Last month the Policy and Program Development Team had their Lean Kaizen Event. As a result this summer and fall we are implementing radical process improvements to meet the needs of our customers.
Here are some improvements we can all look forward to right away:
• Monthly manual changes
• Shorter turnaround time in implementing new and revised policies suggested by field staff
• Increased collaboration with the field and other DPA support teams to create more effective and useful policies
But the biggest improvement on the horizon, and the one thing that all our stakeholders have asked for, is ONE MANUAL.
The Policy and Program Development Team, with help and input from the field and other support teams, will be moving Food Stamps, Medicaid, Adult Public Assistance, and Temporary Assistance into a single integrated manual. We will also do our best to include polices for other benefit programs that the Policy & Program Development Team maintain, including General Relief, CAMA, and Senior Benefits.
This Fall we will be conducting focus groups to help us design the new ONE MANUAL. We will be asking representatives from the field and other DPA support teams to come together to consider options and brainstorm ideas on how best to organize and present the vast amount of information that will be integrated into this manual. Our goal is to create a manual that is easy to read and easy to search through – ONE MANUAL to make understanding policy and finding answers to your policy questions as simple and straightforward as we can make it.
This project is immense! Every single bit of information in 7 manuals must be coordinated, combined, and condensed. Every notice for affected programs must be updated with new manual references. DPA materials that reference current policy manuals such as training materials and job aids will also need to updated.
The Policy and Program Development Team is looking forward to providing you, our customers, with what you have told us you need… and with your input, help and support we hope to post the ONE MANUAL on DPAweb in January 2012!
Erin Walker-Tolles
Chief of Policy & Program Development
Division of Public Assistance