North Carolina
Work Support Strategies (WSS)
Action Plan Overview
Summer 2012
www.pcghumanservices.com
Work Support Strategies Grant
• North Carolina was one of nine states to
participate in the WSS Planning Year,
during which a state-county project team
reviewed, analyzed, and reflected on
data, national best practices, and current
operations (March, 2011-February, 2012).
• At the conclusion the planning year, NC
developed an Action Plan for achieving a
more effective and efficient service
delivery model (February, 2012).
• North Carolina became one of six states
to receive funding for Implementation
(04/12-03/15).
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Tenets of WSS Initiative
1. Families will tell their story once and receive the services they need.
2. There will be no wrong door to accessing benefits. Clients will have a choice in
when, where, and how they receive benefits.
3. Community partners will provide new avenues for accessing services.
4. The state and counties will work together to make operational improvements,
maximize the use of technology, and make the service delivery system as efficient
as possible.
5. Customer service, efficiency, and data will drive the development of service
delivery models and the development of staffing roles.
6. Counties will retain flexibility in how they implement, but outcomes,
performance, and a positive customer experience will provide the ultimate
measure of success.
7. Accessing benefits will not be a hindrance to working families. Service delivery
will be designed in a way that supports working families and their ability to
maintain employment.
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Planning Year Activities
Activity
County
Operations
Review
Finding
• Programs collect much of the same eligibility information
• Administrative churning occurs frequently
• Communication across program areas is oftentimes limited
Data Analysis
•
•
•
•
•
Policy Review
• Opportunities were identified to streamline policies across
programs
• Policy requirements tend to vary by program, resulting in a
confusing application/recertification processes for clients and staff
• There is no body dedicated to focusing on joint policy development
Enrollment has increased significantly in recent years
Application processing time varies greatly from county to county
Nearly half of recipients receive more than one benefit
Many cases denied for procedural reasons
More capacity is needed to collect and analyze data
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Planning Year Activities
Activity
Finding
Client Surveys
• Many clients coming into a DSS office already receive one
program, and are applying for another
• Clients would most like to see shorter wait times, the ability to apply
for multiple benefits simultaneously, and receive benefits sooner
County
Promising
Practices
• A review of promising new practices in counties led to streamlined
services, staff-time savings, and improved client experience
• Examples included express application Center (Wilson), task
management model (McDowell), integrated caseloads (Brunswick),
case banking (Mecklenburg), intake teams (Sampson), and
electronic document management (Robeson)
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Implementation Overview – Action Steps
1. Formalize and strengthen county and state partnerships.
2. Develop organizational culture that supports new service
delivery system.
3. Build infrastructure to support new service delivery system.
4. Communicate the vision for a new service delivery system.
5. Increase capacity for data collection and analysis.
6. Reduce burdensome policies and procedures.
7. Perform staff development and readiness activities.
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Action Step 1: County/State Partnerships
Formalize and strengthen county and state
partnerships.
•
Develop cross-program state and county leadership bodies.
•
•
•
Economic Policy Governance Board
Work Support Strategies Committee
Develop and implement more systemic state-county communication
process.
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Action Step 2: Organizational Culture
Develop organizational culture that supports
new service delivery system.
•
•
•
Create and implement practice model.
Continue implementing and monitoring local process improvement work.
Engage staff and supervisors in WSS planning, implementing, and
monitoring.
…a centralized practice model, informed by the counties
themselves, will give the state a much needed structure for
laying out core requirements, expectations, outcomes, and
consistency in customer experience while capitalizing on the
innovation and expertise of counties who are implementing
best practices.
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Action Step 3: Infrastructure
Build infrastructure to support new service
delivery system.
•
•
•
•
•
Drive a focused effort to put infrastructure in place.
Maximize opportunities created by NC FAST.
Leverage infrastructure created by Health Care Reform.
Design and implement a local approach to No Wrong Door.
Develop and implement a central data security plan.
By addressing…infrastructural barriers through a mindful
strategy, we can lay the groundwork for business process
improvements that will ultimately benefit both the client and
county line staff.
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Action Step 4: Communication
Communicate vision for a new service delivery
system.
•
•
•
Undertake focused communication efforts to support/reinforce WSS vision.
Conduct client education efforts.
Indentify and implement quick wins.
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Action Step 5: Data
Increase capacity for data collection and
analysis.
•
•
Prioritize standard reports currently available and streamline state/local
reporting.
Develop WSS dashboard.
Provide additional resources to counties to empower them to optimize
data usage on the local level.
Percentage of SNAP Cases
Receiving Medicaid and Child
Care Benefits, 2010
5.20%
SNAP, Medicaid
Only
26.90%
0.20%
SNAP, Child Care,
Medicaid
67.70%
SNAP, Child Care
Only
SNAP Only
FNS and WF Reentry Rate,
2009 Cohort
Percent
•
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
FNS
Reentry
Rate
2009
Cohort
1
2
3
4
5
6
Months After Benefits Are Terminated
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Action Step 6: Policies and Procedures
Reduce burdensome policies and procedures.
•
•
•
Streamline policies across programs in order to reduce the burden on
counties and clients wherever possible.
Design and implement a more systemic process to execute policy changes,
especially those that support the new WSS vision for service delivery.
Charter joint state-county policy and quality control work group to develop
quality assurance practices that support the new vision for service delivery.
…the cumbersome policies currently in place
result in clients spending a lot of time managing
their benefits rather than working toward selfsufficiency.
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Action Step 7: Staff Development
Perform staff development and readiness
activities.
•
•
Develop and implement a staff development plan that includes staff roles,
skills, and development strategies.
Develop and implement a staff hiring and classification plan that
incorporates new, required roles and identifies strategies for hiring.
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Anticipated Results
Reduction in
administrative
churn
Increased
operational
efficiency
Improved quality
assurance
Increased value
of DSS-Client
interaction
Increased human
capital among
clients, staff, and
communities
Help families
move beyond
crisis mode and
get back on track
Maximize client
self-sufficiency
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Measures
The Action Plan includes several quantitative targets. Examples:
• In the first year, case processing times will be reduced by 75%.
• Within three years, 75% of programs that support working families,
including Medicaid, FNS and child care cases will be processed in
one day.
• Within three years, the percentage of denials for procedural reasons
in FNS and Medicaid will be reduced by 75%.
• 100% of staff will have their own professional development plan that
is addressed and updated on a regular basis.
The Action Plan also includes two major long-term goals:
• Help families move beyond crisis mode and get back on track.
• Maximize client self-sufficiency.
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Implementation Structure
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Implementation Year One Priorities
Team
Objective
Data
There is a need to begin having intentional conversations about data:
• Asking what it can tell/show us and going beyond the obvious
• Being able to compare counties to each other and look at historical
performance
• Using data to launch experiments, and
• Making sure we have the data for strategic and day-to-day decisionmaking. The goal of this team is to provide staff with the tools identify
outcomes and measures as well as ensuring data is easily accessible.
Final Deliverable: Data Toolkit for County Staff
Communications
Develop and carry out a targeted communication plan to reinforce the
messages of WSS and NCFAST. This effort will be targeted toward:
• County and state staff
• County commissioners and boards of social services
• Community partners, and
• Clients
The communication campaign will be built around a specific strategy
and take place through various media (including videos, literature, and
a website).
Final Deliverable: Communication Strategy and Materials
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Implementation Year One Priorities
Team
Objective
Practice Model
The goal of the practice model is to identify and document core
expectations across the state and help empower county agencies to
innovate and customize their processes in accordance with the goals
of WSS. The practice model will:
• Lay forth initial expectations for counties
• Define success in terms of customer experience and outcomes, and
provide counties with key measures with which to self-assess
• Provide key competencies for staff (i.e. critical thinking and problem
solving skills)
• Include an implementation/rollout plan for building the infrastructure
to support continuous improvement
• Provide the structure and design for an on-going, sustainable effort.
Final Deliverable: Practice Model with Core Expectations
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How YOU Can Get Involved
1. Constantly assess:
1. How can I serve my clients better?
2. What improvements can I make to the way my unit/division/department
does business
2. Solicit and share ideas for improvement
3. Participate on an Implementation Team
4. Share the message of WSS and NCFAST with staff:
1. Check for updates on the webpage – www.ncwss.com
2. Watch the video with staff
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Key Contacts
Sherry Bradsher
Erin Henderlight
Director, Division of Social Services
sherry.bradsher@dhhs.nc.gov
Project Manager, Public Consulting Group
ehenderlight@pcgus.com
Judy Lawrence
State Consultant, Division of Social Services
judy.lawrence@dhhs.nc.gov
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Public Consulting Group, Inc.
148 State Street, Tenth Floor, Boston, Massachusetts 02109
(617) 426-2026, www.publicconsultinggroup.com
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