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HomeMy WebLinkAboutDSS Board Minutes 052013MINUTES ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF SOCIAL SERVICES May 20, 2013 1 THE ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF SOCIAL SERVICES MET ON MONDAY: May 20, 2013 at the Hillsborough Commons, Hillsborough, North Carolina. BOARD OF SOCIAL SERVICES MEMBERS PRESENT: Pat Garavaglia, Chair; Claire Millar; Arthrell Sanders; and Mark Dorosin. GUEST: None. BOARD OF SOCIAL SERVICES MEMBER ABSENT: None. STAFF PRESENT: Nancy Coston, Director; Denise Shaffer, Assistant Director; Sharron Hinton, Human Services Manager; Louise Moize, Income Maintenance Supervisor; Elizabeth Phillips, Income Maintenance Supervisor; Terri Totherow, Income Maintenance Supervisor; Jonathan Yeomans, Management Analyst; Serena McPherson, Administrative Assistant to the Director; and Joyce Lee, Business Officer. I. Call to Order and Introductions DSS Chair, Pat Garavaglia, called the meeting to order at 4:01 pm. II. Board Comments None. III. Public Comments None. IV. Agenda Changes Nancy Coston asked that Adult Services Update be moved to the June meeting and the NC FAST agenda item be moved to first on the agenda. Lindsey Shewmaker is in a meeting in Raleigh and several of her staff are filling in for her. V. Action Items On a motion by Arthrell Sanders the Board approved the Minutes of March 18, 2013 with one correction. Claire Millar seconded the motion. The motion was carried without dissent. VI. Items for Discussion and/or Decision 1. NC FAST Nancy Coston informed the Board that NC FAST phase one is nearly complete and staff have successfully converted approximately 6,000 Food and Nutrition Services cases. Ms. Coston added that many counties had significant delays in benefit issuance but Orange County was very successful in processing cases. Terri Totherow explained that although there was a significant learning curve and staff began processing cases slowly, most were now very comfortable with the system. She added that staff expect to be caught up and fully meeting all state deadlines and timeframes by the end of the month. MINUTES ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF SOCIAL SERVICES May 20, 2013 2 Jonathan Yeomans presented reviewed the agency’s readiness activities for phases 2 and 6. Elizabeth Phillips gave the Board a handout on universal workers and discussed the universal worker concept and explained to the Board how the agency plans to train current staff to fit this model. Louise Moize gave the Board a handout depicting the new work flow process the agency is working toward implementing. Ms. Coston added that Orange, Johnston, and Chatham counties are pilots for the next phase of NC FAST. Claire Millar asked whether state cuts would impact Food and Nutrition Services benefits. Ms. Coston explained that there is no state or county funds in the benefits so as long as the state plan does not change, eligibility for benefits will not be impacted. 2. Medicaid Transportation Serena McPherson shared the results of the monitoring in Medicaid Transportation. The monitoring was successful and no corrective action is required. She discussed the procedures and policies in the program. Nancy Coston reminded the Board that Serena McPherson has been helping with this as a short term fix. Initially the state planned to release an RFP to manage the program. The state has decided to wait to see if counties can reduce service costs to match the lowest bid. If so, there will be no changes to the current system. Claire Millar asked how many clients are served by the program. Ms. McPherson responded that there are 280 eligible clients and approximately 80-90 are served per month. 3. Budget and Contract Updates Nancy Coston updated the Board on the status of the budget and contracts. She explained that there have been conversations with the county about the legal contract due to Carol Holcomb’s retirement in the next few years. The agreement between Carol Holcomb and the agency involves a transition period over the next three years. For the next two years she will be providing all legal services. In the third year, the agency will hire a staff attorney who will be trained by Ms. Holcomb. Ms. Coston reviewed items in the proposed budget already approved by the Board. She reminded the Board that funding for three time-limited positions were approved by the Commissioners and are included in the budget. She also noted that the agency will manage the pretrial release program beginning next year. Ms. Coston discussed some of the cuts projected for next fiscal year. There is a large reduction in the TANF block grant that will impact child welfare staff. She also noted that the agency is still waiting to hear whether Clair Millar has been reappointed to the Social Services Board. The Board reviewed the outside agency proposals including those recommended in the Manager’s budget. Pat Garavaglia asked questions related to the drug testing bill. Ms. Coston replied that she would follow up with information on the bill. 4. Director’s Report MINUTES ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF SOCIAL SERVICES May 20, 2013 3 Nancy Coston will be on vacation until next Wednesday. There are several budget work sessions scheduled in June. Nancy Coston has been invited to participate at the national meeting on Work Support Strategies paid for by the Ford Foundation. It will be held in Washington, D.C. VII. Announcements The next regular meeting is scheduled for Monday, April 15, 2013 at the Hillsborough Commons, 113 Mayo Street, Hillsborough, North Carolina at 4:00 pm. Claire Millar moved to adjourn the meeting at 4:25pm. Arthrell Sanders seconded the motion. The motion was carried without dissent. Submitted by Nancy Coston Director Pat Garavaglia Chair