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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 08062013 - D.1RECOMMENDATION(S): Accept a report from the Employment and Human Services Director on the process used to hire the first wave of employees at the Covered California Call Center, and lessons learned. FISCAL IMPACT: No fiscal impact. Informational only. BACKGROUND: On March 15, 2013, after a process lasting nearly six months, the Board of Supervisors approved a contract with the State of California to operate one of three Covered California Call Centers under the Affordable Care Act. The other two call centers will be operated by the State. Since that time, the Employment and Human Services Department (EHSD), Human Resources Department, and County Administrator's Office have been collaborating on an expedited process for hiring staff for the Contra Costa County Covered California Call Center. This process consists of creating new classifications; meeting with labor representatives of Local 1021, Local 512, Local 2700, and Local 21; completing the recruitment and examination process for six classifications; interviewing approximately 600 candidates; and selecting and hiring 152 staff thus far. The Call Center will be required to accept calls for 59 hours a week, Monday through Saturday. During the Affordable Care Act’s initial annual enrollment period (from October 1, 2013 through March 31, 2014), the Call Center will extend its hours to 72 hours per week Monday through Saturday. The plan and budget for the Call Center is to staff the core 40 hours with permanent full-time staff and the extended hours, i.e. those past 40, with permanent-intermittent employees. Permanent-intermittent employees will be used to ensure adequate coverage for APPROVE OTHER RECOMMENDATION OF CNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE Action of Board On: 08/06/2013 APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED OTHER Clerks Notes: VOTE OF SUPERVISORS AYE:John Gioia, District I Supervisor Candace Andersen, District II Supervisor Mary N. Piepho, District III Supervisor Karen Mitchoff, District IV Supervisor Federal D. Glover, District V Supervisor Contact: Dorothy Sansoe, 925-335-1009 I hereby certify that this is a true and correct copy of an action taken and entered on the minutes of the Board of Supervisors on the date shown. ATTESTED: August 6, 2013 David Twa, County Administrator and Clerk of the Board of Supervisors By: , Deputy cc: D.1 To:Board of Supervisors From:Kathy Gallagher, Employment & Human Services Director Date:August 6, 2013 Contra Costa County Subject:Call Center Staffing vacation, sick leave, etc., behind the full-time employees during the normal hours of operation and provide full coverage during the extended hours during open enrollment. With no template or model to follow, the Department has partnered with the State to keep the development of the Call Center moving forward and within the mandated timeline. Despite the myriad of challenges that have cropped up during the process, the Contra Costa County Covered California Call Center has met all contractual performance benchmarks and deadlines to become operational and staff, and is the first call center in the State to have employees on board, being trained and prepared to begin answering questions from the public in August 2013. BACKGROUND: (CONT'D) Process The hiring process was very successful, culminating in 152 customer service agents starting work on July 10, 2013, and starting training on July 15, 2013. This has been accomplished in spite of false starts, missteps, and schedule changes by the State that are inherent in and expected as part of a new national initiative of this size and magnitude. The State contract requires a certain staffing pattern at its service centers and this requirement also applies to the County’s Call Center. EHSD was required to have staff fully trained and engaged in the pilot by August 1, 2013. Based on this EHSD originally planned to hire employees by July 1, 2013. This included 180 Customer Service Agents (both permanent full-time and permanent-intermittent). This deadline was later changed by the State and the County was directed to hire staff in “waves,” and to have the first wave of staff hired and ready to start training by July 15, 2013. The State experienced problems with their hiring process for their two Covered California Call Centers and was not able to successfully hire employees as early as they had originally planned. Due to these problems, the State requested that EHSD increase the number of staff hired during the first wave. Fortunately, due to the success of our hiring process, we were in a position to be able to accommodate the State’s request. Attached is a chart (Attachment A) which shows the recruitment effort. Some highlights are: 7,457 applications received Six civil service examinations 1,947 applicants passed the examination process and were placed on the employment lists of which 721 indicated that they would be interested in either part-time or intermittent work Approximately 600 interviews were conducted for the Customer Service Agent positions alone 152 new Customer Service Agents were hired and started on the same date Customer Service Agent (CSA) I's and II's had the largest candidate pools - 4,324 for CSA I and 2,014 for CSA II. The exam process for these two classifications included: Identifying and obtaining a testing tool that adequately examined an applicant’s computer skills.1. Identifying and obtaining a bi-lingual testing tool for those applicants who indicated that they were Spanish speaking. 2. Identifying and equipping an adequate testing facility.3. Proctoring and administering the test to over 6,000 candidates.4. The Employment and Human Services Department offered interviews to approximately 600 CSA I and CSA II candidates over a two-week period in June. Staff started contacting the candidates and making job offers on June 26, 2013. Due to the large volume of candidates to be contacted, phone calls became necessary starting June 27, 2013. Program staff assisted the Personnel Office staff with these calls. At 8:00 a.m. on July 10, 2013, 152 Customer Service Agent I's and II's reported to work at the new Contra Costa County Covered California Call Center. Given the breadth and extent of the Call Center recruitment; the enormous interest and response of applicants; the short timeframe by which to test, interview, select, conduct background checks, and make employment offers and hire individuals by July 10; the hiring process for the Call Center was very successful and relatively few complaints were received. In re-reviewing the hiring, selection, and notification process; it has been noted that definite process improvements can be made which will be incorporated in future hiring waves. These process improvements and “lessons learned” will also best prepare and address the variety of factors experienced in this first wave of hiring, if these should occur in the future, including the incredibly large number of applicants interested in these jobs; changes by the State that impacted our schedule and plans; and a very short time period in which to contact applicants and make job offers. Employee Benefits: A major concern that has been voiced by a variety of individuals involves the health benefits offered to the permanent-intermittent staff. The benefits offered are controlled by a number of documents, including the Personnel Management Regulations and the agreements with labor representatives. Under the current memorandum of understanding (MOU) with labor representatives, County employees are offered a variety of benefits, including subsidized health care. Under the MOUs with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 1021 (Customer Service Agent I’s and II’s) and American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Local 512 (Customer Service Supervisor), permanent-intermittent employees may participate in the health care plans the County offers to its full-time employees. However, the permanent-intermittent employee will be responsible for paying 100% of the monthly premium for the plan they choose. These plans are administered by the County Human Resources Department. In addition, the MOUs currently provide permanent-intermittent employees an alternative to the health care plans offered by the Human Resources Department. Part-time and permanent-intermittent employees may enroll in Contra Costa Health Plan (CCHP) Plan A-2. A permanent-intermittent employee is eligible to receive a monthly premium subsidy for enrollment in CCHP Plan A-2 when certain conditions are met. For example the employee must have worked 3 continuous months at an average of 50% time per month. Informational packets are automatically sent to new permanent-intermittent employees by CCHP. Conclusion Staff from the Employment and Human Services Department, Human Resources Department, and County Administrator’s Office have met with permanent-intermittent employees at the Call Center to answer their questions. The attached “Frequently Answered Questions” was distributed. Additional questions were raise and those that could not be answered on the spot were taken down and will be answered as quickly as possible. The employees also made a number of recommendations and suggestions that will be investigated and those that can be implemented will be. Process improvements have been identified and will be incorporated in future hiring. CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION: The public and the Board will continue to have questions regarding the process. CHILDREN'S IMPACT STATEMENT: Not applicable. CLERK'S ADDENDUM Speaker: Lois McKinney, SEIU Local 1021. ACCEPTED the report as presented; and DIRECTED staff to return with a report by the end of September, outlining an action plan to transition those employees hired as part-time or permanent-intermittent and were under the impression that they would be employed full-time in that category. ATTACHMENTS Attachment A Frequently Asked Questions Contra Costa County Covered California Call Center Frequently Asked Questions Regarding Permanent Intermittent Employment Note: The Contra Costa County Covered California Call Center is made possible by the Affordable Care Act and federal funds that are provided the State. In turn, the State has a contract with Contra Costa County to operate one of its call centers. The State of California establishes the standards under which the call center is to operate. 1. Is there a probationary period, and if so, how long is it? Yes, there is a probationary period for all employees. For a permanent-intermittent Customer Service Agent I and II the period is the successful completion of 1,040 hours worked. The probation period for a permanent-intermittent Customer Service Supervisor is 1,500 hours. 2. Will I receive health insurance benefits? Under the current memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 1021 (Customer Service Agent I’s and II’s) and American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Local 512 (Customer Service Supervisor), permanent-intermittent employees may participate in the health plans the County offers to its full-time employees. The permanent-intermittent employee will be responsible for paying 100% of the monthly premium for the plan they choose. These plans are administered by the County Human Resources Department. In addition, the MOU’s currently provide permanent-intermittent employees an alternative to the health care plans offered by the Human Resources Department. Part time and permanent-intermittent employees may enroll in Contra Costa Health Plan (CCHP) Plan A-2. A permanent-intermittent employee is eligible to receive a monthly premium subsidy for enrollment in CCHP Plan A-2 when certain conditions are met. For example the employee must have worked 3 continuous months at an average of 50% time per month. Informational packets are automatically sent to new permanent-intermittent employees by CCHP. To enroll in this plan, the employee must contact the Contra Costa Health Plan directly at 1-800-211-8040. Please note that the County is currently in negotiations with both SEIU Local 1021 and AFSCME Local 512. The agreements reached in these negotiations may impact health care eligibility and the employee’s share of costs. 3. When will I receive my confirmation letter? Soon. The Employment and Human Services Department’s Personnel Office is in the process of preparing letters which will be mailed to you in the next few days. 4. Do I need to sign an acceptance letter? No, confirmation letters do not need to be signed. 5. When will I know my work schedule? Required staffing levels are determined by the State and given to the County for specific scheduling. Thus far, and subject to change by the State, the County has been directed to plan for having 90 Customer Service Agents (both I and II) on duty during the call center’s hours of operation. The hours of operation during open enrollment are 72 hours per week; otherwise the center is normally open 59 hours per week. The initial training period is not considered normal operating hours, so the hours have been 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.. We will be requesting that all Call Center employees complete a shift questionnaire identifying their preferred shifts. While we cannot guarantee that all employees will receive their first choice, we will take each employee’s preferences into account. As we’ve already experienced, opening the Call Center is a dynamic process with changes being made frequently. Direction is received from the State often – sometimes more than daily. However, we are advised by the State that required staffing levels for normal and open enrollment periods will be provided to the County in advance. It is our intent to provide work schedules to employees as early as possible. There will be changes necessitated by illness and direction from the State but our intent will be to provide schedules as early as possible. Work load requirements, and unplanned absences could require the adjustment of schedules. When practical this would be accomplished by asking permanent- intermittent employees to work. 6. Can employment status change, if so how? Yes, employment status may change under certain circumstances. The county’s personnel rules, policies and practices are governed by ordinance, resolution, and memoranda of understanding (MOUs) with the county’s recognized employee organizations. While it is not possible to provide a complete description of the different ways a status could change, some important examples are: Employees may be reassigned from a permanent-intermittent position to a full- time position within the same classification. As full-time positions become available, the Department will use a five (5) business day bid process to solicit employee’s interest in a reassignment. Re-assignments will be based on an interview, seniority, and current performance. If the employee has not completed the probationary period, they will be credited for the hours completed while a permanent-intermittent employee towards the completion of probation as a full- time employee. An employee who has completed the probationary period may request a transfer to a different classification for which they possess the minimum qualifications and where the top step of the salary range is within 5% of the top step of the current classification. If an employee transfers to a different classification, a probationary period will apply. Permanent-intermittent employees who have completed the probationary period may request to be considered for a vacancy in the same classification in a different department. Please note: the classifications of Exchange Customer Service Agent I, II, and Exchange Customer Service Supervisor are specific to the Employment and Health Services Department. Also note that any individual may apply for an open examination for a classification for which they are eligible, regardless of their current employment status, and compete through the normal recruitment process. 7. I thought I was applying for a full-time job, but the job offered is permanent- intermittent, how did that happen? It is very possible that individuals were primarily interested in a full-time, benefited position but have been offered a permanent-intermittent position. The mix of permanent full-time and intermittent was the subject of negotiations with the State and approval by both the State and Board of Supervisors. The mix is not arbitrary but a plan arrived at to meet the state’s anticipated workloads and staffing needs. Some individuals may have preferred a permanent full-time position to a permanent- intermittent position. Those offered intermittent positions indicated on their application and/or the supplemental questionnaire a willingness to be considered for such a position. We are working to clarify any misunderstandings and answer as many questions as possible in an effort to move forward. 8. When more CSA II’s are hired will they consider people who were hired as CSA I’s but whom are also on the CSA II list? Yes. In that instance applicants would be considered in the order they appear on the certified eligible list for the CSA II classification. 9. When will I receive Bi-lingual pay? A salary differential of $100.00 a month (prorated for employees working less than full-time) shall be paid to employees who are certified as bilingual. The employee must be proficient in the language as determined by the County’s Human Resources Department. It is anticipated that the Call Center will need a number of bilingual Customer Service Agents. However, that time has not yet arrived and is not anticipated to arrive until the Call Center starts taking calls from the public. This may be as early as August 19, 2013. More information will be provided to bilingual Customer Service Agents on how to qualify for the bilingual differential in the weeks ahead. 10. All job listings for this position explicitly stated full-time only, I feel I was deceived. The job listing on the County’s Human Resources Department website listed the job as full-time; however, it should have also indicated that permanent-intermittent positions were available. The supplemental application that all applicants completed asked the applicant if they wanted to be considered for part time or intermittent work. This was asked because it was known that a number of the positions would be less than full-time, as required by the contract with the State. By indicating interest in working full-time or permanent-intermittent, the applicant was then considered for both types of positions at time of appointment. This was a very competitive process, with over 6,000 applications received for these positions. In addition, materials that were distributed to solicit qualified applicants indicated that both full and part time positions were available. These frequently asked questions and responses will not address all questions or specific individual circumstances. It is an attempt to address questions or comments that we have heard more than once. If your question is not addressed here you are invited to bring it to the Call Center Manager’s attention and we will try to respond to it as quickly as possible. ATTACHMENT A HEALTH BENEFIT EXCHANGE RECRUITMENT    # Applications Received GRAND TOTALS Ex CSA I Ex CSA II Ex Quality Ass Monitor Ex Quality Control Manager Ex CS Supervisor Ex Call Center Training Coordinator Clerk –Experienced Level Clerical Supervisor SecretaryCenter Manager Personnel Services Assistant III # Apps Rec 7,457 4,324 2,014 70896209106###### Apps Accepted 3,811 3,012 557 116265347###### on the Eligible List 1,947 1,367 338 116265347###### Spanish Speaking on the Eligible List 167 146 21 N/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/ANumber of Positions in each Classification 203 135 45 1112141111Number of Permanent Employees Hired 115 75 29 106101011Number of intermittent employees hired 45 43  0 002 000000# Employment lists already existed for these classifications, so an examination was not conducted.