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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 10041994 - IO.2 TO: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS 1 .0.-2 S a ,,�••5. `•.•°F Contra INTERNAL OPERATIONS COMMITTEE Costa FROM: A County September 26, 19 9`4 DATE: SUBJECT: PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF THE VETERANS SERVICE DEPARTMENT. SPECIFIC REQUEST(S)OR RECOMMENDATION(S)&'';BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION RECOMMENDATIONS: 1 . ACCEPT the attached report from the Veterans Service Officer, reflecting the response by his Department to our Committee' s request for.' data which will allow us to evaluate the performance of his Department. 2 . EXPRESS the ';Board' s appreciation for the valuable data which was presente„d by the Veterans Service Officer. The data, as far as it goes, seems to clearly point out that this County' s Veterans Service Department is performing at a level which allows the Department to generate many time its General Fund costs in savings to other County Departments, particularly the Social Service and Health Services Departments . 3 . REQUEST the County Administrator to try to design a standardized; format for the presentation of quantitative data which will allow each Department to utilize the same format . for the presentation of comparative data on budget, personnel and performance criteria. BACKGROUND: On June 28, 1994, "the Board of Supervisors referred to the Internal Operations Committee a request to develop a procedure which would allow the Internal Operations Committee to meet with each Department Head during the year and report on the Department' s activities . X CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: YES SIGNATURE: RECOMMENDATION OF C TY A INI TRAT R RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE APPROVE R f. SIGNATURE(S): ACTION OF BOARD ON n( tA]YeT- 4y T.9994 APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED OTHER r d VOTE OF SUPERVISORS I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE UNANIMOUS(ABSENT ) AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN AYES: NOES: AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE BOARD ABSENT: ABSTAINil OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN. ATTESTED OCT ® 4 1994 Contact: PHIL BATCHELOR,CLERK OF THE BOARD OF cc: County Administrator SUPERVISORS AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR Gary Villalba, Veterans Service Officer Sara Hoffman, Senior Deputy County A ' rat BY DEPUTY I .O.-2 On September 26, 1994, our Committee met with Gary Villalba, Veterans Service Officer. Mr. Villalba had supplied the attached report to our Committee in advance so that we had an opportunity to review it before the meeting. We appreciate the information which was supplied, and the fact that the presentation covers each of the important areas we had outlined for these departmental evaluations . The format and content of these presentations is being refined and we understand that a "model" format will be forwarded to all Departments for their use in preparing for these evaluations . We appreciate the performance- based data which is presented in the attached report. It would be helpful to compare the achievements of our County' s Veterans Service Department with those of other similar size counties so we could see how our County compares with other counties . What is helpful in the attached data is the fact that the Veterans Service Department handles a large number of personal contacts and is successful in helping many veterans and their families to obtain benefits which reduce their need to apply for County health and welfare programs .` The only additional request we would make in regard to future presentations is that the quantitative data be presented in a standardized format which allows for easier understanding of the data and for comparison among Departments. In terms of the Veterans Service Department, it would be helpful to have additional information on the budget of the Department and how these financial resources are utilized. 2 a� R 6 WOO 10 WOO 'regUlk �� r mss✓ 1, C�CYH COV�� 1`: ` F — G U � � N t- ,�•{ � �- � � � e� �^U � (ill � d ac�CC)� (1) co o - r, vo � r`r- uta o � � " ,� c �a G) 0 U-, o w4Qo � � p 'r- 03 SU', o a U p � U Cc) C7* 'co w 0- ((WD (ZD �=w m (D c C5D 3CD (OD W W ID co < -0 m 0 0 cn < (n Q 0 M :S� -3 CD cn 0 0 n 3 w 3 (Do (D cn E CD ZY n (D m CD 0 0 :D �� --.D r, l< m 0 0 W cn 0 CO) cn g w < -1 CC CD 0- -0 CD m (D - W m 3 m — 0 3 -n U) CD c; w T) < �L -0 3 cD c,) 0 C) < < C) CD CD 0- 0 m "n CD 0 - a S CD CD co co 0 "n m CD R', =3 0- Z 0 5. W (D @ (C) -_ 2) 0 =:Z CD 0 cl. 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U) CL (D 0) co CD :� R� :3 < 0cn (D CD Fj; 5' 0 (D Fr :r M -0 CD 0 (D (D CD 0 0 z uz cCL 0 0 cn (D D 3 <D (D w 0 :3 D w > C) 0 CL 0 .. i 0 C) (D CL (D w 3 C :7 CL 0 C-- ID - CD n 3 o 0 0 0 0 CD :3 0 3 < ZT 0 ID 0 C:0 _- CL (D (D< CD< ID< ID< CL M, cn co cn (D X ❑ 0 0 D (D CD z Z Z z 0 C) ) 0 5" Veterans Service Off iceGary D. Villalba Contra County Veterans ® 2425 Bisso Lane Costa Service Officer Suite 110 Concord,California 94520-4817 (510)646-5114 County FAX(510)646-5050 ❑ 100 - 37th Street Richmond,California 94805-2179 "s c'•, (510) 374-3241 V Is sr'9 COUNT September 26, 1994 REPORT TO IO COMMITTEE ON DEPARTMENT PERFORMANCE 1 . OVERVIEW 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 federal (VA and DOD) , state and local agencies administering programs for veterans. We offer the 'following services : - Comprehensive benefit counseling - Claim preparation and submission - Claim follow-up to insure final decision - Initiate and develop appeals - Network with federal, state and local agencies - Information and referral services for the following: 1 . Employment 2 . Public assistance 3 . VA medical care 4. Social security 5 . Miscellaneous issues A few of the entitlements programs that we assist clients with are listed in the enclosed office brochure. This represents a short list of the numerous programs and services available to our clients . A major component of our department is the "Welfare Referral Program" whereby we receive an average of 3 ,500 welfare referrals each year from the Department of Social Services for our staff to determine if any VA benefits are being paid to the client and to contact the welfare applicant/recipient to determine if they may be eligible for benefits and services . The results of this program has been documented to result annually in millions of dollars in cost-avoidance savings to the Department of Social and Health Services in Contra Costa County (see item 4, Performance Indicators/Outcomes) . -2- 2 . RESOURCES The remarkable and well documented accomplishments of this department has been achieved by a dedicated staff with MINIMAL RESOURCES. STAFFING: Our department has five ( 5 ) FTE to support two full-time offices in Richmond and Concord. Our Concord office is our central office with three times the workload of the Richmond office. I am the only department head that does not have the daily assistance of an Executive Secretary. My secretary must work in the Richmond office due to previous staff/budget reductions . In addition, the daily public demands for our services requires the full attention of ,my staff and myself which precludes me from having the luxury that many county managers have of just being able to focus on department/program management. I am a full-time worker in addition to being a full-time manager and I spend considerable evening and week-end time conducting department business . FUNDING: We have two primary funding sources : subvention and medi-cal cost-avoidance contracts with the California Department of Veterans Services (CDVA) in Sacramento. A third funding source, the California Veteran License Plate Program, is pending until a threshold;-of 5, 000 plates are sold by December 31 , 1994 . A potential fourth source is the SB 910 funding. I unfortunately do not have the time or resources to research and develop the MOU and time study process with the Department of Health services based upon the above staffing considerations. AUTOMATION: This department has not been allowed the resources to set-up much needed data-base automation. We currently have one PC hook-up to county main-frame for payroll, electronic mail and budget purposes . The online budget is still not working correctly. We also have DW4 word processing capability. AFFIRMATIVE ACTION: We have the best affirmative action record in the county. Recent position vacancy and state-wide recruitment resulted in achieving an affirmative action goal for this year. I am the Affirmative Action (AA) Coordinator for our department and I have -3- developed written AA plans and goals for our department. I conduct periodic staff AA training. I attend the quarterly AA meetings sponsored, by the County AA officer. I believe that discrimination of any kind is the enemy of us all. SICK LEAVE USAGE: County department sick leave percentage comparisons are unfair to a department of our size, 5 FTE . There has never been sick leave abuse in our department and all usage by staff has been justified. I encourage staff participation in wellness programs and I promote physical and mental awareness . I have a written sick leave policy for our department . 3 . CLIENT PROFILE Our clients represent all ages, ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds. 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 . We average approximately 4,500 walk-in clients per year and average around 11',000 incoming public telephone calls per year. In addition, we serve hundreds of clients each year via the mail. (see item 4) The satisfaction rate of our clients is high. We have a wonderful relationship with most clients because the results of our work and the monetary benefits and services they receive profoundly impacts their lives for the better. We cultivate each client relationship with respect and we endeavor to develop trust and confidence as we work with sensitive and complex issues . A persistent comment we hear from clients is "I can not believe that your services are in any way connected with the government. " 4 . PERFORMANCE INDICATORS/OUTCOMES See "Performance/Accomplishment Indicators" for our department dated August 5, 1994 attached, 3 pages. 5. CHALLENGES Survival: As long as I am the CVSO here in Contra Costa County, I will fight for the survival and integrity of our services. I will continue to document and send the message that this department annually provides such incredible revenue into -4- the general fund, a profit far exceeding our general fund cost, and significant annual cost-avoidance activity for the county. In addition, the message that the millions of monetary benefits we obtain and maintain for our clients enhances the local economy and thereby keeps I many of our clients from becoming welfare clients. There seems to be a lot of talk and rhetoric about "reinventing government'" rnment" and I dare say that we have a department, the CVSO, that reinvented government decades ago and it seems to go unnoticed in terms of the quantitative value we have provided for all county departments and the local economy through the years. INCREASED DEMAND FOR SERVICES: There is a perception that our client base is in decline. Nothing could be further from the truth. With the current downsizing of the military, the demand for our services has increased and the normal demand will remain constant as long as there is a military. Furthermore, our older veterans have increased specialized geriatric needs and require services and benefits to fulfill those needs . When these older clients do not have access to these services, they will look toward county health and social services to provide them. 6 . THE FUTURE Strategies to increase the efficiency of our operations becomes difficult, when experiencing limited budget, staffing and automation. However, continued modification of office operations does occur based 'upon frequent review of how we conduct our business . My staff provides excellent input and consensus agreements strengthen the spirit of teamwork within the department. It appears that the future will bring increased competition for general fund :''dollars among county departments. I can only hope that the Board of Supervisors will fully assess the merits and value of our '''department and its low costs and any further reductions would "Pe contrary to common fiscal sense, in my opinion. I wholeheartedly believe that the men and women who served our nation in uniform to protect our precious freedoms so that we and the free world can live in peace and experience liberty certainly deserve access to benefits and services equal to the access that welfare applicants have. -5- Respectfully, Gary Villalba County Veterans Service Officer GV:vat CC: County Administrator Claude Van Marter (9) i Veterans Service office Contra Gary D. Villalba County veterans 2425 Bisso Lane Costa Service Officer Suite 110 Concord,California 94524-4817 646-51 FAX County FAX(510)646-6-5050 ❑ 100 -37th Street Richmond,Califomia 94805-2179 E x ` " (510)374-3241 ATCl�I`� .t oG.,_ .•tjyC rqcoiiK`� August 5, 1994 TO: Phil Batchelor County Administrator FR: Gary Villalba County Veterans Service Officer SJ: Performance/Accomplishment Indicators In response to your memo of July 1, 1994, performance/accomplishment indicators for this department will be based upon prior FY 93-94 annual report of workload activity (Form DVS-16 attached) . Due to our small department size (5 FTE, 2 full-time office locations) and high volume of work activity, the report represents a high standard Of performance, significant county cost avoidance and an unmatched cost-effective program for this county. , The awards part of the report represents successful claims, appeals developed and filed by our staff and successful award decisions during the fiscal year. RELEVANT INDICATORS: 1. Monetary Benefits to the County The monthly amounts on the report may be annualized to determine recurring federal dollar benefits for Contra Costa residents which were the result of our services ($4,173,108) . Add the retroactive/lump sum amounts ($2,064,956) to the monthly for a total. ($6,238,064) . , The State Department of Finance in Sacramento estimates that 16% ($998,090) of this revenue reverts back into the county general fund. Therefore, we make a significant profit over our historical low net county cost for this department while at the same time enhancing the local economy. 2. Welfare Cost Avoidance Monetary awards generated from CA-5 welfare referrals to our offices from the General Assistance (GA) and Medi-Cal (MC) programs are listed on lines 3 and 4, 5 and 6 respectively on the annual report. -6c GA annualized savings = $ 795,456 MC annualized savings = 1,797,514 Total welfare savings = $2,592,970 These above figures do not represent the considerable savings derived from VA medical care provided to county welfare recipients. However, the cost avoidance savings is substantial. 3. Daily Operations Statistics The data listed in the activities portion of the report illustrates the high volume of client contact and paper administration performed by a very efficient and dedicated staff. 4. Home Loans and, VA Medical Services Considerable staff, time is spent on assisting clients with access to VA, CAL- VET home loans and VA medical services. There has been 3.7 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 are unavailable per CAL-VET. In regards to VA medical services, we assist hundreds of veterans each year with access and eligibility. We assist veterans to establish VA recognized service- connected disabilities which brings mandatory life time VA medical care for those conditions. In addition, we help low income and indigent veterans with their entitle- ment to VA medical care. The undocumented cost savings to the county is enormous. 5. Affirmative Action The following affirmative action goals were achieved this past year: - Selection of a minority candidate to fill vacant position of Veterans Service Representative in Concord office. - Promotion of female to the Veterans Service Branch Office Manager position in Richmond office In conclusion, I wish to emphasize that the annual report of performance does not account for a multitude of daily time consuming staff activities associated with our services. A few examples are as follows: 1. Comprehensive benefit counseling of federal, state and local programs for veterans, their dependents and survivors. 2. Claims and appeals development. Extra time needed for research of appeals. 3. Crisis intervention and client conflict resolution. 4. High volume of incoming/outgoing public phone calls. 5. High volume of incoming/outgoing mail and correspondence. 6. Time to examine frequent law and regulation changes. 7. Staff training and public outreach. Thank you. .f : •' STATE OF CALIFORNIA - DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS DIVISION OF VETERANS SERVICES County of Contra Costa Annual Report FY; 1993-94 County Veteran Service Officer's report to the State Department of Veterans Affairs,Division of Veterans Services, of assistance to veterans,their dependents and survivors In presenting and pursuing service claims against the United States and establishing rights to any privileges,preferences,care,or compensation provided by the laws of the United States or of the Individual states therein. RETROACTIVE MONTHLY AWARDS NUMBER OR AMOUNTS LUMP SUM AMOUNTS 1.TOTAL(NON-WELFARE) (DVS-20) 398 $865,038. $141:519. 2.TOTAL LUMP SUM (NON-WELFARE) K:;, >::: (DVS-20) 333 1,081,828. 3.TOTAL(GENERAL WELFARE) (DVS-20) 10 21,000. 4,792. 4.TOTAL PRIOR AWARDS VERIFIED (GENERAL WELFARE) (DVS-20) 59,746. 5.TOTAL(MEDT-CAL) (DVS-20 MC) 76 97,090. 17,570. 6. TOTAL PRIOR AWARDS VERIFIED ��• �:�' �'����'ya����\'�:�<: ��':�• .� (MEDI-CAL DVS-20 MC ) ( ) 268 �'\\tiS>iti\C�:�,,,\����.\`'\''ti,��.ti,,�.,4\\�:'`.i•'.,�:'\ 124 132. ACTIVITIES NUMBER 7.BENEFIT CLAIMS FILED (DVS-19 COL. 1) 1,577 8. CA-5 VERIFICATIONS (MEDI-CAL) (DVS-19 COL.2) 1,787 9. MAINTENANCE OF BENEFITS (MEDI-CAL) (DVS-19 COL.3) 37 10. CLAIMS OPENED/RE-OPENED (MEDI-CAL) (DVS-19 COL.4) 97 11.TOTAL WORKLOAD UNITS (MEDI-CAL) (DVS-19 COL.5) 2,942 12. CA-5/HOUSING VERIFICATIONS (GENERAL WELFARE) (DVS-19 COL.7) 863 13. SSI VERIFICATIONS (GENERAL WELFARE) (DVS-19 COL.8) 83 14. CLAIMS OPENED/RE-OPENED (GENERAL WELFARE) (DVS-19 COL.9) 52 i hereby certify that the above Is a true and correct report for the 12 month period ending June 30 1994.rendered In accordance with the provisions of the agreement between the Department of Veterans Affairs,Division of Veterans Services and Contra Costa County. Date July 30 1994 (Signed): Gary Villalba DVS-16 /92 County Veteran Service Offileer , Office Interviews• 4,013 Correspondence In: 16,073 Welfare Referrals Rec d: 2,72w Field Interviews:• 26 t;orrespondenL. Out: 9,353 Resulting Claims Filed: lsr`/ Telephone Calls: 14,955 Misc. Forms Filed: 3,722 'gag ' WOO- 0.000 IAN AlOP i 43) I� ,4 'O v a � d a U G U � U r- a r dJ ct a CO 44 m �' U © � C ® � '_0co oar © � m o vl o� afi Ear _ a N � G6"� U or,C,3-)N U ¢ 7 0 • C Z Z Z Z a, o o Cj Y X (n U) Cl) U) O C ca j ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ _T O` O T > O cf > Q C O O o CO O U m U C O) C in ai o c a> iii Eo � m � ❑' E C co T . co > O UO U CL"- U U c- ca C ❑Z5 0 — i _0 0 0 � .. Q — T co O Cca O dj p C w N O •• I,i aj EO -0 m � Z ro U cn U 0) U c` a_ - X Z O rU 5 .. N — C .a C U o '« N _ a p .o � �,. 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