Below are a couple of e-mail responses to the request for suggestions on how to improve the Food Stamp accuracy rate.
(Note: E-mail #4 has been added to the bottom of this page.)
Add your own suggestions! Click here to take the Food Stamp survey.
E-mail #1
Hello Director Lombardo-
I think your letter was appropriate and correct. As an Eligibility Tech. III in the Coastal unit I have had the opportunity to review several of our Elig. Tech's cases. I have seen some errors that are overlooked items and some that are glaring errors where speed took precedent. I believe that a lot of the ET's are stressed out and some feel very under the wire to meet deadlines. I have mentioned to some senior management some ways to correct these mistakes.
1) We need to teach organizational management. I was a successful ET because I was organized, things were easy to find and I had a system. This is not an end all cure all however, not everyone can be taught to be organized.
2) Sense of urgency. I have seen this a lot in this department. There is not a sense of urgency. Things may be put off or forgotten. If all ET's would make an eligibility decision within ten minutes of the interview it would save a lot of time. Either Deny, Pend or work the case.
3) Prioritize. What is the most important item that I need to accomplish this morning. Making lists and again organizing.
All Eligibility work needs to be organized and be able for anyone to come in behind the ET to work on their work if they are out sick, vacation, etc. I am a firm believer in positive motivation and skills to reduce stress. At Muldoon, I organized a gym in the building for stress relief. Also, recognition awards and parties. Morale at that time was very high.
I think your approach in asking the ET's is very positive. I have and will always be a firm advocate of our ET's, they are the front line and the people that represent our department to the public.
Thank you for your time,
Kristin Harris
Coastal
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E-mail #2
I know a few things that may help and it's only suggestions. Separate programs.....Like have only FS stay with FS and if TA add on then go to TA workers who know both TA & FS. Also I notice as a Maintenance Worker, when I receive a file I am getting a lot of errors I'm having to correct. When ET's are new it takes about 3 years to really get the hang of it, by then they are so burn't out the production goes down, mainly from too much overload work. The supply does not meet demand stuff.
Also, Look at Seattle Washington program as there really seems to be doing well since the implemented the operation clean sweep. Speak w/WA DHSS if you haven't already.
I believe the less folks that touch the case, the better. This way workers know the case and their needs to be more workers of course.
I believe with all the modern technology that we can implement a different system to help consolidate programs; however, I know that takes money and a major time.
Robin Holmes
DHSS/DPA Eligibility Tech. II
E-mail #3
Hi Tony - Thanks for asking for my ideas.
How can we improve the FS Program accuracy rate?
1. We must make quality work our priority.
2. Staff at all levels must be held accountable.
3. The Administration and Division management must
support our staff by providing the means and time for them to do their
job well.
These are the three things we did 8 - 10 years ago when
we were one of the best in the nation. We received FSP enhanced funding
two years... 1993 and 1995.
Here are some specific ideas...
Standardize work processes at the caseworker level.
A large number of our FSP errors are caused by
the caseworker failing to act on reported information. This indicates
to me that many caseworkers need help in organizing their work to keep
track of reports of change. I propose that we adopt standardized work
processes. Work areas need to be organized the same way so that if a
caseworker is out of the office, a co-worker or supervisor can locate
the work that must be done. There are several caseworkers that are very
organized. Let's utilize their best practices and apply them statewide.
SD&T and Policy must be partners.
Training materials must be reviewed by policy
staff before it is presented to trainees. Ideally, the trainers would
present the training to policy staff before it is presented to staff to
ensure the material used accurately reflects policy and is easily
understood. New worker training materials need to be reviewed by
policy. Policy specialists should attend training sessions regularly.
Staff questions relating to policy received by
SD&T need to be referred to the policy specialists. Questions from
staff are our best measurement of how well our policy is written.
Offices, supervisors, and individual staff must be held
accountable.
Available data indicates that the majority of
our errors are generated by a small number of offices. Furthermore,
data supports that a small number of individual staff commit a large
percentage of the errors.
The managers of these offices and the
supervisors of these individuals must develop corrective action plans
outlining how they will improve and must be held accountable for
successfully implementing the plans. Division management must provide
these managers and supervisors with the means to accomplish the goals
set forth in the plans.
Supervisors need to spend their time
supervising. Conducting case reviews (standard and interactive) are
possibly the best method to gauge a caseworker's abilities and discover
issues that need correction. Supervisors must keep track of their
worker's workload and production. A vacant caseload should never be
allowed to simply sit there waiting for the clients to call asking about
their benefits.
Simplify policy.
Policy staff need to continue their efforts to
align program policies, and where ever possible, use identical language
in the policy manuals. Program policy options that are fair to our
clients and ease the workload for our caseworkers must be pursued and
implemented.
Organize information.
Policy, procedures and processes are in various
places and are often not easily located by staff. We need to utilize
computer technology to assist us in organizing all this information.
Jon Sherwood shared with me a vision he had that was, in essence, a
global index, where a staff member could locate everything on a
particular subject. For example, under the inquiry "child support", the
user would be linked to program manual sections addressing child support
income and deductions, child support cooperation requirements, CSED
processes, CSED contacts. A regional manager would be able to inquire
on his/her region's FSP error rate. All the information we currently
store in manuals, broadcasts, spreadsheets, emails, reports, would be
linked through this "global index system".
Policy manuals need to be kept up-to-date. We
need to add links to the on-line manuals to connect specific manual
sections to related policy broadcasts, Q&As and examples. Staff
wouldn't need to retain policy clarifications because the policy manuals
would provide the answers they are seeking.
I'm hopeful that our FSP error rate will drop and we
will once again be one of the best in the nation. I look forward to my
participation in the DPA Leadership Working Group. Thanks again for
asking for my ideas.
Take care.
Joan
E-mail #4
Dear Director,
My humble suggestions:
1. Retrain the trainers. They have no concept of what it is like working in the field.
2. Make managers accountable for the error rate. Trickle down will force field staff to be accountable.
3. Get the message to the client. Reimplement orientations for ALL public assistance applicants.
4. Have case reviews done by the people who write the performance evaluations. not the ET IIIs.
5. Implement a home visit requirement on all households that have questionable information or who fail to cooperate with CSED and/or work activities.
6. Implement all sections of HB402, focusing on the last sentence of Section 42.
7. Top management needs to visit field offices regularly, to cheer on the troops.
8. Continue to keep communications flowing and encourage staff to speak freely.
Wishing you a dramatic improvement in Alaska's payment accuracy rate, which we can accomplish with a renewed commitment to accountability, I thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Katherine M. Brooks
Fraud Control Unit
Kenai