Spirited debate at government center

By FRITZ MAYER

MONTICELLO, NY - Should one county agency contract for services with another county agency? That was essentially the question being raised in a conversation at a meeting of the Health and Family Services committee on December 13.

The discussion was sparked by a resolution to allow the Department of Family Services (DFS) to pay up to $370,000 to the Center for Workforce Development for “employment and training related services” for DFS clients. It’s a practice that has gone on for years, but lawmaker Leni Binder said maybe it should not continue and that the department might function more efficiently if DFS staffers did the work.

Employment and training services would become a case-management function, and according to Gregory Feicht, the commissioner of DFS, the department staff was not trained or prepared to handle that. “Our eligibility workers are carrying an average 300 to 350 cases each; they cannot do case management at that load. If they were going to do case management, we would need at least eight or nine more employees in that office.”

Binder responded that was “a 10-year-old argument.” She said the department needs more case-management ability, and the issue was being “band-aided.” She added that the issue might be addressed by “…a shifting of staff and a retraining of staff.”

DFS is a massive department with a 2007 budget of $51.5 million. The department has eight units, with responsibilities that include administering Medicaid, overseeing the federal program Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, providing child-protective services, reviews of disability claims and much more. A recent report issued by county manager David Fanslau identified over 50 services the department provides. He also identified dozens of findings and recommendations as to how to improve the department. Regarding the contracts between DFS and other agencies, he said they should be further analyzed to determine if they’re in the best interests of the county.

At one point in the conversation, Feicht defended the department’s practices and record, saying, “Since the advent of welfare reform, working with partners, we’ve managed to reduce the number of people in DFS programs from over 3,000 to 1,550. That’s a result of everybody working together.”

Binder responded, “The fact that we’ve removed people from eligibility lists doesn’t mean that we’ve solved their problems or that they have food and shelter-and that’s the disconnect we are not addressing.”

When lawmaker Jodi Goodman joined the conversation, she took it in a different direction and said that legislators did not have a good understanding of how DFS functions. She said, “I haven’t gotten it for eight years.” She added that when lawmakers see presentations explaining the department, the presentations come across as commercials. “I don’t want any more commercials; I really want to know how things are lined up,” she said.

Hiatt, who is the chair of the committee, said, “It’s nice to see some spirited debate.” But, given the reality that the resolution needs to be passed before the end of the year if DFS is to keep functioning the way it has been, some action needed to be taken.

Lawmakers decided to grant the funding for 60 days and revisit the issue early next year.

Executive Summary

This is the executive summary of the DFS report issued by Fanslau: “The Department of Family Services has operated without any standardized policies and procedures. Examiners and caseworkers, who function with heavy caseloads, have no consistent guidance. There are no internal controls involving case processes, documentation, contract monitoring, reimbursement and correct case coding, as well as no corrective action processes.

“Major consideration should be given to a comprehensive review of each unit focusing on personnel, training and policies and procedures with a focus on succession planning. Programs that avoid costs should be expanded and fiscal and contract monitoring increased to limit county financial responsibility, as well as maximizing state and federal reimbursements. A case management unit should be developed to assist recipients in becoming self-sufficient. The flow of information into the building and among units must be examined and streamlined to assist staff in their functions and reduce agency error.”