Otsego County Department of Social Services

Transcription

1 Mailing Address and Phones 2011 Annual Report County Office Building 197 Main Street Cooperstown, NY (607) phone (607) fax Otsego County Department of Social Services OUR MISSION The mission of the Otsego County Department of Social Services is to assist and protect vulnerable individuals in our community by promoting safety, healthy families, and enhanced economic stability. We provide services with compassion, respect, integrity, and positive attitudes while encouraging personal responsibility and individual choice. We work collaboratively with community partners to achieve the goals of lifelong safety and self-sufficiency for county residents. Meadows Office Complex Physical Address Only Mailing Address 140 County Hwy 33W 197 Main St. Cooperstown, NY Cooperstown, NY (607) phone (607) fax MESSAGE FROM THE COMMISSIONER The work of the Department of Social Services (DSS) focuses on people. Included in the following pages of this report are summaries of the responsibilities and accomplishments of the various units and staff of the Department. I will take this opportunity to highlight some of the other important tasks that might otherwise go unnoticed due to daily focus on the individuals and families that are being served. JOYCE L. BOYD In order to access maximum Federal and State reimbursement for programming the Department must prepare, and gain State approval for, several funding plans detailing how the County will provide services to individuals and families that qualify for services allowed by the particular funding stream. In 2011, funding plans developed and approved totaled over two and one-half million dollars ($2.5M). This revenue to the County allows the Department to provide services at less local cost to the taxpayer. Preparation of the plans are time consuming and frequently involve several units working together to obtain a finished product that is best suited to the needs of Otsego County residents. The Flexible Fund for Family Services (FFFS) which is the largest single plan of over two million dollars ($2M) funds a variety of services through contractual arrangements with service providers within the County structure and throughout the community as well as programming operated in house by DSS. Continued on pg 2

2 2 COMMISSIONER S MESSAGE continued from pg 1 Examples of additional plans written by staff to obtain funding include Transitional Jobs, Child Care Registration and Inspection, and Supervision and Treatment Services for Juveniles Program (STSJP) which funds services for youth who are either involved in the court system as a Juvenile Delinquent or Person in Need of Supervision or potentially could become involved with the court under these programs. Plans are also required periodically in order to meet programming requirements to receive traditional reimbursements from the State and Federal Governments on normal program expenditures. Such plans include the Child and Family Services Plan and the Employment Plan, both of which outline the services to be provided by the Department. Having these plans in place not only ensures that reimbursement can be claimed but also that mandates are being met and that case decisions are made consistently. As a result of the State failing a Federal audit a Program Improvement Plan is now required to be filed by each local district. The State then files an overall State plan with the Federal government in order to keep money flowing. This plan must address Foster Care issues, such as keeping children in the same foster homes to the extent possible and expediting adoptions. The Child Protective Services part of the plan requires us to focus on methods to avoid families being reported repetitively, accomplishing timely safety assessments, domestic violence issues, and safety of children under the age of one. In addition to obtaining funding by plan writing, ongoing efforts are continually made to do the mandated work while keeping expenses as low as possible. All units interact with one another as we focus on this responsibility. The efforts being made and results realized are detailed in the sections of this report entitled Child Support Enforcement, Special Investigations, Resource Recovery, and Social Services Attorneys. A monetary request is also made annually to the local Clark Foundation. These funds are used to support needs not met by the Federal and State programs. Further information can be found by reading about the work of the Accounting unit. The Department continues doing the required work though there are considerable challenges to be met. We are faced daily with dealing with challenges that hinder success for families and the Department. Transportation costs are high, both in terms of staff transportation as they perform their duties and transportation for people being served as they work to be come self-sufficient and meet the needs of their family. Affordable housing is unavailable. The cost of sheltering people in temporary housing is significant and at times temporary housing is not even available. Successfully meeting the federally mandated Employment Participation Rates for people receiving cash assistance is a constant challenge as the mandated percentage is now 50%. The population we are working with is, for the most part, participating to the level they can reasonably be expected to given their personal work limitations or disabilities. This is often not enough to count positively towards the Participation Rates. Additional challenges include performing Service of Papers duties in a timely manner while at the same time being cost efficient, meeting the requirement for employee performance evaluations to be conducted annually, and prudently planning for the eventual State takeover of the administration of Medicaid. In 2011 the Department was very proud to have Janet Elliott, Sr. Social Welfare Examiner, recognized as she was awarded the first Outstanding Employee Award by the County Board. We also celebrated retirements of several employees, some of whom had worked for the department for in excess of 20 years. I would like to extend my appreciation to the members of the Management Team for their leadership and unity. Also, my thanks to everyone who contributed to this report and to Samantha Augur, Secretary to the Commissioner, for her endless work on compiling the information for your use. Thank you for your interest in the department. As always, my office is happy to answer any questions you may have. Sincerely Joyce L. Boyd Commissioner

3 Management Team The Management Team consists of twelve managerial and supervisory staff. This team is the foundation and leadership of the department and meets several times throughout the year to work collaboratively on large projects such as Flexible Funding for Family Services and the Department s annual budget. Members of the Management Team support one another by sharing information that may be helpful to the other units and pulling together when needed on projects, planning, and providing daily coverage for all responsibilities. Back Row: Eve Bouboulis, Lisa Grampp, Liz MacNaught, Tina Lorenzen and Cheryl Sparks. Center: Joyce Boyd Back Row: Stephen Baker, Wendy Fink, Steven Ratner and Valerie Hitt. Front Row: Samantha Augur and Melody Porter The pace of Social Services daily work is hectic and unpredictable. In 2011, the team set a goal of maintaining a Level of Calm. This phrase soon became the Departments motto for the year. When faced with difficult situations or overwhelmed by the amount of work to be done, staff would remind one another to stay calm and work through it together. Motivational quotes to support this goal were handed out at each Management Team meeting and then shared with the staff as a whole in each unit. Individual staff members expressed that they felt supported by these efforts. Child Protective Services Child Protective Services (CPS) is a program that is mandated by the State of New York and locally administered by the Otsego County Department of Social Services. The CPS staff is comprised of a Case B Supervisor, two Senior Caseworkers and six Caseworkers. The CPS staff is responsible for the investigation of all reports that are received from the New York State Register for Child Abuse and Maltreatment (SCR). In 2011 there were 983 reports assigned by the SCR to the Otsego County CPS unit for investigation. This is an average of 81.9 reports a month. The monthly totals ranged from 69 reports in the month of July to 99 reports in the month of March. The number of reports remained consistent with the two previous years that each had 988 reports in the year. The CPS unit serves as a member of the Otsego County Multidisciplinary Team and is represented at the team meetings by the Case B Supervisor and a Caseworker. The team received Tier One status from the New York State Office of Children and Family Services for the Otsego County Child Advocacy Center (CAC) in New York State mandates that certain types of investigations be handled using the Multidisciplinary approach. To assist with these investigations, the CAC is used as a child friendly environment to conduct interviews for such investigations. There are plans to expand the services at the CAC by renovating one room to be set up to conduct medical evaluations of children who are suspected of having been sexually or physically abused. In 2011 CPS also assisted law enforcement 18 times with referrals for investigation of sexual abuse of children by individuals who are not in the parental role. 24 HOUR HOTLINES Community Line Mandated Reporters The Otsego County Services unit has been working on innovative strategies to meet the ever increasing needs for investigation of reports of Child Abuse and Maltreatment in Otsego County. Caseworkers from other units are being assigned investigations to help assure that the needs of the children and families are being met in a timely manner. 3

4 4 Foster Care It is never too late to have a happy childhood. ~Tom Rob- During 2011 the Otsego County Department of Social Services foster care unit had great success with finding permanency for children, specifically in being able to have children who have been in a placement be freed and placed for adoption and adopted. During 2011 there have been a total of eleven children freed for adoption. Three children have had their adoptions finalized. Four children have had their adoption agreements signed by the adoptive parents and are in the legal process to complete the adoptions. Two teenage males have had many responses from prospective adoptive parents through the NYS Adoption Photo Listing. One young male has a prospective family agreeing to attend Model Approach to Partnerships in Parenting training to prepare for his adoption. One adoption was made very special by the Family Court scheduling it right before Thanksgiving to allow the family to have it finalized before the holidays. The occasion was celebrated with the child receiving a Beanie baby turkey and a book, being allowed to sit in the Judge s chair and try out the gavel, then followed by juice and donuts. Average Number of Children in DSS Custody 7 Year Trend ( ) Transportation In 2011, the Transportation unit provided services to the Adult Protective, Child Protective, Foster Care and Preventive Service Units. This included transporting adults and/or children to visitations with families/resources, and to appointments with other service providers. All units utilize vehicles for meetings and training purposes. Scheduled use of vehicles by Child Welfare and Adult Protective ensure mandated face to face contacts with clients and their service providers are met began with a fleet of 18 vehicles in the pool; (3) vehicles were taken out of the fleet and (3) Chevy Impalas were purchased leaving 18 vehicles at year s end. The Unit s 8 drivers made 2479 trips totaling 162,473 miles. Total mileage for the fleet was 406,235 miles with a total cost for gas, maintenance & repairs of $71, which calculates to a cost of $ per mile.

5 PREVENTIVE SERVICES One goal of the countywide Preventive Unit is to prevent foster care placement by providing intervention services to families throughout the county. Referrals are received from CPS, Family Court and on a voluntary basis. Caseworkers complete safety assessments and assess and coordinate what services are needed for families so children can remain safely in the home. Family Treatment Court Two (2) Caseworkers work intensely with families, other service providers and the treatment court team on goals to include families providing a safe environment for their children while Family Treatment Court learning skills of lifelong sobriety. Referrals are generated from Family Court proceedings related to the parents abuse/neglect of their children due to alcohol and/or drugs. There have been 42 successful graduates since the program s inception in October In 2011, nine (9) adults worked with this program. There were three (3) graduates in Juvenile Justice The Juvenile Justice program Caseworkers provided services to 38 families, held 48 Persons in Need of Supervision (PINS) intakes, and 39 Juvenile Delinquent intakes in There were no secure detention placements. Three (3) youth were placed in non-secure detention, a decrease of 5 from Monthly provider meetings with Probation, Mental Health and Chemical Dependencies Clinic, are held to coordinate information and reevaluate the child/family needs. Our School-Based Preventive Program increases collaboration between Caseworkers and area school districts so that children and families have early and efficient access to the Department s child welfare services. Caseworkers provide intervention services that help prevent abuse/maltreatment, Juvenile Delinquency/Persons in Need of Supervision and foster care placements. Casework staff has offices that are located in the school and are part of schools teams that support specialized needs of children and families. School-Based Caseworkers attend school meetings and are members on school committees that work together to meet the unique needs of families in that district. Caseworkers are based in the schools community so they can be much more responsive to the family s needs in the districts. Referrals for this program may come from variety of sources including the School, Child Protective Services, Probation Department or self referrals. In 2011, the School-Based Preventive unit worked with an average of 71 families a month. The average open monthly caseload for Caseworkers was approximately 9 families. However, this does not include the number of families that were offered services and did not choose to open a case, or where opening a case was no longer necessary due to early identification of needs Schoolbased Preventive Caseloads The Department added a school-based caseworker in the Cherry Valley-Springfield School district in Even though many school districts have been forced to reduce their budgets, the department has maintained this programming with six area school districts which includes eight Caseworkers. Efforts are continuing to recruit school districts that are not currently participating in the School-Based Program. A video of one of our School-Based Preventive Caseworkers can be viewed on the NYS Office of Children and Families Website as part of the Caseworkers Make a Difference Campaign that began in JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC 5

6 CLERICAL SUPPORT The Clerical staff provides critical support services to the public, child welfare, eligibility, adult services, child support, and administrative staff. Phone reception duties continue to be the most visible and time consuming duty in this unit. The Department has 1 staff at the County Building answering our main phone line while also being the front desk receptionist who serves about 60 staff members and processes the entire department s mail. We have 2 staff at the Meadows answering 8 phone lines and 2 staff who provided intake/reception duties to approximately 13,803 individuals. Staff continues to be cross trained so they can cover in different units when the need arises to include completing their own duties while assuming duties of those who are out on leave. The Clerical staff continues to complete typing, filing, organizing, copying and other clerical duties for all units within the department. Our document imaging system is an efficient and accurate method of maintaining paperless records for our eligibility, child protective and legal staff. It gives staff immediate access to client information and records which results in more efficient overall work. In 2011 more than 672,800 pages of documents were scanned into this system. Protective Services for Adults Protective Services for Adults (PSA) has an ongoing caseload of 65 cases. This caseload consists of guardianships and financial management as well as supportive and protective services. In 2011 the unit received 136 new referrals in addition to the regular caseload. These referrals require investigation to determine emergent and non-emergent needs, as well as assessment for ongoing protective service needs. Utility companies also make referrals when they have customers who may need assistance. In 2011 the PSA unit was invited to participate in a monthly free food program from April to October. Our caseworkers and unit staff distributed free food to over 50 households throughout Otsego County each month the program was in operation. Child Support Enforcement The Otsego County child support program assists custodial parents seeking child support services in obtaining court ordered child support for their children. The program will establish paternity, establish and enforce financial and medical support orders, and provide services in a timely and professional manner focused on children. The child support program for Otsego County collected over 5.6 million dollars on behalf of custodial parents/guardians for the year The caseload consists primarily of custodial parents applying for child support services. The other cases include those established to pursue reimbursement from non-custodial parents on behalf of children receiving public assistance, Medicaid, and foster care based on referrals received from the various units within the Department of Social Services. In May of 2011, the Otsego County Family Court began to order cash medical obligations requiring absent parents to reimburse the Department of Social Services for Medicaid expenditures paid on behalf of their child. Previously, the court orders would require the absent parent to obtain health insurance for their child/ren if available and reasonable in cost. Health insurance coverage remains a part of the new orders, however, the Court may also establish a cash medical obligation to reimburse Medicaid expenditures based on the absent parent s income in cases where insurance is not available or unreasonable in cost. 6

7 TEMPORARY ASSISTANCE & FOOD STAMPS (607) This unit processes applications for Temporary Assistance and Food Stamps. In 2011 the unit processed 3136 applications. This corresponds to a notable increase of 9% from the previous year. Additionally, this unit is also responsible for the issuance of HEAP benefits to individuals and families receiving these assistance programs. 7 Changes, new initiatives and updates in 2011 include: A program called Financial Management Education Workshops was provided by Cornell Cooperative Extension to applicants and recipients of Temporary Assistance. Three workshops provided information on exploring credit and debt management issues, developing a household spending plan, and saving money through energy savings. The State continued to make changes and enhancements to the My Benefits (public online access to apply for Food Stamps) and My Workspace (DSS online access to process Food Stamp applications and eligibility redeterminations). Upgrades to My Benefits now allow Food Stamp recipients to view their case status online and print a copy of their budget. The budget could be used as proof of eligibility for other programs such as Lifeline. Other enhancements include links to the Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) brochure, Fair Hearing information and the Client Informational Booklets. Upgrades to My Workspace were made which improved the efficiency and accuracy of work received and done on that application. In 2011, 640 electronic Food Stamp applications were processed through the application in this county. In June 2011 a programmatic change was made to the Transitional Medicaid Assistance program. In essence the change made it easier for an individual who had received Medicaid on an active Temporary Assistance case to remain eligible for Medicaid assistance upon closing of the Temporary Assistance case. In August and September 2011, Otsego County was declared a disaster county due to flooding damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee. Many households requested replacement of Food Stamp benefits to replace food purchases lost due to the disaster. The disaster designation also allowed the county to operate a Disaster FS Benefit Program. This program helped individuals who would not normally have been eligible for Food Stamp benefits. Training provided to staff included HEAP, TA Shelter and Utility Emergencies, Child Support, Safety in the Workplace, Temporary Assistance Time Limits, Information Technologies (IT) Policies and Procedures. The Housing Caseworker is responsible for dealing with the homeless population. This includes developing independent living plans, doing pre-move and post move inspections for security deposit agreements, furniture assessments, and moving expenses. This Caseworker also serves as the agency representative between landlords, clients and other agency staff. The Housing Caseworker continues to serve on the County FEMA Board, the Coalition for Housing Solutions, the Housing Advisory Committee, Affordable Housing Committee and Lantern Hills Community Center project and a regional Continuum of Care planning group. The lack of affordable housing is a growing concern. The result is that individuals and HOMELESS SERVICES families are in need of emergency or temporary housing for longer periods of time. In 2011 the housing Caseworker received 442 referrals. Of those 253 were sheltered in emergency or temporary housing and 189 were pending evictions. This Caseworker continues to work with Opportunities for Otsego (OFO). The OFO Opportunity House and local motels are utilized as necessary housing resources. During certain times of the year, it becomes even more difficult to arrange temporary and emergency housing for this population.

8 HEAP The Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) is provided to county residents through the efforts of Social Services, Office for the Aging, Opportunities for Otsego and New York State. For the program year 4854 regular benefits were processed totaling $2,599, Twenty three (23) supplemental benefits were processed totaling $12, Additionally, 2585 emergency benefits were processed totaling $1,478, These figures include HEAP payments made to Temporary Assistance and Food Stamp households. Changes in the program included the following: Applicant for regular benefits is required to be the customer of record or the primary tenant if heat is included in the rent. Applicants who were required to have an interview could choose to do the interview by telephone or in person. Eligible households could receive one regular benefit, one emergency heating benefit, and one heat related benefit. Other benefits available to eligible households were propane hook up, relocation or temporary housing, and replacement or repair to heating equipment. During the program year, DSS continued to make referrals to the Weatherization Program. A total of 25 referrals were made, mostly for HEAP recipients in need of heating equipment replacement or repair benefits. CHILD CARE SUBSIDY The Child Care Subsidy program offers eligible families assistance with child care costs. These families must have a gross income of under 200% of the poverty level and generally need child care due to employment. In 2011 an average of 137 families, having a total of 246 children, were served by the program each month. This is a slight increase in the number of families served from 2010 levels, but a decrease in the actual number of children served. Catholic Charities of Delaware and Otsego Counties (CCDO) continues to provide Day Care Registration of family day care homes and school aged child care programs for Otsego County DSS. CCDO also provides a wide array of services to families and child care providers through the Child Care Connection program. There were several program changes that occurred in 2011, as follows: In April 2011, New York State Office of Children and Family Services implemented a Child Care Tracking and Attendance (CCTA) computer program. The goal of this electronic program is to save paper, time, and issue child care benefits to providers in a more timely and accurate manner. Use of the program is not mandatory on the provider s part, but it is mandatory that DSS use it. This Department s local Child and Family Services plan was updated and changed for 2011, eliminating all but one optional category of families who could receive child care assistance. This was done because of a reduction of funding. The Child Care Subsidy program continues to be a very important and essential program for employed families in this county. 8

9 MEDICAID The Medicaid program includes not only traditional Medicaid but also Managed Care, Family Health Plus and SSI Medicaid. In 2011, the Medicaid unit processed 2614 new applications. At the end of 2011, 9642 county residents were in receipt of medical assistance through one of the above four programs. Managed Care is mandatory and 79% of all eligible recipients were enrolled in one of two of the county s managed care plans. (607) Physical Address Meadows Complex 140 County Hwy 33W Cooperstown, NY Some of the program changes that occurred in Medicaid are as follows: Personal Care services covered by the Managed Care plans for certain individuals Reported household and income changes were deemed at recertification, streamlining work and staff time to some degree Prior authorization and payment requirements were put into place for admission to out of State nonspecialized skilled nursing facilities Expansion of attestation of income, resources and residence at renewal and attestation of interest income at application for FHP and certain Medicaid applicants Automated enrollment into the Medicare Savings Program under the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 Automated Medicaid renewals for individuals with fixed incomes in the aged, blind and disabled categories Increase in Medicaid income standards for children ages 6-18 Medicaid staff continued to participate in quarterly Managed Care Coalition meetings, regularly scheduled meetings with facilitated enrollers, Region III Medicaid Consortia meetings and Medicaid Technical Advisory Group phone conference. All of these resources provide valuable information to staff. Employment (607) In 2011 the Employment unit utilized job search, job readiness, as well as educational and work experience programs to assist applicants and recipients in obtaining employment. Supportive services such as transportation and child care continue to play an important role in positive employment outcomes. The unit also works with work limited and incapacitated individuals to assist the individuals in restoring themselves to be employable. This is usually done by monitoring and tracking progress in the individual s treatment programs. Back row: Janet Starks, Debbie Currie, George Drobot. Employment staff conducts in depth assessments with individuals which includes such areas as abilities, job experience, education and training, medical conditions, military service, transportation and child care needs. Then an Employment plan is developed with the individual based on their current employment status. The plan is updated as circumstances change and goals are reached. The Employment worker meets with the individual on a regular and ongoing basis. Individuals who do not comply with either development of or compliance with the employment plan are not eligible for assistance. In 2011 we failed to meet the Federal and State participation rates. This continues to be a challenge. However, the Department is working towards improving these rates by better utilizing existing and new programs, by revisiting the way we operate, reviewing our policies, and making improvements and changes that will bring more positive outcomes. Front row: Barbara Dulkis, Beth Kilts Staff participated in training which included: Conducting an Effective Employment Assessment, Effective Case Record Documentation, Coaching and Counseling Skills for Supervisors, and Child Care Tracking and Attendance. 9

10 STAFF DEVELOPMENT WENDY FINK STAFF DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR The purpose of the Staff Development Program is to support department employees and strengthen the agency s ability to meet its mission, challenges, and goals by creating better outcomes for staff as well as the individuals and families we serve. Staff Development strives to find and deliver trainings in the most cost effective manner to ensure budgetary efficiency while also ensuring that staff receive the most up to date information, continuing education, and state directives so that service provision is delivered at the highest level with the most current techniques and information available. Trainings are delivered through state sponsored and local in-house classroom trainings, teleconferences, computer based trainings, telephone conferencing and webinars. In 2011, a number of trainings were held locally reducing the total cost of the training due to no reimbursements for mileage, meals or overtime; such trainings included Advanced Medical Issues in CPS, Coaching and Counseling Skills for Supervisors, MA Consortia trainings and Domestic Violence Training for CPS Workers. During the year 2011, the Department supported a total of 158 staff members (total on payroll for 2011), who attended a total number of 3, hours of state sponsored and 1, hours of locally sponsored trainings (including staff meetings & non-state sponsored trainings). Many of the state sponsored training programs are mandated by the Federal Government, State Government and this Department. A listing of all the trainings that Department staff attended during 2011 is available upon request. ANNUAL TRAINING BREAKDOWN Accounting 2% Services 58% Administration 8% Resources 0% Child Support 2% Income Maintenance 30% Legal 0% Accounting Administration Child Support Income Maintenance Legal Resources Services SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS To report suspected welfare fraud please call: (607) In 2011 the Special Investigations Unit received 443 referrals for investigations. Of those, 128 complaints were investigated which resulted in a savings to the County of $53, The 315 others were for Front End Detection and Eligibility Verification Review. Both of these processes are involved at the time of application for or recertification of assistance. A total savings of $201, was projected for cost avoidance related to these investigations. Additional savings were generated through Disqualifications Consent Agreement and Medicaid repayments totaling $15, and cases ordered to pay restitution totaling $30, At the end of 2011 there was another $87, pending disposition. The Unit made three (3) arrests in 2011, obtained two (2) signed Disqualification Consents and imposed seven (7) sanctions for a total of 84 months of benefits. While working in the community on investigations, the two investigators served a total of 214 court orders on behalf of the Department. Service of papers is a time consuming task as it is uncommon to serve a paper on the first attempt. 10

11 RESOURCE RECOVERY 11 In compliance with Federal and State laws, the Resource unit actively pursues recoveries of Medicaid and Temporary Assistance payments via liens and estate recoveries, thereby reducing over-all costs to the taxpayer. In 2011, recoveries totaled $338,660 as illustrated by the chart below. RECOVERIES FOR 2011 WERE APPROXIMATELY $338,660 $200,000 $180,000 $160,000 $140,000 $120,000 $100,000 $80,000 $60,000 $40,000 $20,000 $0 $4,665 $180,077 $1,200 $3,585 $101,967 $47,166 MA Repay Estates PA Leins Burial Repay Lawsuits Mortgage Leins In addition, collections are also pursued for Medicaid, Temporary Assistance, HEAP and Day Care Overgrants. These collections are pursued initially through correspondence and ultimately court measures are taken and Judgments are filed in Otsego County Clerk s Office. Then there is continuous search for active employment in order to obtain Income Executions; which are processed through the Sheriff s Department. In 2011, the following collections were pursued: Approximately 94 new referrals. Active collections for 75 claims. Continuous searching for 238 clients, of which, whereabouts were unknown. 163 Transcript of Judgments are on file, all of which are over $500, continuous searching for active employment is conducted in order to obtain Income Execution on wages. There were 64 clients taken to Oneonta City Small Claims Court. Income Execution recoveries totaled $2, In order to reduce the cost of Medicaid, the unit verifies an individual s third party health insurance coverage. By doing so and inputting the insurance coverage into the Medicaid payment system the insurance company becomes the primary payer for medical expenses. This resulted in a savings of $1,501,621 in Medicaid costs for The Resource Unit also provides indigent burial assistance. In 2011, there were 40 burials processed at a cost of $96,419.72, with the average burial costing $2, Cremations $139, Traditional Average Burial $2, Burials Cremations $96, Traditional Average Burial $2, Burials RESOURCES STAFF: Jodi Bottita, Patricia Cleinman and Tina Lorenzen.

12 SOCIAL SERVICES ATTORNEYS The attorneys assist in carrying out the mandated duties of all the various parts of the Department of Social Services by representing the Commissioner of Social Services, through subordinate employees, both in and out of court. The office consists of two full-time Social Services Attorneys, a Legal Secretary, and a Keyboard Specialist who work out of the office of the County Attorney. These same attorneys are also designated Assistant County Attorneys and prosecute certain other types of cases in Family Court, including Juvenile Delinquency and Person in Need of Supervision (PINS) cases. 11 The attorneys are responsible for prosecuting petitions filed in Family Court by the Department of Social Services. These include child abuse and neglect cases, where the Department seeks the aid of the court in providing services to parents accused of abusing and/or neglecting their children, sometimes requesting a removal of children to foster care. There were 26 such cases filed in The attorneys also present to the court child and spousal support petitions seeking reimbursement for Public Assistance and/or Medical Assistance (Medicaid) from legally responsible relatives. Hundreds of support petitions are filed each year. Although not filed by the Department of Social Services, Juvenile Delinquency and Person in Need of Supervision cases are also prosecuted by these same attorneys, acting in their capacity of Assistant County Attorney. In most cases, the Department of Social Services will be directed by the Family Court to provide supportive services to those families, to assist in correcting the problems that led to the petition being filed. There were 8 Juvenile Delinquency and 23 PINS petitions filed in Further, in many custody/visitation and family offense (domestic violence) cases filed in Family Court by parties other than the Department, the judge may order the Department to perform an investigation of the parents for possible child abuse or neglect. In those cases, the attorneys advocate for the findings of the Department. There were 47 custody/visitation and 21 family offense petitions filed in 2011 which involved the Department of Social Services, upon the order of the Family Court. The attorneys represent Adult Protective Services when court action is needed to meet the needs of an incapacitated adult or an adult who is at imminent risk of death or serious physical harm; and no less restrictive alternative is available. This generally occurs in Supreme Court when a guardianship petition is filed upon allegations that a person is unable to manage his or her own affairs and needs a guardian to be appointed. Finally, all appeals to higher courts involving the Department of Social Services are handled by the attorneys office. There were 7 such appeals argued and decided in The Department was affirmed (prevailed) on six of these appeals, and reversed on the seventh. INCOME MAINTENANCE FAIR HEARINGS Applicants and Recipients are entitled by law to the right to dispute any action or decision made on their application or active case. In order to do this the individual will call, fax or the Office of Administrative Hearings to schedule what is referred to as a Fair Hearing. When an individual makes such a request, NYS Office of Administrative Hearing (AOH) notifies the LDSS (Local District of Social Services). The LDSS in turn reviews the action or decision that was made. If an inaccurate action/decision was made, the LDSS corrects that action/decision and notifies the individual. If the LDSS believes that the original action /decision was correct the Examiner and/or Sr. Examiner will contact the individual to arrange either a face to face meeting or phone conference to discuss the action/decision, the laws and regulations that apply and in simple terms explain why the agency s action/decision was correct. Conferencing with the individual has been an effective tool to resolve issues before a hearing is necessary. If the person is satisfied; he/ she is encouraged to contact OAH directly by phone or by mail to withdraw the hearing request. Alternatively, the individual can put the request to withdraw the hearing in writing and the LDSS will forward that to OAH. Extensive preparation is required by staff and the Administrative Law Judge, so resolving issues prior to a scheduled hearing can save valuable staff time and resources. The Department continues to have an excellent record of resolving client concerns and issues brought to Fair Hearing. Of the 77 requests made in 2011, only eleven (11) were brought before the Adjudicated Law Judge. All but one(1) those actions was upheld. In cases where we are not upheld, the decision rendered is utilized as a learning tool for more effective results in similar situations in the future. Fair hearing decisions are also a useful tool as they provide clarification of what many times are complicated regulations. This clarification can be used in making future case determinations or as support in other Fair Hearings. 12

13 ACCOUNTING The Accounting unit is responsible for all fiscal transactions made by the department as well as budget preparation and oversight, filing claims for Federal and State reimbursements, payments to contractors and payroll. In 2011 expenditures were $24,666,778. Total revenues, State and Federal reimbursements and repayments, totaled $13,230,902. The local cost to the County was $11,435,876. Medicaid usage by eligible persons totaled $85,088,971. The local share of the Medicaid cost was capped at $9,575,618 for the year. After excluding the mandated Medicaid weekly shares payments, the local cost incurred for providing the myriad of services the department is responsible to provide was 7.5% of the total budget for the department. Due to the generosity of the Clark Foundation, the Department of Social Services was able to assist 84 families during These families did not qualify for public assistance and could not afford necessary items such as smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, diapers, gas vouchers, food and bus passes. The continued support by the Clark Foundation is greatly appreciated as the Department is able to assist more individuals in need. The accounting unit assists with payments for individuals who require a reppayee for assistance with managing their money on a monthly basis. Upon request from the Adult Protective caseworker, the accounting unit will establish accounts and pay bills on behalf of those who are not able to do this on their own. During 2011, there were approximately 55 individuals served by the rep-payee program. $25,000, $24,666,778 $20,000, $15,000, $10,000, $5,000, $13,230,902 $11,435,876 $- Total Expenditures Total Revenues Cost to the County 13

14 14 Anthony Leshinski Director of Administrative Services October 1985 August 2011 Sylva Jenkins Community Services Worker October 1994 September 2011 Barbara King Community Services Aide January 2007 May 2011 NOT PICTURED: Claudia Keene-Caseworker June 2000 October 2011 Harmon Swart-Community Services Aide January 2008 May 2011 Malcolm Bloomer Grade B Supervisor January 2002 May 2011 Rose Pink Community Services Worker May 1980 May 2011 OTSEGO COUNTY OUTSTANDING EMPLOYEE Janet Elliott, Social Welfare Examiner, was presented the first award of Otsego County Outstanding Employee at the County Board Meeting on June 1, In a separate ceremony attended by her coworkers at the Meadows, Kay Stuligross, County Representative, presented Janet with this recognition on June 30th. Janet received her own parking space at the Meadows Office Complex for 6 months. In addition Janet s name appears on a brass plaque in the lobby of the County Office Building at 197 Main Street, Cooperstown.