NOTES FROM ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSIONS
SEPTEMBER 7, 2016
Topic 1: Vendor Performance: Quality is More than Compliance
Facilitators: Laurie Ford, Joe Marrone
1st Session Participants: Fred Wollet, Kathleen Enders, Jerry Elliot, Susan Foley
2nd Session Participants: Marianne Porter, Ron Barcikowski, Johnathan Keefe, Amanda Connell, Karen Carroll
Attendees: staff from RSA, ICI, FL VR, WI VR Brief notes: Discussion revolved around 1 state's experience with moving from FFS to Service agreements, including milestones with CRPs vs the other state's moving to FFS from milestones
The key takeaway was whatever structure you set up the state needed to be clear not just on expected outcomes but more "technical specifications" about what processes should be used in achieving outcomes. The state moving away from milestones to FFS was interested in developing local VR office expertise in monitoring and developing quality improvement in CRPs with which they worked. Even FFS structures had to be based on definable quality services for which the rate would be paid.
There was also some discussion about a somewhat artificial distance in discussing "compliance" vs "quality". If a state set up adequate definitions and expectations whether using FFS or milestones the compliance and quality should be close cousins.
Topic 2: VR Case Service Performance: Quality is more than compliance
Facilitator: Kellie Scott
1st Session
Participants: Dena York, Betha Hyche, Kim Piechynski, Michael Shoemaker, Bessie Talley, Wallica Gaines, Kim Cantiero, Marianne Porter
2nd Session
Participants: Mable Fleming, Pam Hall, Betty Halter, Bekki Largent, Nolan Hollinshed, Alana Evans, Jeff Hayes, Cheryl Ferree
Notes: -The whole point of indicators are to improve outcomes in mental health joint commission at once there was no correlation between indicators and outcomes
-Our casefile review is heavy on the quality of case documentation
-Staff likes case file reviews and don’t like them for different reasons
-Ohio –random samples- 67 questions- our administrators want to separate review from quality and compliance.
-evaluation staff may not interact with case service staff at time
--OH is updating form- quality is reviewed by manager, compliance is review by team
-MO- does peer reviews- outside of their office, 2.5 years at least on the job. Only informational- not performance.
-Compliance does not equal quality but it is an indicator. However, some of this is affected by counselor turnover and increased demands.
-If it isn’t documented, it didn’t happen.
-Ohio has smaller caseloads (<100), also new counselors have training supervisors in addition to their managers.
-MS also has a regional training team
-For states with MI training, they find the drop-out much lower than Pre-MI because they don’t take applications
-MO- All counselors went through MI training. The numbers dipped at first. Smaller caseloads better outcomes. Also, they introduced the CRPs to MI and encouraged them to do it on their own.
Topic 3: Using Customer Input to Drive Organizational Change
Facilitator: Steve Collins
1st Session
Participants: Mable Fleming, Roy Cosgrove, Rick Sizemore, Jeff Hayes, LaVonda Hart, Susan Foley, Curtis Mildner, Aaron Thompson
2nd Session
Topic 4: Capturing Critical Knowledge Before it Retires 1st Session:
Facilitator: Kathe Matrone Participants: HarrietAnn Litwin, Pam Hall, Rebecca Largent, Cherrell Campbell-Street
2nd Session:
Facilitator: Deborah Collard Participants: Deborah Collard, Fred Wollet, Bessie Talley, Susan Foard, Warren Granfor, Stacey Cummings
Notes:
-FL-experiencing lots of retirement ~35 -AK-small agency longterm employees -UT lots of change- anticipating retirement in next 18 months -HI-new staff- considering leaving-personal -ND- small agency-lots of cross training-retirement not an issue yet
-Institutional knowledge- we need to record it, capture it! -New employees want to do things “new” way or their way -keep policies up to date -WIOA-lots of policy changes -don’t want to squash innovation but still use experience -focus on succession planning- Montana -continuity is important -keep things simple-checklist with timeline -help staff take advantage of learning/new opportunities like VR Summit or education -keep sharing of information-communicate -fill the managers role while the manager is there-job shadowing/sharing, grooming staff -have staff meet without senior manager so they learn the roles of the senior jobs and do the job -grooming staff must be perceived as fair and not choosing favorites -HI is able to compensate staff being groomed when they take on larger responsibilities -Incentivize good performance -Sometimes when outside agency is hired it brings down morale -Don’t use “groom” but use “cross train” -Important to preserve our service delivery culture -“Point in time” paper describing what’s working -Keep core values and service delivery models -Using technology to capture critical information, webinars, podcasts, LMS, etc -sharepoint, google docs to keep things -must keep policy current -Link webinar/LMS training to clips from policy -morale has been mentioned often-focus on VRC for maintaining morale -Improve training -Senior managers have to be the role model!- less stress, focus on whole person life outside of office -Continue open communication
Topic 5: Creating Safe Opportunities for Innovation
1st Session
Facilitator: Libby Moody Participants: Dawn Rehbein, Patty Hatter,
2nd Session
Facilitator: Joe Marrone Participants: Kim Cantiero, Tom Selke, Cherrell Campbell-Street, Yovancha Lewis Brown Attendees: TN VR, NV VR, CO VR, ICI Brief notes: The discussion often centered around the importance of establishing trust through communicating honestly with staff over a fairly lengthy period of time. One state talked about various ways to show staff appreciation in various ways for generating ideas by highlighting these staff's contributions to high level officials. In situations where ideas from staff are rejected it is always important even in these situations to get back to them with that decision and why it was made. There was some talk of the importance in bureaucracy of encouraging errors of commission more than errors of omission in staff. Another state mentioned that an office manager had trouble in establishing communication rapport with her office over the first few years of her tenure but found that the stresses of WIOA and budget issues actually feed them up to be more open with her.
One state talked about using a different form of case review in a QA tool as a way to encourage innovation in staff and was willing to share this with the other participants.
There was a certain amount of cynicism over an area that all members believed in, that of engaging staff, as their states focused heavily on it, but often in ways that did not seem relevant to the participants' experiences.
Topic 6: Agency Planning Cycle: Refusing to Make the Plan the the Project
1st Session- No info provided for this Topic
Facilitator: Participant:
2nd Session
Facilitator: Participant:
Topic 7: Transitioning Vendor Base
1st Session: Facilitator: Laurie Ford Participants: Susan Foard, Johnathan Keefe, Kurt Sprenger, Milton Moats, Phil Protz 2nd Session Facilitator: Matrone Participants: Kathie Matrone, HarrietAnn Litwin, Pam Hall, Rebecca Largent, Cherrell Campbell-Street
Notes:
Alabama: strong relationship with CRPs. Performance-based funding last 10 years. Now looking for measurable skill increases, will be changing contract.
Virginia: comprehensive training program provided in-house (e.g. auto mechanic). Progress reports every 6 weeks based on task gains so measuring skill increases is already in place. 80% of participants are transition students with MSD.
Hawaii - we need a standard to measure skill gains. Our understanding is that we can't count soft skills improvement. We have a transition pilot program on soft skills and hospitality industry. Don't know how to measure skill gains in professions that aren't credentialed (like hospitality). Most CRPs are placement oriented. We can pay CRPs to do pre and post tests.
DC - lots of Project Search, pilot PS program with five transition age students. This involves skill measurement already.
Not sure what counts or will count as a credential.
AL - we will split the CRP role - continue with performance base for placement, do fee-for- service for pre-employment training.
NC - also have performance milestone based system, need to change milestones to specify measurable skills.
What is reported? Date of most recent skill gain. Feds will probably let states flounder, then review in a couple of years and pick out what they like.
OR - criteria for vendors aren't changing but should; wanted to add incentive for 2nd quarter employment but not happening at this point.
DC -we also look at the denial rate for CRPs
NJ - do you all contract for trial work experience, discovery, etc.? OH - DD services provided by and vary across counties, so discovery may or may not be provided. Developing a provider scorecard for consumers to access online. Case reviews include fiscal management of CRP services.
NJ - retraining counselors on supported employment (e.g. who is an appropriate referral for that service from a CRP)
AR - depend on client assessment of how things are going with the CRP
DC - most providers rely only on VR $$. Individual providers have to be credentialed.
Topic 8: Communication among WIOA Partners: Sharing and Combining Data
1st Session
Facilitator: Jeff Stevens
Participants: Jeff Stevens, Dorothy Young, Amanda Connell, Pisnu Bua-iam, Julie Buren, Patrick Cannon, Cindy Cai, Nat Raney, Michael Kirby, Cheryl Ferree,
2nd Session
Facilitator: Matt Markve Participants: Dena York, Jeff Haight, Michael Crenshaw, Sinclair hubard, Matthew Doum, Matt Markve, Bertha Hyche, Jerry Elliot, Charles Olson,
Topic 9: Managing Data Regarding Individuals in Extended Employment (WIOA Sec. 511) 1st Session Facilitator: Karen Carroll Participants: LaVonda Hart, Alana Evans, Carly Lykes-Frostman, Zeke Hampton, Andrew Clemons, Leah Becknell, Yovancha Lewis-Brown Notes: -Mississippi VR shared that their VR owns and operates its CRPs -Some of the consumer in these programs are making a subminimum wage -transition students started to monitor them -concern about sheltered workshops coming to ask for the VR to provide services -resignation of enhanced data collection -do we have enough resources -West Virginia looked to South Dakota’s model so they are soliciting 14c certificate holders -W. Virginia has already started to do a group presentation for career counseling and to provide info about the other required services -Discussed parameters of the role of the 14c holder vs. the VR agency -Difficulty in figuring out and documenting… -Discussed informed C -Difficulty in getting sheltered workshop employees to have a vocational goal -state is doing policy analysis -how do we do recording, retain records -Iowa is meeting with DHS-Human services
2nd Session Facilitator: HarrietAnn Litwin Participants: Kathleen Enders, Phil Protz, Shane Young, Dorothy Young, HarrietAnn Litwin
Notes: -Optional waiver for youth: “Are you sure that you don’t want VR?” -For adult: “refusing career counseling,etc” -NC: waiver policy within 10 days -CMS-different rules requiring integratedDD agency -511 documentation in place or employer will need to pay min. wage -group sessions for counseling, info sharing -contracting with colleges or CILs to travel to 14c employers -develop curriculum-one on one career counseling -Need to see all kinds of 14c certificates (4 kinds) may be more people than you think are working at submin wage- see report from DOL’ -Letters to employers to identify individuals, guardians, addresses so they can be contacted
Topic 10: CSNA: Getting from Assessment to Planning to Action
1st Session
Facilitator: Scott Sabella
Participants: Doug Snuffer, Aaron Thompson, John Stem, Nolan Hollinsbeck, Maronda Montgomery-Adams, Jeff Kaufman
2nd Session
Facilitator Jeff Stevens
Participants: Jeff Stevens, Leah Becknell, Cindy Cai, Janette Shell, Pisnu Bua-iam, Scott Sabella
Topic 11: Tracking Pre-Employment Transitions Services Participants who are not yet determined to be Eligible
1st Session
Facilitator: Ann Lynn Banton
Participants: Ann Lynn Banton, Jasmine Park, Michael Crenshaw, Warren Granfor, Matthew Doum, Eileen Marrujo Gallegos, Vanessa S. Rakestraw, Nancy Quisenberry, Charlie Olson, Janette Shell, Jeff Haight, Basil E. White Notes:
-Prior to regs Delaware made sure they had correct funding resources met with vendors and pre- paid them for services. Once received regs., now creating custom case type. Will enter students receiving P-ets services. They will use services that do not require authorizations. They are going to use a plan for tracking purposes. Do a strip down eligibility. Plan will absorb ‘stripped down.’ -DBVI also planning to use special case type and they will be tracked in application. -RSA rep stated only 1 plan which is the IPE. Cautioned to be careful -The plan for P-ETS will not be tracked in aware and is tied into the reporting services -Delaware calls their customized case type as Pre, North Dakota calls it PE -North Dakota uses the pre-plan services concept -Data page-called actual sres -Iowa-tracking students that are potential showing/recording direct services -RSA rep stated new 911 is on the website -Iowa has a form to complete so info can be tracked -Wisconsin does all recording from the data warehouse via queries. -Account for students that have left school, but not enrolled in post high school programs -RSA discussed kids who have school and don’t enroll in college move to youth category -Resources targeted: -RSAQuestions.ed.gov -Options: job coaching-workplace readiness -provide funds to employees re: fee for services lump sum -To get clients: NM using educational resources
2nd Session (3:40-4:30pm)
Facilitator: John Stem
Participants: Carly Lykes-Frostman, Zeke Hampton, Douglas Snuffer, Wallica Gaines, Nat Raney, Richard Clark, Julie Buren, Jeff Kaufman, Michael Kirby
**Notes will be emailed by John Stem
Topic 12: Making Data Analysis Meaningful
1st Session
Facilitator: Matt Markve
Participants: Tom Selke, Jim France, Ron Barcikowski, Shane Young, Curtis Mildner, Matt Markve, Teresa Pitt 2nd Session
Facilitator
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