Title
a. Approve and authorize the Director of the Department of Social Services to sign Amendment No. 1 to Agreement A-13707 with Solutions West, Inc. adding $1,063,960, effective March 1, 2018, to provide temporary eligibility case workers, increasing the contract total to $1,711,920 and extending the contract term for one additional year to June 30, 2019;
b. Authorize the Director of the Department of Social Services to sign up to three (3) additional amendments to the Agreement where the total amendments do not exceed 10% ($171,192) of the current amended contract amount, and do not significantly change the terms of the Agreement; and
c. Approve and authorize the Auditor-Controller to amend the FY 2017-18 Adopted Budget in 001-5010-SOC005-8262 to increase both appropriations and estimated revenues by $208,000. (4/5ths Vote Required)
Report
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the Board of Supervisors:
a. Approve and authorize the Director of the Department of Social Services to sign Amendment #1 to Agreement A-13707 with Solutions West, Inc. adding $1,063,960, effective March 1, 2018, to provide temporary eligibility case workers, increasing the contract total to $1,711,920 and extending the contract term for one additional year to June 30, 2019;
b. Authorize the Director of the Department of Social Services to sign up to three (3) additional amendments to the Agreement where the total amendments do not exceed 10% ($171,192) of the current amended contract amount, and do not significantly change the terms of the Agreement; and
c. Approve and authorize the Auditor-Controller to amend the FY 2017-18 Adopted Budget in 001-5010-SOC005-8262 to increase both appropriations and estimated revenues by $208,000. (4/5ths Vote Required)
SUMMARY/DISCUSSION:
As a result of the Affordable Care Act (ACA)/Health Care Reform (HCR) the Monterey County Department of Social Services (DSS) has experienced a 228% increase in the Medi-Cal caseload. The pre-ACA caseload in September 2013 was 35,491 cases and had grown to 72,669 as of June 2017 when this agreement was written; the caseload has since grown to 74,329 cases as of November 2017. DSS is facing a backlog of Medi-Cal actions with current permanent staff unable to meet the workload demand. Solutions West, Inc. provides temporary specialized staff to DSS to help meet this demand.
DSS is recommending this amendment to increase funding to Solutions West, Inc. to provide additional staff in the current fiscal year and to extend the term of the agreement for one additional fiscal year while maintaining this increased staffing level. While DSS is continuing to hire and train eligibility case workers to manage the workload, the process to recruit and train staff cannot keep pace with the rapid growth in the number of residents requiring assistance.
Solutions West, Inc. has demonstrated the necessary experience to provide temporary local eligibility case workers and has staff who understand eligibility rules for the ACA. Additionally, Solutions West, Inc. has developed and provided training to its temporary eligibility case workers on the functionality of the California Healthcare Eligibility, Enrollment, and Retention System (CalHEERS), which is the system used to determine eligibility under the ACA.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
The Auditor-Controller and Purchasing have reviewed and approved this amendment. County Counsel has approved the amendment as to form.
FINANCING:
This amendment is fully funded by State and Federal funding from the Medi-Cal allocation with no County General Fund contribution matching requirement. DSS recommends increasing both appropriations and estimated revenues by $208,000 for Budget Unit 001-5010-SOC005-8262 in the FY 2017-18 Adopted Budget. Future fiscal year costs will be included in the Budget Request for FY 2018-19.
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS STRATEGIC INITIATIVES:
This amendment correlates to the Administration and Health & Human Services Strategic Initiatives adopted by the Board of Supervisors by allowing the Department to improve the health and quality of life of Medi-Cal recipients by increasing the Department’s ability to meet the demands of the increased Medi-Cal caseload by utilizing a skilled temporary workforce.
Check the related Board of Supervisors Strategic Initiatives:
__Economic Development
X Administration
X Health & Human Services
__Infrastructure
__Public Safety
Prepared by: Gloria Rivera-Perez, MA II, x4777
Approved by: Elliott Robinson, Director of Social Services, x4430
Attachments: Solutions West Original Agreement, Solutions West Amendment #1, Solutions West Amend #1 Resolution
Proposed agreement is on file with Clerk of the Board as an attachment to this Board Report