TRANSFORMING GOVERNMENT

Terre Penn Field Services AdministratorCommunity Services Division

Re-engineering During Economic Turmoil

And Increased Workloads

Background

ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT

1,616,320

1,278,870

209,135

130,625

72,694

72,307

40,642

25,066

3,455

Children’s Administration

DSHS Client Counts*

Economic Services

Medical Assistance

Mental Health

Alcohol & Substance

Aging and Adult Services

Developmental Disabilities

Vocational Rehabilitation

Juvenile Rehabilitation

Washington’s Department of Social & Health Services

Over 18,000 employees

$21.3 billion biennial budget (35% of the State’s total budget)

Over 2 million clients – 1 out of every 4 Washington residents

*2008 Data

Growth

Basic Food 1,033,000 clients | $131 mil. / mo.

+78%

TANF 170,000 clients | $31 mil. / mo. +33%

Disability Lifeline 38,000 cases | $12 mil. / mo. +25%

Child Care 74,000 cases +28%

Medical 608,000 cases +11%

TECHNOLOGYFOUNDATION

Document Management

System

Eligibility Determinatio

nSystem

Case Manageme

nt

Client Interfaces

Call Centers(SW Virtual)

• Benefit Portal (online app.)

• “Answer Phone” IVR (client info)

• Client check-in

The Path to Transformation:

MOTIVATION

IMPACT OF ECONOMIC DECLINE

S S S S S S S S S S S

500,000

600,000

700,000

800,000

900,000

1,000,000

1,100,000

1,200,000

1,300,000

2,000

2,200

2,400

2,600

2,800

3,000

3,200

3,400

Total Caseload to Staffing ComparisonFiscal Years 2000--2010

Tota

l C

ase

load

Tota

l S

taffi

ng

Staffing

CaseloadHir-ing

Freeze

STATE OF AFFAIRS

Inconsistent practices Culture of local office

autonomy – “Our office is different!”

Caseload assignment model

Excessive policies/ procedures

Increased time a family waits for benefits

High case re-work Staff burn-out and

frustration Decreased staff morale High risk for penalties

IMPACTS

CRISIS OPPORTUNITY

3-4 weeks 5-45 min.

Reduced interview wait times

14-18 days 4-8 days

Reduced averagedays to process

96.2%97%

Increased Accuracy

<20%> 90%

Same day benefit determinations

Additional Benefits

Ability to monitor operations in real-time.

Ability to better manage work flow.

Data driven decisions.

Staff actively involved in ongoing process

improvements – Kaizen!

The Path To Transformation:

Our Approach

REDESIGNING THE SERVICE DELIVERY MODEL

APPROACH:1. Business

re-engineering 2. Policy changes &

waivers3. Realigned staff

1. Business Re-engineering Project

Formal project Steering Committee Goals/Guiding Principles Customer, advocate and staff input

2. Policy Changes

New waivers to support business re-engineering: Face-to-face interview waiver Interview scheduling waiver

Already in place: Categorical eligibility Simplified reporting Verify HH composition only when questionable

and not verify shelter Standard utility allowance (low income heating

& energy assistance program – LIHEAP)

3. Staff Re-alignment

Eligibility Workers: 48% 56% Reduced clerical staff eligibility workers Reduced social services staff eligibility

workers Attrition change job classifications Union collaboration

Where Do You Start?

How do you structure a project of this magnitude?

Demand accountability?

Add staff? Add technology? Risk sanctions? Reorganize?

Most Clients Shouldn’t Be In Our Offices In The 1st Place!

70%-80% of clients are not there to apply anyway.

We couldn’t complete it on the first tryWe were late

renewing

We take too long

Our Capacity Is Severely Limited

The key is to reconnect workers with value-added work.

Enable workers to do 1-2 hrs worth of work in 1-2 hrs – not 30 days!

Free the constrained resources

We Needed A New Business Model

OLD MODEL = caseload assignment

NEW MODEL = process management

A NEW FOCUS

Core Business Processes

WHAT CHANGED…

Triage – not treating everyone the same First Contact Resolution Consistent set of business practices

across offices to facilitate sharing of workload

Reduced verification Applied active management

Keys to Re-engineering :

STRATEGIES & TACTICS

1. PROJECT STRUCTURE

Leadership Commitment Strong project management Actively engaged staff at all levels Involved customers and advocates Design teams comprised of local office

staff

2. PROCESS CHANGES

AREA BENEFITS

Online Application 110+ FTE capacity

Same Day Service 250+ FTE capacity

Managing Client Flow (Triage)

Faster processing times; Less client wait times

Managing Case Flow Reduced Processing Times

Standards 140+ FTE capacity

Statewide call center Economies of scale

Keys to Re-engineering:Making It Happen/

Lessons Learned

MAKING IT HAPPEN…

Partnering Communicate, communicate,

communicate! Outside assistance and guidance

Return On Our Investment

Improvement Area $

Office Re-Engineered Processes

$ 7,147,343

Call Centers 21,600,000

Subtotal 28,747,343

Project Costs - 1,798,125

Estimated Total Savings $ 26,949,218

Traditional method to meet need (adding staff) = +$38 million

Reduced SNAP Costs

SFY08 SFY09 SFY100

2,000

4,000

6,000

8,000

10,000

12,000

14,000

$-

$20

$40

$60

$80

$100

$120

$140

$160

7,153

12,071 $136

$109

$64

Average Cost Per SNAP FTEAverage Cases per SNAP FTE Average Cost per SNAP FTE

NOT WITHOUT CHALLENGES

Difficult in the best times Economic situation – amplifies the need for change while making it more difficult

Culture change takes time!

FROM AN EXECUTIVE’S PERSPECTIVE… Reality

Rising caseloads Decreasing budget Limitations of existing business systems

Risks Our common goals

WHAT CLIENTS ARE SAYING

WHAT STAFF ARE SAYING

“We never could have kept up with the increased workload.”

“Standards help us know exactly what other offices are doing so we can respond to clients better.”

“Everything is measured so you know exactly where you are.”

ADAPTING TO YOUR ORGANIZATION

Your operationsare different…• Laws• Policies• Technology• Standards

But our core processes (intake, verifications, and maintenance) are the same!

RESOURCES AVAILABLE

Project information: www.dshs.wa.gov/servicereform

CALFRESH websiteThis presentation plus resource material

Thank you…