ProposedStable Families, Healthy

Community Implementation Plan

Vanessa Sarria, CANDavid Davenport, CAFB

Stable Families, Healthy Community: 5-year plan to connect families to all available resources while

maximizing public assistance enrollment. (12/12/09) Streamlined Common

Eligibility:1. Conduct inventory of criteria

and customer records used across agencies to determine eligibility for services.

2. Identify customer information & documents commonly used by agencies to determine eligibility.

3. Establish virtual access to information commonly used by agencies while protecting privacy (virtual portfolio).

4. Use virtual system to auto-populate application forms (e.g. food stamps) and expedite eligibility determination.

5. Develop tools for customers and case managers to self-determine potential eligibility for range of services.

Community Resources 101:

1. Orient social service staff and volunteers on how to connect families to resources.

2. Enhance community’s awareness of available assistance.

3. Expand community capacity to assist with outreach on range of resources.

Advocacy and Policy:1. Change message to

“stable families, healthy communities.”

2. Remain engaged with state-wide efforts to improve systems.

3. Advocate for stimulus funding that helps connect families to assistance.

4. Advocate for electronic submission of applications to expedite assistance.

Measure the Impact

Submitted Application for Grant 7/26/2010

• Source: DHHS Administration of Child & Families• Type: Social Services and Income Maintenance

Benefits Enrollment Coordination Grants• Due Date: July 26, 2010• Eligible Applicants: Nonprofits• Match: None required• Amount: $350,000 for 12 months (January 1

through December 31, 2011)

Objectives

• Utilize existing infrastructure and community access points for benefits enrollment coordination

• Combine technology and expert analysis to accurately assess eligibility for multiple benefits

• Provide mechanisms for sustaining collaboration for benefits eligibility determination

Target Population

• Low-income (up to 200% FPL) not receiving or maintaining benefits• CHIP is up to 200% FPL• SNAP is up to approx. 135% FPL• MAP is up to 100% FPL; other sliding fee scale

programs go up to 200% FPL• TANF• Medicaid

Staff electronically refer clients eligible for other services and/or automatic

enrollment.

People need help applying for range of

services!

Community Resources 101

instructs agencies to refer people to

2-1-1 for help.

2-1-1 provides clients referrals to

State benefit programs and other support

services.

2-1-1 directs clients to VSS

Partner agencies for application

assistance.

Partner agencies screen clients in Medicaider

and help them complete applications for TANF, SNAP, CHIP, Medicaid

and MAP using CHASSIS.

Goal: Connect families to range of resources through benefits enrollment coordination.

People receive services. Centralized data management allows evaluation of increased

# of people screened, # of applications submitted, and

total enrolled in range of programs.

Applications and supporting docs are

scanned /stored in Virtual Warehouse with client ‘s

consent.

1

2

3

Virtual Single Stop

5

4

7

1010 E

1014

MAP

Med

icai

der

/CH

AS

SIS

S

cree

nin

g a

nd

Elig

ibili

ty D

eter

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atio

n

Customers referred to other agencies. Docs

and applications stored in Virtual Warehouse are

used to apply for services and to

expedite re-applications.

6

Report Card

Outreach and Education: Community Resources 101

CAN Streamlined Common Eligibility

Workgroup

-Project Management-Evaluation and Reporting

Virtual Single Stop User Group

Network Sciences

External Evaluator*

*CAN to Assist w/ Reporting

Virtual Single Stop Sustainability Evaluation

Timeline & Work PlanJanuary 1 – December 31, 2011

Lead Agency Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4

Outreach

Recruit agencies serving target population to attend CR 101 Orientations CAN X X X X

Community Resources 101 instructs agencies to refer clients to 2-1-1 UW X X X X

2-1-1 directs clients to Virtual Single Stop (VSS) Agencies for enrollment assistance UW X X X X

2-1-1 also provides referrals to customers to other types of support services UW X X X X

Virtual Single Stop

Form and regularly convene Virtual Single Stop User Group ICC X X X X

Put legal agreements in place re: privacy, data sharing, customer consent and quality assurance protocols ICC & CAFB X

Expand Medicaider & CHASSIS screening & eligibility determination tools to include SNAP & TANF ICC X

Create Virtual Warehouse for each VSS Agency to store applications & documents ICC X

Consolidate Virtual Warehouses to share applications & documents across agencies (given legal permission) ICC X X X X

Procure and set-up scanners ICC & CAFB X

Develop training manuals for VSS User Group and future users ICC X X X X

Train users on technology, protocols, eligibility requirements, consent forms ICC X X X X

Pilot integrated screening & eligibility enrollment system ICC & CAFB X X

Sustainability

Develop post-pilot expansion and sustainability plan through Streamlined Common Eligibility Work Group CAN X X X X

Begin training additional VSS users on technology, protocols, eligibility requirements, consent forms ICC X

Determine feasibility of interfacing existing community IT systems with Virtual Warehouse ICC X X

Determine feasibility of expanding Medicaider & CHASSIS beyond Medicaid, CHIP, MAP, SNAP & TANF ICC X X

Review/discuss Partner challenges and commitments (in grant support letters) to continue activities in future CAFB/CAN X

Evaluation

Provide quarterly and annual report on Community Resources 101 on # of participants; orientation evaluations UW & CAN X X X X

Collect quarterly/annual data on 2-1-1 referrals for public benefits enrollment assistance (to VSS and State) UW & CAN X X X X

Collect quarterly/annual data from VSS User Group on # screened, # applications submitted, # successful enrollments CAFB & ICC X X X X

Through external evaluator, documenting effectiveness, challenges, impact of pilot activities CAFB X X X X

Produce/share reports with key pilot evaluation findings and performance measures (Report Card) CAN/CAFB X X X X

Outreach: Community Resources 101 Orientations

• Recruit agencies serving target population to attend CR 101 Orientations where they will learn about:o 2-1-1 that is a gateway to public assistance

services and other support serviceso when to use 2-1-1 and when not to use 2-1-1o how to manage the customer encountero specific public assistance activities offered by

Virtual Single Stop partner organizations• Scheduled for Oct. 22 & Dec. 10 at United Way

Capital Area

Virtual Single Stop (VSS)

• Form VSS User Group: develop legal agreements to address privacy, data sharing, customer consent

• Develop quality assurance protocols & training materials

• VSS organizations will be trained to use VSS• Medicaider and CHASSIS will be expanded to screen

and determine eligibility for Medicaid, CHIP, and MAP as well as SNAP and TANF

• Applications and supporting documents will be uploaded to the Virtual Single Stop’s warehouse

Virtual Single Stop Pilot Organizations

Key Organizations that Provide Enrollment Assistance 211

Info & Referr

al

Capital

Area Food Bank

insure-a-kid

Catholic

Charities

Central

Health

City of

Austin

Lone Star

Circle of

Care

ACF – Medicaid X X X

ACF – Medicaid Long Term Care X

ACF - SCHIP X X X

ACF - Medicare X

ACF - TANF X

ACF – Community Services Block Grant X

USDA – SNAP X X

LOCAL – Central Health eligibility deter. for MAP and other sliding fee programs

X X

LOCAL - Information & Referral X

LOCAL – Other (health, emergency assistance, food, housing, utilities, clothing)

X X

Sustainability

• ICC will coordinate a VSS Users Group to provide ongoing assistance and technical support to pilot participants and future users

• CAN will continue to convene the Streamlined Common Eligibility work group to build on experience gained from the pilot and expand the VSS network

• CAN will build on work of UT School of Social Work inventory of documents and IT solutions commonly used by service providers

Range of Services – Orgs that Provide Enrollment Assistance

211 CAFB Insure-A-Kid

CatholicCharities

Central Health

Travis County

City of Austin

Austin Energy

Lone Star Circle of Care

Caritas

ACF – Medicaid X X XACF – Medicaid Long Term Care XACF - SCHIP X X XACF - Medicare XACF - TANF XACF - Low Inc Home Energy As X XACF - Comm Svcs Block Grant XACF - Earned Income Tax Credit

ACF - Head Start

ACF – Child Support Enforcement

USDA – SNAP X XDOL - Job Training

LOCAL – Central Health eligibility (MAP/other sliding fee programs)

X X

LOCAL - Information & Referral XLOCAL – Other (health, emergency assistance, food, housing, utilities, clothing)

X X X X X

Evaluation

• CAN will publish a one-page Stable Families, Healthy Community Plan Annual Report Card

• Project manager (CAFB) will provide evaluation oversight, collaborating with organizations to collect and report data on performance measures

• An external evaluator will conduct a comprehensive assessment of the pilot

• All evaluation products will be made available on the CAN website (www.caction.org)

Projected BudgetFunction Cost

Virtual Single Stop Coordination & Quality Assurance (ICC); Training/Manuals

Integrated Care Collaboration (ICC)

$80,000

Expansion of MedicaiderTM and CHASSISTM (add SNAP & TANF); licenses; legal fees

ICC thru Network Sciences

$70,000

Scanners VSS partners $10,000

TOTAL w/o Grant $160,000

Project Oversight Grant - CAFB $35,000

Project Evaluation & Printing of Report Grant - CAFB $50,000

Integrated Benefits Enrollment Specialists Grant – CAFB, Catholic Charities

$85,000

Outreach & Long-term Planning for Pilot Expansion/Sustainability thru SCE Work Group

Grant - CAN $20,000

TOTAL w/ Grant $350,000

Opportunities

• Agreement by ICC to consider expanding tools to include SNAP and TANF opens door to screening for a broader range of services beyond health services

• Modifications to Medicaider/CHASSIS are inexpensive• Can build on training and quality assurance protocols

to improve screening/referrals for a range of services• Consent form created by ICC partners can be used• Creating virtual space for storing scanned/uploaded

documents is not difficult and inexpensive• Evaluation tools will measure effectiveness

Challenges

• Data sharing across organizations is major challenge• Creating one Virtual Warehouse for all VSS agencies

to share will be challenging given legal hurdles • Creation of separate virtual spaces will not provide

the maximum benefit of one Virtual Warehouse• Organizations such as Capital Area Food Bank and

Catholic Charities using tools for the first time will face steep learning curve

• Must ensure that organizations with health focus are committed to expanding tools to other areas

Virtual Warehouse ofCommonly Used Eligibility Documents & Information

Service Providers Determining Eligibility

Customer gives Service Providers permission to

post and access documents from

Virtual Warehouse