Title
a. Approve and authorize the Director or designee of the Department of Social Services to execute a no cost Privacy and Security Agreement (PSA) with the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) to continue to use data hosted by the Social Security Administration (SSA) and the Medi-Cal Eligibility Data System (MEDS), for the period of “Upon Execution” through September 1, 2028; and
b. Authorize the Director or designee of the Department of Social Services to sign up to three future amendments to this Agreements where the amendments do not significantly change the responsibilities of the parties.
Report
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the Board of Supervisors:
a. Approve and authorize the Director or designee of the Department of Social Services to execute a no cost Privacy and Security Agreement (PSA) with the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) to continue to use data hosted by the Social Security Administration (SSA) and the Medi-Cal Eligibility Data System (MEDS), for the period of “Upon Execution” through September 1, 2028; and
b. Authorize the Director or designee of the Department of Social Services to sign up to three future amendments to this Agreements where the amendments do not significantly change the responsibilities of the parties.
SUMMARY/DISCUSSION:
The Monterey County Department of Social Services (DSS) administers the California Food Assistance Program (CalFresh), California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs), and General Assistance safety net programs. These programs require access to data hosted by the Social Security Administration (SSA), the California Department of Social Services (CDSS), and the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) to determine eligibility and continue to administer these programs. To determine eligibility for Medi-Cal, DSS needs and requires access to data hosted by DHCS.
CDSS is requesting that the County of Monterey enter into the Privacy and Security Agreement 24-08 that defines how data from SSA and CDSS Systems shall be handled to maintain the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of such data. By executing this agreement, the Department of Social Services agrees to keep SSA/CDSS data confidential through a series of existing security controls.
DSS recommends this Board approve these agreements to allow the department to continue to utilize SSA/CDSS/Medi-Cal data to determine the eligibility of residents of the County of Monterey applying for services at DSS.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
County Counsel has approved the Agreement as to form.
FINANCING:
This agreement is a no cost agreement, and DSS does not expect any additional costs as a result of complying with the PSA agreement.
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS STRATEGIC PLAN GOALS:
This action correlates to the Administration and Health & Human Services Strategic Initiatives adopted by the Board of Supervisors by allowing the Department to continue to utilize SSA/CDSS/Medi-Cal data to determine the eligibility of residents of the County of Monterey applying for services at DSS.
Check the related Board of Supervisors Strategic Initiatives:
__Economic Development
X Administration
X Health & Human Services
__Infrastructure
__Public Safety
Prepared by: Juan Plascencia, Departmental Information Systems Manager I, x7036
Approved by: Roderick W. Franks, Director, x4430
Attachments: Agreement
The proposed agreement is on file with Clerk of the Board as an attachment to this Board Report