What's Happenin'?

The Division of Public Assistance staff continue to embrace the principles of Business Process Redesign (BPR) by effectively and successfully following the principles!

What’s Happenin’ with Statewide BPR efforts?

Your daily efforts are directly impacting our Customer Interactions with every client you see! By taking care of the customers entering DPA through the various access points (lobby, mail, and fax) with one touch resolution, this reduces multiple customer contacts. Approximately 8 out of 10 (80%) customers receive a decision to their eligibility of benefits during the first contact with us. Remember, this is the most effective strategy to eliminate unnecessary touches and repeat client contacts to address customer needs at the onset of the request whenever possible. Keep up the great work of approving/denying eligibility during our first contact!

Reducing Rework is another strategy staff are focused on which is building trust as they all work to embrace the consistency tools. Although working backlog items is challenging, you are championing along! Because Customers Have Different Needs, Office Assistant staff is effectively triaging customer needs and placing them in the specific process track. This is allowing eligibility staff to work with specific types of work with appropriate service time and providing good customer service. Using Real-Time Data allows leadership to be fluid with staff assignments and to properly forecast work demands.

FNS was recently in Alaska assessing the BPR progress and were very complimentary of the progress you have made since their last visit. Staff also expressed their enthusiasm with completing the process because they are able to see the progress they are making as a state.

What’s Happenin’ with Statewide Backlog Effort?

The Backlog Domain is a mix of MatSu and Coastal Regional backlog work. It is comprised of Food Stamps, APA, Medicaid, Temporary Assistance, General Relief Assistance and Senior Benefits applications and recertification/reviews. It also has any verifications for pended programs and any report of change for the programs we offer. The Backlog Team started working systematically through PathOS, first with our application tracks of all programs. Once this was completed, we then focused on the many urgent need cases that were backlogged.

The focus of the backlog team shifted in June towards a Statewide goal of working Food Stamp applications and recertifications, including those that had been pended previously and were 28 days or older. The backlog team cleared these in a matter of two weeks’ time! The team has started working the backlog of Medicaid applications and renewals for MatSu and Coastal Regions. By working from our internal system (PathOs), this ensures we are working everything a client has submitted to us so that when the case is completed, all backlog and current items have been handled and the client is completely cared for.

The backlog team is touching about 350-400 cases per day. At this rate they will have renewals completed by the end of August. The original Backlog Plan projected MatSu and Coastal backlog to be completed in 9 months. At the rate they are working they will be done in approximately 6 months! Yay! AND THANK YOU!

Please look at specifics on the backlog initiative data from 7/16/17 through 8/15/17, showing the progress we’ve made statewide.