Title
Receive and accept the quarterly report of expenditures and caseload data for the Department of Social Services.
Report
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the Board of Supervisors:
Receive and accept the quarterly report of expenditures and caseload data for the Department of Social Services.
SUMMARYDISCUSSION:
The attached report represents actual caseload and expenditure data through October 2017. The report compares data month-to-month and year-to-year for three years. In addition to administrative costs, the programs highlighted are:
• General Assistance CalWORKs
• Medi-Cal CalFresh (Food Stamps)
• In-Home Support Services (IHSS) Out-of-Home Care (Foster Care and
Adoptions)
ü General Assistance (GA) program caseload data reflects an increase and is at 427 individuals. This represents a 5.43% increase over last year at the same time. This can be attributed to the benefit enhancements implemented in August 2017. Expenditures are also up by an average of 44.7% when compared to last year. This increase was anticipated when the benefits changes were presented for approval to the Board of Supervisors.
ü CalWORKs caseload decreased from 3,538 in July 2017 to 3,296 in October 2017. This reflects the typical summer seasonal trend when applications for assistance and active cases decrease. However, from a year to year perspective, there is an overall caseload decline of 10.1% from this time last year.
ü Medi-Cal caseload slightly decreased to 74,571 from 74,788 in July 2017. However, this reflects an increase of 4.9% when compared to October 2016. Overall, there are more than 160,000 individuals receiving Medi-Cal health insurance through the Department of Social Services public assistance eligibility systems.
ü CalFresh caseload declined to 17,582 from 18,268 in July 2017 due to seasonal fluctuations. This is a decrease of 6.2% when compared to October 2016.
ü IHSS paid hours increased to 433,114; a 5.5% increase over last year at the same time. This increase is a function of ongoing increases in the number of individuals enrolled in IHSS as well as the implementation of the Fair Labor Standards Act overtime provisions.
ü Out of Home Care includes cases in Foster Care (including youth opting to stay in Foster Care to age 21), Probation, and Adoption Assistance. The caseload is trending slightly higher with a 5.4% increase over the prior year from 1,143 in October 2016 to 1,205 in October 2017.
ü Overall, the Department’s public assistance entitlement caseloads decreased in October 2017 when compared to July 2017 for a total of 97,081 active cases. However, this represents an increase of 2.1% when compared to October 2016. Operational costs for this quarter increased to $7,548,565 as compared to $5,290,386 for the prior quarter and is typical of previous expenditure patterns. Sufficient appropriations and revenues are available in the 2017-18 Budget for projected costs. The Department continues recruitment efforts to fill vacant positions to address workload demands.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
Probation placement costs are included in Foster Care.
FINANCING:
Caseload trends are consistent with trends built into the FY 2017=18 Budget. Sufficient appropriations and County General Fund contributions are available.
Approved by: Elliott Robinson, Director, x4434
Attachments:
2017_10 Caseload and Expenditure Report