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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 07221997 - SD2 SD.2 THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS OF CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA Adopted this Order on July 22, 1997, by the following vote: AYES: Supervisors Rogers, Uilkema, Gerber, Canciamilla and DeSaulnier NOES: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None SUBJECT: Departmental Performance Report Gary D. Villalba, County Veterans Service Officer, provided the Board with a departmental performance report for the 1996/1997 Fiscal Year. Subsequent to the presentation by Mr. Villalba, the Board took the following action: 1. ACCEPTED departmental performance report from Gary D. Villalba, County Veterans Service Officer. I hereby certify that the foregoing is a true and correct copy of an action taken and entered on the minutes of the Board of Supervisors on the date shown. ATrESTED: July 22, 1997 Phil Batchelor, Clerk of the Board of Supervisors and County Administrator istme Wampler, Deputy Clerk cc: County Administrator County Veterans Service Officer II w 1 I ♦ '3 ,- \® I ` COUl`�'1``� 1997 DEPARTMENT PERFORMANCE REPORT VETERANS SERVICES MAY 1997 GARY D. VILLALBA DIRECTOR, COUNTY VETERANS SERVICE OFFICER 10 DOUGLAS DRIVE, SUITE 100 MARTINEZ, CA 94553 PHONE: 313-1481 FAX: 313-1490 • TABLE OF CONTENTS Page 1. Organizational Chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (i) 2. Section I - Department Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 3. Section II - Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 4. Section III - Customer Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 5. Section IV - Annual Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 6. Section V - Challenges and New Directions . . . . . . . 14 VETERANS SERVICE OFFICE 10 Douglas Drive, #100 Martinez, CA 94553 ORGANIZATIONAL CHART VETERANS SERVICE OFFICER Gary Villalba BRANCH OFFICE VETERANS SERVICE • MANAGER REPRESENTATIVE Jill Martinez Roy Brooks EXECUTIVE CLERK SECRETARY SENIOR LEVEL Debbie Garcia Vicki Turner Management 4 Non-management 1 Total 5 (i) 1997 VETERANS SERVICE DEPARTMENT PERFORMANCE REPORT SECTION I - DEPARTMENT OVERVIEW A. DEPARTMENT RESPONSIBILITIES MISSION STATEMENT The County Veterans Service Office/Officer (CVSO) provides assistance and advocacy to the men and women who served in the Armed Forces of America, their dependents and survivors, and the general public in obtaining benefits and entitlements from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Department of Defense, state and local programs for veterans and their families. A major component of our department is to provide cost- avoidance to the County Departments of Health and Social Services through the County "Welfare Referral Program". (see Section III - Customer Services) B. ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE We have one department division which provides multiple services as detailed in Section III - Customer Services. We have two office locations with the following hours for the public: Main Office: 10 Douglas Drive, Suite 100 Martinez, CA 94553-4078 Phone: 313-1481 Fax: 313-1490 Hours: 8 am to 12 noon and 1 pm to 5 pm • Monday through Friday 1 Branch Office: 100 - 37th Street, Suite 270 Richmond, CA 94805-2179 Phone: 374-3241 Hours: 8 am to 12 noon and 1 pm to 4 pm Days: Tuesday and Thursday SECTION II - RESOURCES A. FINANCIAL RESOURCES BUDGET FY 1996-97: ( 579) Expenditures - Salaries & Employee Benefits = $276,860 Services & Supplies = 13,840 Gross Expenditures = 290,700 Financing - Intergovernmental Revenue = 64,243 Net County Cost = $226,457 FINANCIAL SOURCES: Our department has four funding sources per the Military and Veterans Code of California. 1. Section 972, State Subvention to help fund CVSO. 2. Section 972.1, State Subvention Augmentation to help fund CVSO. 3. Section 972.2, State CVSO fund from sales of special interest veteran license plates through DMV. This program began initial funding distribution in 1996. 4. Section 972.5, California Department of Veterans Affairs (CDVA) contracts with State Department of Health Services for the purposes of obtaining federal 2 • funds for CDVA to distribute to CVSO for workload of Medi-Cal cost-avoidance activities. The above funding sources are paid semi-annually to CVSO per annual audits performed by CDVA in accordance with the California Code of Regulations, Title 12, Sections 450-455. B. PERSONNEL RESOURCES This department has five (5) FTE. (see organization chart) During the past 6 years, our department has lost one (1) FTE and two (2) temporary part-time positions due to budget reductions. These reductions are equivalent to a 29% staff loss. In the recent past, some of the remaining staff have been placed on furlough in order to comply with a balanced budget. C. AFFIRMATIVE ACTION • The Affirmative Action (AA) representation of Veterans Services exceeds the established Contra Costa County goals of the 1990 census labor force and 1996 work force percentages. The Department Head is the AA Officer for our department. The Department AA Plan and Implementation Plan is reviewed periodically with staff and each staff person has a copy of the plans. Discrimination of any kind is the enemy of us all. D. SICK LEAVE SICK LEAVE USAGE - 1996 HOURS HOURS USED ACCRUED # STAFF % USED 76.70 480 5 16.0 3 - 1996 sick leave usage declined by 160.9 hours for a 33.5% improvement. - Employees with zero use of sick leave: 2 (Veterans Service Representative and Department Head) The Department Sick Leave Policy is reviewed frequently with staff and each has a copy. E. STAFF DEVELOPMENT Each employee is evaluated annually (20-year county employees are evaluated every two years) regarding the following performance criteria: productivity, innovation/analysis, organ- ization, communication skills, attendance and other job related subjects. Staff is encouraged to participate in career enhancing activities, county sponsored training and wellness programs. The Department Head and professional staff attend periodic mandatory accreditation training sponsored by the U.S. Depart- ment of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the California Department of Veterans Affairs (CDVA). The Department Head recognizes that the employees of this department are its most important resource. F. AUTOMATION I am pleased to report the recent acquisition of hardware/ software equipment to enhance our efficiency and service to the public. With the support of Phil Batchelor, for which my staff and I are very grateful, we now have the following automation components: - Three new COMPAQ PC's • - One used COMPAQ PC 4 - Hardware upgrade for previously owned IBM PS/2 55 - Software upgrades for all five PC's to include Windows 3.11 Microsoft Word 6.0 and Microsoft Excel - Hewlett Packard laser jet 4 printer This department is on-line with the County WAN/Main Frame for TERM budget program, TAO E-mail and the payroll system. FUTURE GOALS: 1. I have an application/authorization pending with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Central Office, Washington, D.C. to be granted "REMOTE ACCESS" to the national VA computer data files. With Remote Access, we will be able to, via PC/modem, access vital information for client benefit counseling and claims/appeals development. This feature will preclude the current time consuming use of a telephone toll free number. 2. If the FY 1997-98 Department budget enhancement request iis approved, we will be able to acquire the "VET-PRO" software program designed for CVSO work related activities. Vet-Pro includes all pertinent VA forms, State mandated daily and semi- annual reports and other data base features. This program has been approved and sanctioned by the California Department of Veterans Affairs (CDVA) for CVSO use. The annual maintenance contract of$1,500 includes the software with future upgrades, installation/ staff training and perpetual help-line access. SECTION III - CUSTOMER SERVICES A. SERVICE DELIVERY SYSTEM Clients access our services in person at our two office locations, over the phone, via the mail and we also do field visits to residences, hospitals and nursing homes. The following services are provided: 5 - Comprehensive benefit counseling of veteran pro- grams at the federal, state and local level - Claim preparation, procurement of supporting documentation, submission of claim - Claim tracking and review of final determinations - Appeal process review (VA appellate level) and development when appropriate - County Welfare referral (CA-5) program which assists those on public assistance (AFDC, Medi-Cal, Food Stamps and GA) to be referred to our services in the hope of entitlement thereby reducing local county costs - Information and referral services for the following: 1. Crisis intervention 2. Employment 3. Public assistance 4. Social Security 5. Miscellaneous issues The following brief list of programs are a few of the primary entitlements that we assist clients with: a. Disability Compensation (service-connected) b. Disability Pension (non service-connected) c. Dependency Indemnity Compensation (DIC for surviving spouse and children) d. Death Pension (surviving spouse and children) e. VA Medical care f. Education and Dependent Education g. College Tuition Fee Waiver for Dependents h. Vocational Rehabilitation i. Housebound, Aid and Attendance benefits j. Clothing and Dependent Allowances k. Special Adaptive Housing and Auto Grants 1. VA Home Loans and Cal-Vet Home Loans in. VA Life Insurance n. State Veterans Home - Yountville and Barstow o. Burial benefits 6 . A major component of our department workload is the county "welfare referral program" whereby we receive welfare referrals (Form CA-5) from the Department of Social Services (DSS). We process these referrals to determine if any VA monetary benefits are being paid to the welfare applicant/recipient. We notify DSS via the CA-5 confirming monetary payment or non-payment. In addition, we attempt to contact each referral to explore eligibility to all monetary benefit programs and other services for veterans, their dependents and survivors. The results of this program annually provides significant cost-avoidance savings to the Department of Social and Health Services in Contra Costa County. We have little discretion over the number and type of services. Our job is to be thorough with clients to assure access and potential eligibility to an enormous inventory of benefits and services. The only constraints that we face deal with budget. B. CUSTOMER PROFILE Our customers are county residents, the men and women who served honorably in the Armed Forces of America, their dependents and survivors. Current Federal and State Census estimates show approximately 99,083 veterans and 247,708 dependents living in Contra Costa County. There are 5,500 disabled veterans in receipt of VA disability payments in our county. Our customers earned their entitlements through sacrifice and service to our nation during war and peacetime. We are often inspired by the courage and humility of our veterans, especially those who served in combat. We assist daily those who struggle valiantly with their disabilities and pain. We are also hearten by the dignity and grace of surviving spouses who lost their partners in life and children who lost a parent due to the cruelty of war or disability. • Our clients represent all ages, ethnic and socio-economic 7 . backgrounds. Many of our clients are county employees. Some clients may be healthy while many are physically and mentally disabled. We deal with all aspects of disablement and profound bereavement. Some of our clients are hostile and belligerent. We endeavor to be alert, sensitive and compassionate to the needs and concerns of our clients. C. CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIPS It is vital that our staff develop a relationship of trust, respect and confidence with clients. Our work involves sensitive and complex issues that are often very personal in nature. Disability and death are daily reminders of the necessity to foster excellent relation- ships because the results of our work, in terms of monetary benefits and services our clients receive, profoundly impacts their lives for the better. The satisfaction rate of our clients is high. The Board of Supervisors and CAO receive unsolicited letters of appreciation by 0 our clients on a regular basis. Most of our clients view our depart- ment as an effective comprehensive service that gets the job done. The customer demand for our services is constant, essential and, at times, life preserving. Our department was established in the 1940's to accommodate this need and the perpetual high cost of our national defense. We have stood the test of time. SECTION IV - ANNUAL PERFORMANCE A. Performance Indicators The relevant fiscal year indicators listed below reflect signifi- cant county cost-avoidance, high volume of workload and enhance- ment of the Contra Costa economy. This activity is performed by a dedicated staff with limited resources. Therefore, the Veterans Ser- vice Department is cost-effective, efficient and a vital asset for the local economy and the thousands of county residents it services. 8 - Cost-avoidance (VA monetary payments and the savings from the Welfare Referral Program with the Department of Social Services) 1994-95 - # of Clients Medi-Cal (includes AFDC) $1,654,204 - 383 General Assistance (GA) 98,245 - 38 Total $15752,449 - 421 1995-96 - # of Clients Medi-Cal (includes AFDC) $19340,458 - 315 General Assistance (GA) 1595270 - 29 $1,4999728 344 GA cost-avoidance increased by $61,025 during FY 95-96. The decrease in dollar value and number of client awards during FY 95-96 is due to a serious increase in the back-log and delay of VA adjudication processing. The VA back-log of claim/appeals is a national problem with the VA. The above cost-avoidance figures do not reflect the value of significant VA medical care and other services. New Recurring Payments and Lump Sum Payments: 1994-95 - # of Clients 1995-96 - # of Clients $4,9895523 - 1,145 $414189727 - 1,101 Contra Costa CVSO State Ranking of 56 Counties: 1994-95 1995-96 5 10 -Workload Indicators 1994-95 1995-96* Claims/Appeals Filed 19269 15192 Office Interviews 31352 25926 9 Field Interviews 36 46 Incoming Telephone Calls 143,670 115601 Correspondence In 15,038 125394 Correspondence Out 8,682 6,530 Welfare Referrals 25821 3,519 Welfare Referral Claims Filed 113 97 *During 1995-96, Richmond Branch Office was reduced to two days per week due to budget limitation and increased work- load at main office in Martinez. - College Tuition Fee Waiver Program Effective July 1, 1993, the administration and adjudica- tion of the California College Tuition Fee Waiver Program for dependents of service-connected disabled veterans was dele- gated to CVSO's by the California Department of Veterans Affairs (CDVA). Under this program, eligible dependent college students are provided with a CVSO approval letter . which grants the waiver to tuition, incidental and registration fees at the State supported schools of the University of California (UC), State University (CSU) and Community Colleges (CC). A history of our department involvement is provided: Students Approved: 1993-94 1994-95 1995-96 UC - 15 UC - 57 UC - 46 CSU - 25 CSU - 54 CSU - 81 CC - 30 CC - 80 CC - 108 Total 70 191 235 Applications Denied: 6 8 6 10 The following savings have been realized by these students and deserving families just in tuition waiver alone: 1993-94 1994-95 1995-96 $155,850 $4791780 $49402 - Other Significant Indicators a. Veteran Services (CVSO) is an important investment in County government. Using the State Department of Finance estimating techniques and the example of 1995- 96 CVSO generated new cash payments of$4,418,727, it is estimated that $706,996 (16% of total) becomes new new local tax revenue. Historically, the CVSO net county cost has been below $200,000. Therefore, the County has earned an approximate 350% return on its CVSO invest- ment. • Furthermore, Contra Costa County veterans, their dependents, and survivors received $46,078,705 in cash benefits for disability, death, education and life insurance indemnities during 1995-96. The local tax revenue for this period is $7,372,592. Our department is most responsible, through decades of service, for the creation and mainten- ance of this annual cash flow into the County economy and for the betterment of thousands of families. b. Considerable staff time is spent on assisting clients with access to VA/CAL-VET home loans. There has been approximately 4 billion dollars in VA loans in Contra Costa County since 1945. Our office has been the primary source to assist these families with information and eligibility. Dollar amounts for CAL-VET loans in Contra Costa County are unavailable per CAL-VET. The impact on the local banking and construction industries is significant. 11 C. We assist thousands of veterans each year with access and eligibility to VA medical care and related services. We assist veterans to establish VA recognized service-connect- ed disabilities which brings mandatory life time free VA medical care for those conditions. In addition, we help low income and indigent veterans with entitlement to VA medi- cal care. The undocumented cost savings to the county is enormous. B. ACCOMPLISHMENTS Accomplishments for the Veterans Services department are measured in terms of the daily client satisfaction regarding the quality/quantity of service provided. In addition, our department has earned the respect from numerous federal, state and local agencies. The Veterans Services staff, Jill Martinez, Debbie Garcia, Vicki Turner and Roy Brooks, deserve commendation for their daily excellence, dedication and team work. The success of this depart- ment is directly due to their hard work and I am proud to be asso- ciated with them. The following case synopsis is indicative of the compre- hensive, technical and legal expertise the CVSO provides: • Issue: Surviving spouse of veteran comes into our office for general information on burial benefits. CVSO notices that "asbestosis" was a contributing cause of death and primary cause was chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). CVSO asked if vet had exposure to asbestos during military service. The answer was yes. • Claim: CVSO counsels client on all benefits and develops the appropriate claim for Dependency Indemnity Compensation (DIC). DIC is a claim for death benefits based upon death from a service-related disability. Detailed interview takes place, forms are completed and signed, supporting documentation is obtained and 12 • claim is sent to VA Regional Office in Oakland. • VA Decision: VA denies claim based upon no evidence to indicate that deceased veteran acquired COPD or asbestosis during military service or within the presumptive period of one year follow- ing discharge from service. Veteran had no previous claim or rating for a service-connected disability. • Appeal: CVSO advises client of her appeal rights at the appellate level with VA. It is recommended to her that she should appeal. The VA denial and pertinent laws/regulations are reviewed with client. A timely Notice of Disagreement was filed and sub- sequent substantive appeal brief done by CVSO contains the following arguments: 1. Current VA law/regulation provides that service- connected disability and/or death can be granted if the evidence supports that the veteran was exposed to asbestos during military service and further, there was subsequent development of disease, . any time after military service, that is medically proven to be associated with exposure to asbestos. 2. VA did not consider the issue of exposure in its adjudi- cation. Military records and an affidavit written by the veteran prior to his death are consistent to prove that exposure did exist. The veteran was a truck mechanic which required frequent duties to replace, install and adjust brake/clutch systems during World War II. 3. Pathology reports and other medical documentation was submitted to VA to confirm diagnosis of asbestosis with asbestos fibers in the lungs. • Appeal Reversal: VA reverses its decision and grants DIC with current monthly rate of$833.00 effective to date of death. This decision also opens up eligibility to numerous peripheral benefits such as a higher rate for burial reimbursement, education 13 t benefits, VA home loan guaranty and property tax exemption just to name a few. • Case Management: This case took 10 months from initial interview and claim filing to VA appeal decision. During this period, considerable time is spent on claim/appeal development, further inter- views and phone discussions with client and researching medical and other supporting documentation. Our department has, on a continual basis, hundreds of pending claims/appeals many of which are more detailed and complex than the case summary presented in this report. SECTION V - Challenges and New Directions A. Challenges 1. To keep pace with the continued increase workload from the College Fee Waiver Program. 2. To dispel the perception that our client base is in decline. With the current downsizing of the Armed Forces, the demand for our services remains active and normal demand will remain as long as there is a need for national defense. Furthermore, older clients have increased geriatric needs and require special services and benefits to fulfill those needs. Staff visits to hospitals, nursing homes and private homes will continue to increase. When these older veterans do not have access to our services, they will look toward County Health and Social Service Departments to provide them. 3. For the Department Head to continue to perform multiple duties such as program manager, budget officer, personnel office, affirmative action officer, public/media relations, supervisor, full- time veterans service representative and many other miscellaneous tasks all for less than salary parity to many mid-management county positions of lesser responsibility and accountability. 4. The annual challenge for staff to adapt to change in an 14 • environment of perpetual limited resources. 5. There is a challenge for increased competition for general fund dollars among county departments. I can only hope that the Board of Supervisors and CAO will fully assess the merits and value of our department services, our contribution to the cash flow of Contra Costa County and the cost-avoidance activities all detailed in this report. B. New Direction 1. Pilot Project - Our department is being considered for a pilot project contract from the VA Regional Office in Oakland. The purpose of the project is to determine the feasibility of contracting with CVSO's to perform limited VA adjudication functions at the CVSO office location. CVSO - Contra Costa and CVSO - San Francisco are targeted by the VA for this project. At present, there have been only informal discussions between CVSO's and the VA. Should the project move forward and become successful, the follow- ing positive impacts would occur: a. Additional sources of revenue to offset county general fund. b. Anticipated increased workload from the project would be offset by complete access to the VA national computer system (TARGET). The complete access would simplify many of the current CVSO labor intensive duties such as daily multiple toll free telephone calls to access important client related information. Respectfully, Gary Villalba Director, CVSO 15