SOCIAL SERVICES ADVISORY COUNCIL Carroll’s Plaza, Dover, DE Minutes of October 5, 2011

Present:

Council Members State Staff Sister Jeanne Cashman Elaine Archangelo, DSS Robert Doyle Chuck Hayward, DCSE Karen Young Barbara Hanson, DSS Jessica Fullman Theodore Mermigos, DCSE Mable Cephas Ray Fitzgerald, DSS Kevin Hansbury Linda Tdjaden James Villareal

Sister Jeanne called the meeting to order at 5:30 PM.

Elaine gave the report for DSS. She gave an update on the Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer for Children grant application. DSS submitted this grant as expected on Friday, 9/9, the due date. Letters of support were received from several school districts. Five states piloted this program in 2011. It is expected that 10 more will operate the program this summer.

Elaine reported that DSS received a SNAP high performance for program access in 2010. Their access rate for families with income at or below 125% of the FPL is 92.6%. This is a 16 percentage point improvement from their 2009 access rate. The award is $444,836.

DSS received word last week that they did not receive the SNAP participation grant they submitted in collaboration with the Food Bank.

Elaine reported on a new hunger and food insecurity awareness program initiated by Sesame Street broadcasters. They are introducing a Hungry Muppet that they hope will highlight the issue of hunger struggles. Pink-faced Muppet Lily, whose family deals with food insecurity, will join Big Bird, Elmo and other favorites on a one-hour prime-time special featuring country star Brad Paisley and his wife Kimberly Williams Paisley called "Growing Hope Against Hunger," to air Oct 9th.

Elaine reported that DSS conducted a public hearing on 9/29 in Dover for the Child Care Development Fund state plan. Five people (three providers) attended and provided good feedback about early education in general but very little related to the CCDF. The Governor’s Early Education investment includes increased reimbursement rates for child care providers, expanding and revamping the quality rating system for providers, and paying a tiered reimbursement for quality to providers who have a high rating in the quality rating system, called STARS. DSS will pay the across the board increased rates for October attendance paid in November. The quality payment for providers in the Stars program will be paid quarterly and will be handled by the Department of Education with data assistance from DSS.

DSS has received the 2013 budget target. In the 2012 budget, the legislature restored General Assistance at the 201l volume level. Although DSS requested growth for this group at the 1 current $95 rate it was not included in the 2013 target. As a result, DSS will be reducing the GA payment in February. It looks like the new payment will be $80 a month. DSS will further reduce the benefit in FY 13. Child care growth was reduced in the budget target.

Elaine invited the committee members to the budget hearing on November 2nd, at Leg Hall (1:30).

Elaine also invited the committee to participate in the press conference where the bonus money will be ceremonially issued.

Chuck Hayward gave the DCSE report. Chuck reported on the DACSES Replacement project. He reported that the tech design portion of the program has started. The go-live date is scheduled for October 17, 2013.

Chuck reported that the net collections for September 2011 totaled $7,577,713.02 and were 1.79% more than those posted for September 2010. This represents the 2nd increase in a row.

Chuck reported that DCSE is waiting to start the auto enrollment for the estimated 2,000 clients who should be receiving their payments electronically. There has been progress since the last report. They hope to do testing of the auto enrollment this month. Once completed, DCSE will auto enroll10 clients as a test. If that is successful, they will auto enroll 500 clients a week to complete the process. DCSE currently has 12,758 clients receiving payments via Direct Deposit, and 7,084 clients receiving payments via First State Family Card for a total of 19,842 clients on electronic payments. They had hoped to be up to 20,000 clients by the end of September.

Chuck reported that DCSE have not heard anything about the special audit that was mentioned in the past. The findings are still with the private auditor who is reviewing them for the State Auditor’s office.

Chuck reported that DCSE issues a monthly Administrative Subpoena to four (4) cell phone companies for the purpose of obtaining locate data on individuals for whom the Division has funds pending distribution from the Escrow Account. These are individuals who are owed money, either a custodial parents’ child support payments or noncustodial parent owed a refund. For any number of reasons the Division does not have an accurate address. Each hard copy subpoena contains 40 individual names and SSN’s. The cell phone companies search their customer records for these individuals and return locate information to the Division -- addresses, cell phone numbers, home and work phone numbers, as well as email addresses.

DCSE finds that over 60% of the clients have either cancelled the cell phone service or the providers have the same bad address. Since October 2009, DCSE has sent 831 individuals to the cell phone companies. To date, DCSE has been able to disburse $74,580 from the escrow account as a direct result of the locate data received under this program. Under DECCS, this program will be completely automated. As such, the Division will not be limited to 40 names each month and this should result in even greater effectiveness.

Chuck reported that one of the features of the iRapid solution DCSE implemented two years ago is a feature which allows clients and employers to pay support directly on line and to set up automatic periodic payments directly from their bank accounts.

2 DCSE has been working with IRM and last week DCSE sent a waiver to IRM to be forwarded to DTI. The initial reaction was that DTI wants DCSE to use their solution. DCSE will have a meeting with IRM to try and work out an agreement.

Chuck reported that monthly walk-ins increased almost every month in 2011.

He also reported that DCSE’s 2% budget cut will reduce customer service.

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