A Look at Santa Cruz County’s Process for Banked Cases

Background The County of Santa Cruz Human Services Department (schsd) implemented a enefits Call Center (bcc) in March 2007 as a response to an increase in caseload size in Medi-Cal and Food Stamps. The bcc is a concept where ongoing cases are maintained in a banked caseload with no face-to-face client contact except on request. Currently, in Santa Cruz County, the bcc houses Medi-Cal, Food Stamp, Child-only and Foster/Care/Adoption Assistance cases. These ongoing cases are typically maintained by a group of eligibility staff with the assistance of clerical staff. Having a bcc in place, allows actions to be performed based on staff availability rather than case assignment to a specific worker. To ensure the equitable distribution of work and quality control, Santa Cruz County developed a Windows-Based program called Task Tracker. schsd chose to assign tasks rather than cases for the bcc. In December 2007, the it department was charged with developing the Task Tracker program that is now being shared as a “best practice” for counties that have or are thinking about designing a bcc. The schsd embraced the idea of an automated work environment as an efficient way of doing business. The Task Tracker has helped to accomplish this. Recommendation It is recommended that the Alameda County Social Services Agency (acssa) implement a task-based model for banked Medi-Cal and Food Stamp only cases. Eligibility Workers (ew) II are recommended to complete the tasks associated with these programs. Cash-related cases should be excluded due to their complex program requirements and the need to be available for face-to-face customer contact. Previously, acssa had a Benefit Center (bc) but due to financial reasons the staff and cases were reassigned to the district offices and the bc was closed. Alameda County understands the need to again explore new automated systems that increase worker efficiency. The eligibility workers are not able to properly maintain the number of cases currently assigned, nor can they provide good customer service due to the large volume. The cost of investing in the Task Tracker application would be minimal for Alameda County since it recently hired two additional programmers/ web designers and currently has some of the required software. The investment and business process that would be involved to set-up a bc is well worth the cost for both internal staff and the clients who need the services.