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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 03031987 - T.5 TO BOARD OF SUPERVISORS FROM: R. E. JORNLIN, DIRECTOR SOCIAL SERVICE DEPARTMENT Contra Costa DATE: February 25, 1987 County SUBJECT: APPROVAL OF COUNTY GAIN PLAN FOR FY 1986/87 THROUGH FY 1987/88 SPECIFIC REQUEST(S) OR RECOMMENDATION(S) & BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION I . RECOMMENDED ACTION Approve the County GAIN Plan (County #21-043 ) , as submitted by the Social Service Department, for Fiscal Year 1986/87 through Fiscal Year 1987/88 . II . FINANCIAL IMPACT The GAIN program has no County fiscal impact. However, there will be an impact on the State as the Contra Costa County 1986/87 and 1987/88 GAIN plan budget totals $22 ,660 , 535 . III . REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATION/BACKGROUND The Greater Avenues for Independence (GAIN) program is unique from past work programs. Each GAIN participant is given the responsibility of making choices regarding employment and training that are consistent with his/her education and aptitude and the local labor market demands. Each participant in GAIN will be provided a full range of supportive services to enable him/her to participate in education, training and employment programs, to increase self-esteem and to establish a positive self-image. The ultimate goal of GAIN is unsubsidized employ- ment with the potential of a long-term career for each GAIN participant. GAIN legislation (AB2580) requires that each California county GAIN plan be approved by the County Board of Supervisors after a public hearing is held in accordance with existing county public hearing procedures. We are submitting for your review and approval the Contra Costa County GAIN Plan. This Plan has received full review by members of the public and interested community agencies and represen- tatives. }— CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: X . YES SIGNATURE; RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE APPROVE OTHER SIGNATURE(S): O ���// ACTION OF BOARD ON March 3, 1987 APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED OTHER XX The Board held its hearing on the proposed plan. The following appeared and gave testimony: Robert Jornlin; Shirley Kalinowski, Program Manager; Lee Finney, SEIU Local 535; Art Minor, PIC; Paul Katz, Local 1; Carl Metoyer, l City of Richmond PIC; Ben Takeshita, EDD. The Board REQUESTED the Internal Operations Committee to review the operational aspects of the County GAIN Program; and REQUESTED THE Finance Committee to review the financial considerations of the Plan; and REQUESTED this matter to be brought back to the Board on March 24, 1987. VOTE OF SUPERVISORS "—— I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE X UNANIMOUS (ABSENT I ) 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. ORIG: Social Service Department (Attn: Contracts Unit) cc: County Administrator ATTESTED March 3,_j287 Internal Operations Committee PHIL BATCHELOR. CLERK OF THE BOARD OF Finance Committee SUPERVISORS AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR BY _ DEPUTY M382/7-83 --- -2- GAIN legislation requires that the county welfare department, with the coordination of community college districts, county offices of education and local Private Industry Councils, shall design a package of services to be provided to GAIN participants that reflect local job market needs and resources. Pursuant to the Board' s order on May 29, 1986, the Social Service Department coordinated among various community agencies required to work together as required by GAIN legislation. The Department established a Coordinating Committee, an Advisory Council, and four GAIN committees. The committees developed recommendations which were merged into the GAIN Plan. The members of these committees provided invaluable input for the GAIN plan. Many of their suggestions have been incorporated in the plan. Numerous community agencies have cooperated and coordinated in assisting the Social Service Department in its planning for GAIN. This plan reflects the recommendations of those community agencies as follows: 1. To request GAIN funds for 180 days of transitional (i.e. , after a GAIN participant is employed) child care. Current SDSS- regulations allow only 90 days. (Source of recommendation: Child Care and Supportive Services Committee. ) 2. To request GAIN funds for transitional transportation expenses. ( Source of recom- mendation: Child Care and Supportive Services Committee. ) 3 . To request GAIN funds for an Employment-Motivation Counseling component. (Source of recommendation: all Committees and Advisory Council. ) 4. To request GAIN funds for sick child care and short-term emergency child care. (Source of recommendation: Child Care and Supportive Services Committee. ) 5. To include the courses offered at the Adult Schools, Community Colleges, Private Industry Councils (PIC) , Employment Development Department (EDD) , and Regional Occupational Program (ROP) as required by the State Department of Social Servic- es (SDSS) . We have included information about their existing resource bases, the number of GAIN participants they could serve within their existing resource bases, and the costs for them to provide GAIN contract services. (Source of infor- mation: each agency, Education Committee, and Employment Committee. ) 6. To separate Special Education from Remedial Education and model the Special Education component after the Tri-Selpas Project. (Source of recommendation: Coordinating Committee. ) 7 . To include a Case Manager concept to provide county welfare department GAIN service delivery. (Source of recommendation: Coordinating Committee. ) 8. To request GAIN funds to develop additional child care provider slots and to expand current child care provider slots. (Source of recommendation: Child Care and Supportive Services Committee and Advisory Council. ) 9. To request GAIN funds for car repairs. (Source of recommendation: Child Care and Supportive Services Committee. -3- Several issues regarding the GAIN Plan have been raised. The most significant issues, as understood by the Social Service Department, are presented as follows: GAIN ISSUES ISSUE #1 - CONTRACTING OUTSIDE THE SOCIAL SERVICE DEPARTMENT FOR GAIN SERVICES. The GAIN Plan provides for letting contracts for the education, job training, job development and the employment- motivation counseling components. The Social Service Department will provide the three week Job Club/Job Search component. °Position #1: SEIU 535 and Local 1 stated that the Social Service Department should provide the following services in-house and not contract out: Assessment, Pre-Employment Preparation, the Job Development/ Placement function of the Three-Week Job Club/Job Search component, and Employment- Motivation Counseling. °Position #2: Employment Development Department, (EDD) , the County Private Industry Council (PIC) and City of Richmond Private Industry Council (PIC) stated that this Department should contract out the Three-Week Job Club/Job Search Component rather than conduct it in-house. °Position #3 : County Taxpayers Association supports the proposed mix of contracts and in-house services and has stated they believe we have taken an acceptable "middle of the road" position. They have verbally stated they support the plan as is. °This Department' s Position: We have carefully evaluated all key areas of the program to determine which program compo- nents to keep "in-house" and which to contract out. Based on this evaluation, we have opted to contract out a major portion of the GAIN program. By law we must perform in-house those GAIN activities associated with ongoing Case Management ( i.e. , those activities which will occur regardless of which education/ employment/training component the participant is in [see Attachment #1 for service delivery system] ) , those activities which the State Department of Social Services (SDSS) requires the GAIN administrative agency to not contract out. (See Attachment #2) , and the Three-Week Job Club/Job Search. We believe the Three-Week Job Club/Job Search component is critical to the success of the GAIN program, and therefore we must retain its operational control. We have had success operating this type of employment service in the Targeted Assistance and General Assistance programs. Current SDSS and State EDD policy is that EDD is not the presumptive deliverer of Job Services in GAIN. According to these State agencies, the county welfare department can contract job services out or conduct them in-house. The PICs and EDDs have expressed concern that with GAIN there will be new job developers in the community competing with existing job developers. We have agreed to contract out the job development function of the Three-Week Job Club/ Job Search Workshop. Our assumption is that those agencies already providing job development activities will have the competitive edge in the contract bid process. Therefore, GAIN would not be creating new job developing entities, but would probably be augmenting existing ones. -4- Of the $22,500, 000 proposed GAIN budget, $10,000,000 is earmarked for contracts to outside agencies for education, vocational training, job development, on-the-job training, pre-employment preparation, assessment, grant diversion, etc. Another one quarter or $7, 500,000 of the GAIN budget is for supportive services such as child care, transpor- tation, and ancillary expenses. The amount budgeted for county welfare department costs ( staff costs plus overhead) is $4,500,000. ISSUE #2 - CONTRACT METHODOLOGY GAIN legislation provides that the county welfare depart- ments develop their own contracts. Each county must develop its own plan in accordance with its local needs and resources. The county welfare departments are responsible for service delivery, fiscal responsiveness and contract compliance of all GAIN contracted providers. All GAIN contracts must be competetively bid. °Position #1: The City of Richmond PIC has stated that the Social Service department should enter into a "master contract" with the PICs to administer all the employment/- training functions of GAIN. They would, in turn, contract for, or conduct in-house, the GAIN employment and training programs. This department would then be responsible for monitoring the PICs, rather than a host of contracts with individual agencies. °Position #2: The County Social Service Department and the agencies we were legislatively required to coordinate and cooperate with should designate which existing agencies will be providing which GAIN service components rather than use the competitive RFP process. *This Department' s Position: We must use the RFP process because there is more than one agency in our community which can provide these services. A "master contract" could place the adult schools and other vocational training providers in a potential position of being excluded from providing GAIN employment and training services, should the "master contractor" opt to provide services in-house. We would have to monitor the "master contract" agency and their subcon- tractors. A master contract puts the Social Service Department in the difficult and untenable position of being fiscally responsible for contracts we do not control and for potential audit exceptions the contractors will not assume. The Social Service Department must still be responsible for the correctness of the AFDC grant with all our error rate responsibilities unchanged. This matter becomes crucial if Contra Costa County is to avoid County costs in a program that is supposed to be totally state funded. ISSUE #3 - DUPLICATION OF SERVICES According to SDSS, duplication of services occurs when there are already existing publicly-funded agencies which could provide GAIN services under their existing resource base and the county welfare department opts to not use those agencies but to use GAIN funds to provide those services. °Position #1: There is a need to arrange a coordinated approach to GAIN and not duplicate services. (Note: this subject is usually discussed in terms of Issue #1 or Issue #2 above. ) -5- °This Department's Position: We do not propose to duplicate services. Of those services which may be contracted out (Attachment #2) , this department agreed to contract out all but the Three-Week Job Search Workshop/Job Club plus those activities which are case management by definition. As stated above, it is our assumption that those agencies currently providing GAIN-type services will have the competitive edge in the contract bid process. Therefore GAIN will not be duplicating service systems, but most likely will be augmenting existing ones. ISSUE #4 - NUMBER OF COUNTY WELFARE DEPARTMENT STAFF AND CONCERN ABOUT CLIENTS "FALLING THROUGH THE CRACKS" OF THE GAIN SYSTEM The GAIN Plan provides a number of components to which the GAIN participant will be referred. Legislation requires that participants should not be placed in an unassigned pool while waiting for a scarce resource. *Position #1 : The county welfare department is proposing a staffing level which is too high. This is a sophisticated service delivery system and clients may "fall through the cracks. " °Position #2: FACSAC, Advisory Commission on Employment and Economic Status of Women, East County Regional Prevention Network, and SEIU 535 have all expressed concern that the county welfare department current staff is already overextended and that GAIN must provide adequate additional Social Work staff to accommodate the increase in services mandated by GAIN. °This Department' s Position: We have developed a Case Management approach to GAIN. We determined the number of staff we would need based on a time per task analysis. We broke down each GAIN participant activity to half-hour increments and used that analysis to calculate the number of FTEs (Full-Time Equivalencies) we would need. The counties that have started GAIN have told us that they have grossly underestimated the amount of time case management takes as well as the amount of time GAIN requires of their administrative staff. Several of the counties have informed us that they are revising their staffing numbers to accom- modate their under-projections. In developing our staffing projections we have had the benefit of the experience of these operational counties. COUNTY SOCIAL SERVICE DEPARTMENT' S CONCERNS A. The county welfare department is the administrative agency for the AFDC program of which GAIN is a service component. As such, GAIN falls under the jurisdiction of the Welfare and Institutions Code which identifies the County Welfare Director as the individual responsible and accountable for GAIN administration and operation, along with its regulatory and statutory requirements. B. AB 2580 ( Chapter 1025, Statues of 1985) , the GAIN legislation, has been incorporated into the State Department of Social Services (SDSS) Eligibility and Assistance Standards (EAS 42-700) manual. By inclusion of the GAIN regulations into EAS, the county welfare department is administratively responsible for: 1. Error Rates: GAIN-related errors in AFDC cases will be identified by quality control and will contribute to this County' s. AFDC error rate. -6- 2. Correct AFDC Grant Amounts: GAIN participants are AFDC recipients whose AFDC grant and eligibility may be dependent upon their participation in GAIN. Mandatory GAIN participants will be subject to AFDC financial sanction if they fail/refuse to participate in GAIN without good cause. 3 . Fiscal Sanction: By regulation, the county welfare department is responsible for audit exceptions or fiscal sanctions associated with GAIN. 4. Contract Process: According to MPP 23-602, "Code of Conduct" (draft State regulations for contract- ing) , there would be a conflict of interest -- with possible disciplinary action to be applied for code violation -- should agencies with a potential financial interest be involved in the selection, award, or administration of a contract. The county welfare department must enter into contracts for GAIN services. After contracts are awarded, the county welfare department is responsible for monitoring the GAIN contracts and ensuring provider compliance with contractual requirements. 5. Grant Diversion, Supported Work, and Pre-Emp- loyment Preparation (PREP) Tracking: In these GAIN components, the county welfare department must track the program hours of the GAIN partici- pant. If there are any overpayments due to excess hours of GAIN participation, the Eligibility Worker must conduct complex overpayment calcula- tions. C. GAIN is designed to eventually replace the WIN DEMO service program for AFDC recipients. When GAIN is fully operational, it will be serving approximately 6,000 Contra Costa County AFDC recipients ( 4, 500 mandatory participants and 1, 500 voluntary partici- pants) . . COUNTY SOCIAL SERVICE DEPARTMENT' S CONCLUSION This Department is required by State law, as for our other public assistance programs through our administrative functions, to be responsible for the fiscal, legal, and programmatic liabilities and contract compliance of the GAIN Program. The county welfare department is identified both in legislation and regulation as the agency responsible for administering the AFDC public assistance program and the GAIN service delivery system. The GAIN County Plan as we have written it provides this Department with the tools and system we need to meet our administrative and service delivery mandates. We believe we have developed a GAIN service delivery system which will be of great benefit to our AFDC public assistance recipients and to our community-at-large. We are therefore requesting that the Board approve this plan on March 3 , 1987. -7- V. CONSEQUENCES OF NEGATIVE ACTION Failure to approve the GAIN Plan at this time will delay implementation of program. Further, if this plan is not submitted to SDSS by April 1, 1987, they will not accept it without a Grant Diversion Plan. As SDSS did not originally require a Grant Diversion Plan, the Social Service Department would not be able to resubmit a revised GAIN County Plan which included the Grant Diversion Plan to your Board until June or July. ) REJ/SK/dc Attachs. ( 2) Attachment #1• First Coamonent GAIN SERVICE DELIVERY SYSYTEM 1. Rsediation 2. ZSL 3. Gm zoatsuctlon UP-dlssarel.lnestr lack of pregte". er completion.ocial s I11 Individual loci. Worker.. Clfa ior 4Ppllae 1. f11"Ote for wes'Csl AFDC 2. swum fen 7. advlwr CASES tMalts 4. hater,• a Supportive 1. Job 4M Service Ilseds - 2. Job Search client S. Wow Client to first Sl OP gsaspt Component I Open disesrollm nt. lack of Progress. or If lack of progress or completion, refer disenrollsent. begin back to Social NO good cause daterninstlon yor},ar. - F1 Iproorsa------- ------- `IV GAnd IN Iividual Amt. Assessment Center EW Registers Client 1. Sign Contract Vxvisiou 1. Assessaent Iastrt,xats AM Refers C11eat to GIN 2. Wer to Assessment 2. Develop Employs.". play --------------------- 3. Refer to C61D for If nooparticipatton education/employment/ begin good "use training component. determination process. GAIN Individual Appt. Training Components GAIN Group Orientation 1. Approve 1. Short-term PRPP, VT Employment 1. Overview of CAIN Program PLn OJT. Supported Work, 2. CASAS Test. other training. 2. Arrange Supportive 2. Unsupervised Job Search 3. Rights/Responsibilities Services2. waiting for slot 4. Referral to Social Worker 3• Sign Contract Revision to open._ 4. Refer to next education/ --------------------------- training component Reports Lack to 0613 ---------------------------- when: If lack of progress or 1. Client enrolled disenrollment, begin good cause determination 2. Client disenrolled process. 3. Client completes _ ------------ training GAIN Individual Appt. 4• Employment Information 1. Arrange Supportive 5. cloyment Follow-Up Services 2. Sign Contract Revision 3. Refer to 90 Day Job 90-Day Job Service Services Can be Job Club, -------------------------- Supervised or Unsup- ervised Job Search (based If lack of progress or on client's--- needs) dlsenrollment, begin ----------- good cause determination -------- process. Reports Back to CND when: --------------------------- 1- Client enrolled GAIN Individual Appt. 2. Client disenrolled 1. Arrange Supportive 3. Client employed Services 2. Sign Contract Revision 4• Employment Information S• 90-Days elapsed 3. Refer to Long Term PREP ----------------------------- Long Teri. PREP If lack of progress or Places client in Basic/ disenrollaent, begin Advanced 12-Month PRPP good "use determination Slot. process. Nepo,r hac► to CVD vtr 1. Cllcnt c.,ollcd 2. Client dlac-ullcd 3. Clicot -played 4. tmhloymeni Information r Attachment #2 SERVICES WHICH MAY BE SERVICES WHICH MAY NOT CONTRACTED OUT BE CONTRACTED OUT 1. Job Services 1 . Participant Contract Activities °Contract: Job Development/ Placement and 90-Day Job °Intake and ongoing Services. services case management. °In House: Three-Week Job 2 . Activities Relating to Club/Job Search. Eligibility Determination i.e. , 2. Training Services °Registration (intake °Contract: All training Income Maintenance) programs. °Deferral status ( intake °In House: None and ongoing services case management) 3 . Education Services °Cause Determination °Contract: All education (ongoing services case training programs. management) °In House: None °Conciliations (ongoing services case management) 4. Supportive Services °Imposition of Money °Contract: Child Care Management Sanctions Administration for licensed (ongoing services case care. Develop additional management) licensed child care slots. 3. Activities Relating to °In House: Collect exempt Granting, Termination, or child care information. Modification of Aid Pay- Issue Supportive service ments ( Intake and ongoing payments as on-going case Income Maintenance and management activities ( i.e. , Services case management) child care, transportation, and ancillary expenses) . 5. Assessment Component °Contract• All °In House• None -2- 6. CASAS Literacy Test Administration °Contract- None °In House: This activity will be part of the GAIN Orientation. 7. Money Management Services °Contract: None °In House: This activity will be part of conciliation process for ongoing case management.