7 Staff Development

• Perform staff development and readiness
  activities.
• Develop and implement a staff development plan
  that includes staff roles, skills, and
  development strategies.
• Develop and implement a staff hiring and
  classification plan that incorporates new,
  required roles and identifies strategies for
  hiring.

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Anticipated Results
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Measures

• The Action Plan includes several quantitative
  targets. Examples
• In the first year, case processing times will be
  reduced by 75.
• Within three years, 75 of programs that support
  working families, including Medicaid, FNS and
  child care cases will be processed in one day.
• Within three years, the percentage of denials for
  procedural reasons in FNS and Medicaid will be
  reduced by 75.
• 100 of staff will have their own professional
  development plan that is addressed and updated on
  a regular basis.

• The Action Plan also includes two major long-term
  goals
• Help families move beyond crisis mode and get
  back on track.
• Maximize client self-sufficiency.

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Implementation Structure
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Implementation Year One Priorities
Team Objective
Data There is a need to begin having intentional conversations about data Asking what it can tell/show us and going beyond the obvious Being able to compare counties to each other and look at historical performance Using data to launch experiments, and Making sure we have the data for strategic and day-to-day decision-making. The goal of this team is to provide staff with the tools identify outcomes and measures as well as ensuring data is easily accessible.
Final Deliverable Data Toolkit for County Staff Final Deliverable Data Toolkit for County Staff
Communications Develop and carry out a targeted communication plan to reinforce the messages of WSS and NCFAST. This effort will be targeted toward County and state staff County commissioners and boards of social services Community partners, and Clients The communication campaign will be built around a specific strategy and take place through various media (including videos, literature, and a website).
Final Deliverable Communication Strategy and Materials Final Deliverable Communication Strategy and Materials
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Implementation Year One Priorities
Team Objective
Practice Model The goal of the practice model is to identify and document core expectations across the state and help empower county agencies to innovate and customize their processes in accordance with the goals of WSS. The practice model will Lay forth initial expectations for counties Define success in terms of customer experience and outcomes, and provide counties with key measures with which to self-assess Provide key competencies for staff (i.e. critical thinking and problem solving skills) Include an implementation/rollout plan for building the infrastructure to support continuous improvement Provide the structure and design for an on-going, sustainable effort.
Final Deliverable Practice Model with Core Expectations Final Deliverable Practice Model with Core Expectations
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How YOU Can Get Involved

• Constantly assess
• How can I serve my clients better?
• What improvements can I make to the way my
  unit/division/department does business
• Solicit and share ideas for improvement
• Participate on an Implementation Team
• Share the message of WSS and NCFAST with staff
• Check for updates on the webpage www.ncwss.com
• Watch the video with staff

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Key Contacts

• Sherry Bradsher

• Erin Henderlight

• Director, Division of Social Services
• sherry.bradsher_at_dhhs.nc.gov

• Project Manager, Public Consulting Group
• ehenderlight_at_pcgus.com

• Judy Lawrence

• State Consultant, Division of Social Services
• judy.lawrence_at_dhhs.nc.gov

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Public Consulting Group, Inc. 148 State Street,
Tenth Floor, Boston, Massachusetts 02109 (617)
426-2026, www.publicconsultinggroup.com