A Newsletter For West Virginia State Government Employees December 2007 Volume 18 Number 12 West Virginia Office of Technology Improves Customer Service with Consolidation Contributed by Tony O’Leary of the Department of Administration. Although the word “consolida- The Service Desk staff is able to resolve a large number of problems during tion” may not always invoke a posi- the initial call. They now have the ability to use remote access tools so they tive reaction, at the West Virginia can work interactively with the users to resolve technical problems.” Office of Technology (WVOT), the consolidation of information tech- See CONSOLIDATION – Page 4 nology (IT) personnel within State government over the last several months is proving to be quite con- West Virginian Receives Adoption Award structive and viewed as a positive step in efficiency and cost-savings. Article and photo contributed by Marsha Dadisman of the Department of Health To date, approximately 94 em- and Human Resources. ployees have joined the WVOT team from four State agencies. Additional A West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) outside hires have also been made employee will be recognized for her exemplary work in adoption and foster to fill vacancies in the organization. care placement. Lakawanna Sawyers, regional The four agencies are the Depart- adoption specialist in Mingo County, has ment of Environmental Protection, received the 2007 Adoption Excellence the Department of Health and Hu- Award in the Individual Contributions cat- man Resources, the Department of egory. She has made extraordinary contribu- Transportation, and the Department tions in providing adoption and other perma- of Commerce. nency outcomes for children in foster care. The consolidation means an in- This year, the Adoption Excellence Awards crease to approximately 11,000 cus- were presented to 15 recipients at a ceremony tomers for which the WVOT now on December 12, held at the Marriott Crystal serves. Four additional agencies Gateway Hotel in Arlington, Va. The ceremony which will be brought into the took place during a luncheon at the Childrens WVOT organization in the upcom- Bureaus “Fresh Perspectives on Child Welfare Lakawanna Sawyers ing months are the Department of Partnerships” conference. This conference fo- Military Affairs and Public Safety, cuses on bringing together key leaders to strengthen the partnerships that the Department of Education and the support successful practice with children and families. Arts, the Department of Revenue, and The United States Department of Health and Human Services established the Department of Administration. the Adoption Excellence Awards program in 1997 to recognize outstanding “There were perceived negatives accomplishments in achieving permanency for American children waiting that response times would take in foster care. These awards honor states, child welfare agencies, organiza- longer and the quality of service tions, courts, businesses, individuals, and families. To learn more about the would suffer,” said Kathy Moore, program, visit www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/current_initiatives/ WVOT’s Director of Client Services aeawards.htm. Delivery. “Our survey responses During the 10 years that Ms. Sawyers has been employed as a regional show this is not the case. Our col- adoption specialist, she has successfully placed 151 children. For more laborative approach is working well. information about West Virginia’s adoption program, call 304-235-4680. WV Agriculture Commissioner Urges Farmers to Respond to AG Census Edited and reprinted from the Dept. of Agriculture’s website: www.wvagriculture.org/news_releases/2007/12-19-07-a.html. West Virginia Commissioner of The states with higher response Agriculture Gus R. Douglass is urg- percentages than West Virginia in ing State farmers to watch their mail- the last Census were Alaska, with boxes for Census of Agriculture 600 farms, and Rhode Island, with forms, which should arrive some- 800. West Virginia has 21,200 time in early January 2008. The farms, leading the U.S. in the per- completed forms are due back by centage of family-owned farms. February 4, 2008. “To have that level of response “West Virginia was number from a comparatively large number three in the country in terms of of operations really says something response rate in the last Census about the farmers in West Virginia,” in 2002, and I encourage all our said Dale King, Director of USDA’s farmers to reply this year,” said National Agricultural Statistics Ser- Commissioner Douglass. “The vice – West Virginia Field Office, Census gives all farmers a voice, located at the West Virginia Depart- regardless of the size of their opera- ment of Agriculture’s (WVDA) tion, and provides decision-makers headquarters at Guthrie. at all levels with valuable informa- King stresses that census data has tion about the state of agriculture a multitude of uses: Government throughout the United States.” leaders use it for decisions concern- ing agricultural and rural programs; companies may use Census data Eight Governor’s Portraits Restored when determining where to locate their operations; and farmers them- and Returned to State Capitol selves look at Census data to formu- late their own production strategies. Conducted every five years by the Contributed by Terri Marion of the Division of Culture and History. U.S. Department of Agriculture The West Virginia Division of Culture and History has announced that (USDA), the Census is a complete Page Conservation of Washington, D.C. has completed restoration on eight count of the nation’s farms and more governor’s portraits. The restored portraits were re-hung this month ranches and the people who operate on the hallway walls of the State Capitol Building’s main floor. This is the them. The Census looks at land use second group of portraits the company has restored. When this group of oil and ownership, operator character- paintings were delivered, the final 10 were picked up. istics, production practices, income The portraits returned include Ephraim Morgan, Emanuel Wilson, Mat- and expenditures, and other topics. thew Neely, Okey Patteson, William McCorkle, Aretas Fleming, Clarence It provides the only source of uni- Meadows, and Jacob Jackson. form, comprehensive agricultural Page Conservation specializes in restoring paintings which are in distress data for every county in the nation. because of dirt, yellowing varnish, cracks, and support problems that can Producers can return their cause distortions. The restoration project began last year after Division of forms by mail, but for the first Culture and History staff began noticing loose canvas, discoloration, envi- time, they have the convenient op- ronmental changes, and blanching. The company has, in some cases, had to tion of filling out the Census on- do inpainting in areas of damage or missing paint. line via a secure website. Upon completion, 30 governor’s portraits will have benefitted from the For more information about the restoration process. The restoration project is a collaboration between the 2007 Census of Agriculture, or if Division of Culture and History and the Department of Administration. you are a farmer and did not receive For more information, contact Culture and History Deputy Commis- a Census, call the West Virginia sioner Jacqueline Proctor at 558-0220, ext. 120. Field Office at 800-535-7088. 2 December 2007 For Worry-Free Paydays, Sign Up Medicaid Bureau Partners with WVU for Direct Deposit Today! School of Medicine Did you know that over 4 million paper paychecks are lost or stolen each year? Don’t be included in the statistics. Join Direct Deposit today! Contributed by Shannon Riley Landrum of the Department of Health and Hu- What are the advantages of Direct Deposit? man Resources. No more waiting in lines at your financial institution! Your money is deposited into your account, on time, no matter where you are. The West Virginia Bureau for Medical Services (the Bureau) and What happens if there is a problem at my bank or I change financial institutions? the West Virginia University (WVU) Problems will be researched and corrected immediately. Simply contact the State School of Medicine have entered into Auditor’s ePayments Division at 558-2251 or 1-800-500-4079. an agreement for project manage- If you change financial institutions, contact your payroll office to complete the ment services for a set of federal necessary forms. Forms can also be downloaded at the State Auditor’s website (see grants known as transformation ini- below). Changes must be received by the Auditor’s Office no later than six days tiative grants and Mountain Health prior to the pay date; therefore, you should contact your Payroll Office at least 10 Choices, the State’s new Medicaid days prior to the pay date to ensure ample processing time. program. The Bureau has been in the pro- How safe is Direct Deposit? cess of redesigning the Medicaid Completely safe. There are no lost/stolen checks, and your payment can’t “get lost.” program since 2005 with the ulti- Can I split my paycheck between two or more accounts? mate goal of improving the health of Absolutely. On the sign-up form, list your primary account first, then any other low-income West Virginians. institutions and amounts for each pay period. Attach a voided check or deposit slip West Virginia received five Med- for each account. icaid transformation grants totaling $13.8 million from the Centers for What are primary and secondary accounts? Medicare and Medicaid Services for The primary account is the financial institution to where you want your net pay sent the purpose of transforming the pro- each pay period. Secondary accounts are financial institutions to where you want gram. Dr. Jeffrey H. Coben, profes- specific amounts sent each pay period. sor of emergency medicine and com- I travel on State business. What exactly is a Travel Primary Account? munity medicine at the WVU School This is the financial institution to where you want your travel reimbursements of Medicine will serve as the project deposited.