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HomeMy WebLinkAbout8-16-2021MINUTES ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF SOCIAL SERVICES August 16, 2021 1 THE ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF SOCIAL SERVICES MET ON MONDAY: August 16, 2021 virtually. BOARD OF SOCIAL SERVICES MEMBERS PRESENT: Tamara Dempsey-Tanner, Pat Garavaglia, Jane Garrett, and Oscar Fleming. GUEST: None. BOARD OF SOCIAL SERVICES MEMBERS ABSENT: Earl McKee. STAFF PRESENT: Nancy Coston, Director; Lindsey Shewmaker, Human Services Manager; and Crystal Mitchell, Child Welfare Manager. I. Call to Order and Introductions DSS Chair, Tamara Dempsey-Tanner, called the meeting to order at 4:00 pm. II. Board Comments Pat Garavaglia asked to be included in any conversations about the holiday program. She also requested additional information about anticipated rent and utility costs once moratoriums are lifted. Nancy Coston responded that staff would include Ms. Garavaglia in holiday meetings and would be addressing some of the anticipated needs in the Recovery Update. III. Public Comments None. IV. Agenda Changes Tamara Dempsey-Tanner added Board Member Update. V. Action Items On a motion by Pat Garavaglia, the Board approved the minutes of July 2021. Tamara Dempsey- Tanner seconded the motion. The motion was carried without dissent. VI. Items for Discussion and/or Decision 1. COVID Impacts on Staff Nancy Coston shared the new County policy on COVID vaccines and testing. Employees who are not vaccinated will be required to take a COVID test weekly and submit results. All staff will be required to work onsite at least one day per week and could be asked to return to work with greater frequency. Both policies go into place on September 1, 2021. 2. Transition to Alliance Health Nancy Coston updated the Board on the transition from Cardinal to Alliance for mental health services. The transition was approved by the State and will go into effect between October and December of this year. Staff will be working with Alliance to make sure there is no service MINUTES ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF SOCIAL SERVICES August 16, 2021 2 disruption for DSS clients. Tamara Dempsey-Tanner asked how many DSS clients are involved. Ms. Coston responded that there are several hundred but fewer who are at high-risk. Ms. Dempsey-Tanner also asked about the funds from Cardinal and the potential impact for this quicker transition. Ms. Coston responded that staff are working on that issue and that there is a potential to lose some of those funds. 3. American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Programs Nancy Coston gave the Board an overview about the recovery funds and programs that are available in North Carolina. One of the big funding sources is HOPE which will pay rental costs for eligible families. Staff shared information on the HOPE Program with the Board. There is a water program also coming to North Carolina called LIWOP. As soon as the State submits their plan and implements the rules, the program will help pay past-due water bills. This program will likely roll out between October and December. The first priority group will be people whose water has been turned off or are at high-risk. The second group is people who are low- income but have managed to continue to pay. There is still a Low-Income Energy Assistance Program and the checks will be bigger than last year. The Crisis Intervention Program maximum amounts have increased from $600 to $1,000 this year. There will also be additional funds loaded for Work First families. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) also updated the Thrifty Food Plan which relates to the amount of benefits available for families on Food and Nutrition Services. The average increase is around $38 per person and is not related to the pandemic. Oscar Fleming asked whether there was a way to track who received the different benefits. Ms. Coston responded that we will be able to track internally some of the programs, but things like HOPE will not be tracked at the County level. 4. Medicaid Audit Lindsey Shewmaker updated the Board on the Medicaid Audit. For the month of June there were four errors, all for the same issue of approving Family Planning Medicaid prior to the disposal of Adult Medicaid applications. 5. Virtual Meetings DSS Board Meetings will continue to be virtual for now. 6. Board Member Update Tamara Dempsey-Tanner shared the scores for DSS Board applicants and the Board discussed how to set up interviews. 7. Director’s Report The Government Alliance for Racial Equity is doing some community presentations. The DSS Board is invited to attend. MINUTES ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF SOCIAL SERVICES August 16, 2021 3 Nancy Coston has been asked to serve on a number of State committees looking at different aspects of DSS programs. Lindsey Shewmaker reminded the Board that Social Services staff run the County’s disaster shelters and has continued to house COVID positive patients currently experiencing homelessness. VII. Announcements Tamara Dempsey-Tanner moved to adjourn the meeting at 5:59 pm. Jane Garrett seconded the motion. The motion was carried without dissent. Submitted by: Nancy Coston, DSS Director Tamara Dempsey-Tanner, Chair