1,000 to Get Bonuses, Not Pink Slips

1,000 to Get Bonuses, Not Pink Slips

 

Polly Ross Hughes
Houston Chronicle
5/5/2006

 

AUSTIN - State welfare workers who were destined for pink slips to make way for privatized eligibility screeners are getting $1,800 retention bonuses instead, Health and Human Services Commissioner Albert Hawkins announced Thursday.

 

With the move to privately run eligibility screening off to a troubled start, the commission has scrapped any plans to lay off state employees during the next 12 months, he said, and will lay off no more than 900 employees during the transition to private call centers.

 

The state had planned to lay off 1,900 employees by the time the transition was complete, but will now keep 1,000 of those state employees on permanently.

 

All 4,800 eligibility workers currently employed, assuming they are in good standing, and 900 temporary workers will be eligible for a $900 retention bonus this summer and another $900 bonus six months later, commission spokeswoman Stephanie Goodman said.

 

State leaders on the Legislative Budget Board, meanwhile, have promised the commission an extra $85.9 million to keep the state workers, she said.

 

The Texas State Employees Union, which has been a fierce opponent of the state's $899 million call center contract with outsourcing giant Accenture LLP, said problems with the system so far underline the importance of state workers.

 

"Retaining 1,000 state eligibility workers is a good start toward preserving health and human services, but it's not enough," said Mike Gross, vice president of the union.

"The 900 still facing layoffs are skilled employees who play a vital role in delivering services. They can't be replaced by call centers and computer systems," he said.

 

April 5, Hawkins indefinitely suspended plans for a statewide rollout of private call centers to help screen millions of needy Texans for food stamps, Medicaid, long-term care and cash welfare through Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.

 

"We recognize that modernizing a system of this size and complexity is never easy," he said Thursday.

 

He added the state remains focused on building a system using technology to give clients more choice in how they apply for benefits.

 

Toward that end, the state is now placing state employees at the Midland call center to ensure applicants are being given accurate information from private customer service representatives, the agency said.

 

The private call center workers are now instructed to direct complex policy questions to state staffers.

 

The agency also learned that private call center workers need training on how to conduct thorough records searches. Even after information had been entered into a computer system, private workers told callers they could not locate their applications or other information, the commission said.

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