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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 09161997 - C58 TO: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS SE--L F&HS-03 ��'_1- °F Contra FROM: Costa FAMILY AND HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE County DATE: September 8, 1997 SUBJECT: STATUS OF THE GENERAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM SPECIFIC REQUEST(S)OR RECOMMENDATION(S)&BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION RECOMMENDATIONS: 1 . ACCEPT the attached report from the Social Service Director on the status of the implementation of policy changes affecting the General Assistance Program which have previously been approved by the Board of Supervisors. 2. REQUEST the Social Service Director to make a further status report on this subject to the Family and Human Services Committee prior to the end of calendar year 1997. BACKGROUND: On July 8, 1997, the Board of Supervisors approved a report from our Committee which directed the Social Service Director make a further report to our Committee on the status of the General Assistance Program and the tracking of recipients. On September 8, 1997, our Committee met with the Social Service Director, John Cullen and his General Assistance Division Head, John Lee. Mr. Cullen reviewed the attached report with our Committee. The attached report goes through each of the major policy changes approved by the Board of Supervisors and comments on the status of their implementation. These include Shared Housing, the In-kind Value of Health Care, Three Month in Twelve Month Limitation on Eligibility, and Employment Focused Service Delivery System. CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: YES SIGNATURE: RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD CO TTEE APPROVE OTHER `Laq'&_ `7� � / SIGNATURE(S): MARK'DeSAULNIER DONNA-GE BER ACTION OF BOARD ON September 16, 1997 APPR VEDA ECOMMENDED OTHER VOTE OF SUPERVISORS I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE x UNANIMOUS(ABSENT ) AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN AYES: NOES: AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE BOARD ABSENT: ABSTAIN: OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN. ATTESTED September 16, 1997 Contact: PHIL BATCHELOR,CLERK OF THE BOARD OF cc: County Administrator SUPERVISORS AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR Social Service Director County Counsel Sara Hoffman, Senior Deputy County Administratosy ��-�i�/ DEPUTY j F&HS-03 Mr. Cullen also distributed a colored flow chart showing the process an applicant goes through in obtaining General Assistance. Because we have not had enough experience with some of these policy changes to. be able to measure their impact on individuals, we are asking that the Department report back to our Committee again before the end of this calendar year. At that time we will have six months experience with the shared housing grant changes. We will also be in the process of implementing the first group of discontinuances for "three month limit" clients at the end of December and may be able to get an initial sense of the impact this is having on individuals. 1 -2- 1 1Zt�—s E •_L •Off, CONTRA COSTA COUNTY = Social Service Department = v`k John Cullen Director �OST`9`COUIi'� f� DATE: September 3, 1997 TO: Family and Human Servic s Committee FROM: John Cullen, Directo SUBJECT: General Assistance Program On February 25, 1997, the Board of Supervisors adopted Standards of Assistance, and referred the issue to the Family and Human Services Committee for review. In follow-up to your June meeting, the Department is presenting overview information on the status of our General Assistance program changes. This report will cover: 1) Policy changes; 2) Employment focused service delivery system; 3) Staffing ; 4) Facilities; 5) Training. 1. Policy Changes a. Shared Housing Standards of aid for recipients who reside with other non-responsible individuals were reduced in accordance with the formula established by Welfare and Institutions Code section 17001.5 Effective May 1, 1997, the new standards were used to determine the amount of aid each recipient received. Grants are reduced by the following percentages: 1) 15% for the recipient who lives with one nonresponsible person; 2) 20% for the recipient who lives with two nonresponsible persons; 3) 24% for the recipient who lives with three or more nonresponsible persons. Recipients who live with responsible persons are budgeted with those persons and receive grants based on standards for multiple person budget units. Effective April, 1997, for purposes of computing the May, 1997 and continuing grants, the Pegasys Automated Budget Computation module was implemented. Workers enter certain client information and the system computes the grant and prepares the notice of action to the client. ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE: 40 Douglas Drive • Martinez • CA • 94553-4068 • Voice (510) 313-1500 • FAX (510) 313-1575 b. In-kind Value of Health Care This policy has not been implemented, and there are no plans for implementation in the immediate future. The Board directed the Department to return to the Board of Supervisors with any plans to implement Health Care In-Kind Reductions. C. Time-limited Eligibility for Employable Recipient Aid is limited to three months in any twelve month period for able-bodied recipients who are assessed as employable, and who are offered the opportunity to participate in job skills or job training sessions. The implementation date for this policy is September, 1997. We are in the process of identifying all employable recipients, confirming through individual interviews that they are, in fact, employable, and offering the job seeking skills workshop to those who have not already attended the workshop. The time-period for those recipients who are contacted in September will expire December 31, 1997; for those who are contacted in October, the time period will expire January, 31, 1998, and so forth. We currently have approximately 900 employable recipients. We estimate that it will take two to three months to contact them all. 2. Employment focused Service Delivery System Just as Cal-Works -- the state program for families with children -- will focus on self-sufficiency through employment for the adults, we have reemphasized self- sufficiency as the goal of the GA program. It is the Department's plan that eventually all clients, including General Assistance recipients, will be served by the same employment services continuum. In the meantime, GA has already focused on employment services for recipients. Self-sufficiency for General Assistance recipients is in many ways far more attainable than for parents with minor children. There are no child care concerns, and an individual working only 58 hours per month for minimum wage earns more than the monthly GA grant. The Income Disregard program, which exempts a percentage of earnings is available for recipients who get part-time jobs, and who need continuing assistance while they transition to full-time employment. In addition to small cash grants, these individuals will continue to receive services in the area of job retention. September 3, 1997 General Assistance Status Report Page 2 a. Level of employability General Assistance applicants will be evaluated in order to determine their employability. Individual service plans will be developed. Recipients will fall into one of three broad classifications: Level One: Has no verifiable physical or mental disabilities which preclude employment. Level Two: Has a verified physical or mental disability which precludes employment and is expected to last less than twelve months. Level Three: Has a verified physical or mental disability which precludes employment and is expected to last twelve months or more. b. Goals Level One: To assist each recipient to obtain employment prior to the end of the three month time-limited period. Level Two: To assist each recipient to overcome whatever barriers to employment that s/he has, in order that each can find employment as soon as possible when the temporary disability or illness ceases. Level Three: To assist each recipient to obtain SSI or other long-term disability benefits. C. Service Delivery Level One recipients will work with Employment Services staff on their individual service plans. They will continue to participate in the work experience program (workfare). Contra Costa has had the workfare program since 1981. It has-proven to be an effective way to give individuals who have little or no work experience the opportunity to learn and practice work habits. The job seeking skills workshop will be offered to every employable recipient. It consists of five days of classroom training on how to look for a job, how to complete job applications, preparing a resume, interview practice, and so forth. The classroom instruction will be followed by intensive job search activities, and work with the Job Developer. September 3, 1997 General Assistance Status Report Page 3 ti Level Two recipients will work with Case managers/eligibility workers on their service plans which will include monitoring recommended treatment for medical problems. They will meet at least monthly with their case managers, and they will participate in limited duty workfare assignments. Depending on the nature of their disability or illness, they may be required to perform job search or other activities. Workshops will be provided to assist these individuals with preparing themselves for seeking jobs when their illnesses no longer preclude employment. Level Three clients will work with the Disability Case Managers to obtain SSI or other long-term disability benefits. GAADDS: All GA recipients -- regardless of their employability status -- who have substance abuse problems will continue to participate in the General Assistance Alcohol and Drug Diversion Services program. 3. Staffing The only additional staffing is temporary in nature, and will be used to reassess all current recipients to ensure that they are classified correctly with regard to their employability. Those recipients who will be subject to time-limited aid (Level One) will be notified, and will be offered the job seeking skills workshop and job development services. These services will be provided by the temporary staff. Once the caseload review has been completed, the proposed service delivery system will be operated with existing GA staff, plus adding two Assessment Specialists (Social Workers) necessary for ongoing employability assessments and job development. 4. Facilities Space in existing Social Service offices is being modified to accommodate the new service delivery system. In West county, one new building has been occupied on a short-term lease while the office at 3431 Macdonald Avenue undergoes some renovations. Facilities Management is working with Lease Management to secure a temporary location for processing the reassessment of current recipients and an increased number of job seeking skills workshops in Central or East county. September 3, 1997 General Assistance Status Report Page 4 5. Training To date, all General Assistance staff have received "Managing Change" training from Jerry Gaines, Ph.D. This was important to staff whose jobs are being changed by the program redesign, and implementation of new policies. Training has been scheduled for September and October in the areas of: Program Policy Changes; Developing and Managing an Employment-focused Case Plan; and Interviewing and Assessment Skills for Eligibility Workers. Still to be scheduled are: Overview of Substance Abuse Issues, including identifying symptoms; and Assisting the Mentally III. The Department will return to the Family and Human Services in January, 1998 with a report on the first quarter's operations, and the impact these changes have had on the General Assistance clients. September 3, 1997 General Assistance Status Report Page 5 A P J PAGE 1 OF 1 Rev.915197 JMNMP GAFLOW3.997 1 - `"`NCE:':;`:;: G ► A 1 ............ 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