Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Link Update
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Tuesday, March 13, 2007
TIERS reflections
I was going back and reading some archives from April of last year- and came across these gems:
These were found in THIS post (under comments):
1st, a comment that was left by an Accenture employee (what a difference a year makes, no?):
Folks, sorry to break up the lovefest but the "entry level" workers at the San Antonio office are doing you job better than you are with less training. The problem is not that the data entry people can not work cases as fast as you revered state workers can, it is that TIERS is a slow and most of the time monotonous program that requires lots of time. I have talked with many, many of the state workers who have come to observe. Many of them were critical or, at least, wary of all these entry level people doing the work.
After a few short days they commented to me at how great of a job they were doing and that the entry level staff had a greater grasp of policy in the few short months that had been working, than many of the people in the offices. No telling what these entry level people will be like once they get the hang of the process.
One state worker said that the problems people are having on the floor are the same problems experienced by state people. Lucky for us, we have state workers and former state workers who work on the floor to answer policy questions and bring everyone up to speed.
So, for all of you smart and intelligent state workers who seem to think that the world can not revolve without your knowledge, get over it.
This is a pilot program, once more, one that is only several months old. Everyone is still coming up to speed with the ungodly program of TIERS.
It will take TAA time to fix what you, the collect state worker, spent years screwing up. Why do you think they privatized it?
After a few short days they commented to me at how great of a job they were doing and that the entry level staff had a greater grasp of policy in the few short months that had been working, than many of the people in the offices. No telling what these entry level people will be like once they get the hang of the process.
One state worker said that the problems people are having on the floor are the same problems experienced by state people. Lucky for us, we have state workers and former state workers who work on the floor to answer policy questions and bring everyone up to speed.
So, for all of you smart and intelligent state workers who seem to think that the world can not revolve without your knowledge, get over it.
This is a pilot program, once more, one that is only several months old. Everyone is still coming up to speed with the ungodly program of TIERS.
It will take TAA time to fix what you, the collect state worker, spent years screwing up. Why do you think they privatized it?
And then this comment left by Fr. John who explains alot about TIERS:
TIERS was not screwed up by HHSC workers. I was on a TIERS advisory committee before they signed the contract to develope the piece of crap system that they now have. They had field staff from every region in the state to provide feedback on what we needed in a new system. Problem was, they already knew what we needed, and just presented their ideas to us. We provided feedback to the extent that we could, but they weren't really interested in what we had to say. Then, as soon as they signed the new contract, they disbanded this committee, and so we never had a chance to provide feedback based on how the actual program worked.
This program was supposed to have been rolled out in 2001, they spent 300 million dollars on it, and it is a piece of crap. SAVERR, for all of its problems, is still a far faster, and more reliable system.
Those of us who have taken issue with the Accenture contract have never blamed the staff at Accenture for the problem. The problem is with a system that cannot work. I don't care how good the staff at accenture are, or get, they will not be able to save the state money with this system, because too many cooks are involved in determining eligibility, and if you had ever done interviews from start to finish (from taking the application, to the point of issuing the benefits, and all points in between) you would know why it is always worse to have more than one person involved in the interview process. It is too difficult to figure out what the previous person saw or did not see, when you are trying to figure out what the next step should be. It is better to have one person interview the client, and then do the follow up steps.
When I was a worker, and had to finish a case another worker had started, I generally had to call the client, and practically do another interview to make sure that the previous person didn't miss something, because in the old system, whoever actually certified the case was ultimately responsible for the case, regardless of what mis-steps anyone else might have made.
How then can you expect a HHSC worker to take a case from someone that they have never seen, and do not know, and trust the case work that they did. Either the worker will end up re-doing that work, or they will simply rubber stamp what the Accenture worker did. Neither alternative is an improvement on the old system.
Also, anyone who has ever done interviews will tell you that doing a face to face interview gives you a lot more information than doing one over the phobe, because people are much more comfortable lying over the phone than they are looking someone in the face.
At the end of the day, if we want quality cases that give people what they are actually eligible for, we should be doing face to face interviews.
In fact, doing occassional home interviews (like we used to do back in the day) gives you even more information than an in office interview can.
This program was supposed to have been rolled out in 2001, they spent 300 million dollars on it, and it is a piece of crap. SAVERR, for all of its problems, is still a far faster, and more reliable system.
Those of us who have taken issue with the Accenture contract have never blamed the staff at Accenture for the problem. The problem is with a system that cannot work. I don't care how good the staff at accenture are, or get, they will not be able to save the state money with this system, because too many cooks are involved in determining eligibility, and if you had ever done interviews from start to finish (from taking the application, to the point of issuing the benefits, and all points in between) you would know why it is always worse to have more than one person involved in the interview process. It is too difficult to figure out what the previous person saw or did not see, when you are trying to figure out what the next step should be. It is better to have one person interview the client, and then do the follow up steps.
When I was a worker, and had to finish a case another worker had started, I generally had to call the client, and practically do another interview to make sure that the previous person didn't miss something, because in the old system, whoever actually certified the case was ultimately responsible for the case, regardless of what mis-steps anyone else might have made.
How then can you expect a HHSC worker to take a case from someone that they have never seen, and do not know, and trust the case work that they did. Either the worker will end up re-doing that work, or they will simply rubber stamp what the Accenture worker did. Neither alternative is an improvement on the old system.
Also, anyone who has ever done interviews will tell you that doing a face to face interview gives you a lot more information than doing one over the phobe, because people are much more comfortable lying over the phone than they are looking someone in the face.
At the end of the day, if we want quality cases that give people what they are actually eligible for, we should be doing face to face interviews.
In fact, doing occassional home interviews (like we used to do back in the day) gives you even more information than an in office interview can.
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To All State Representatives
This is an open letter to ALL Texas State Representatives:
TIERS DOES NOT WORK.....GO TO YOUR LOCAL OFFICES IN YOUR DISTRICTS. TALK TO THE WORKERS WHO WORK IN THOSE OFFICES- ESPECIALLY THE ONES WHO WORK CASES ON THE SAVERR PROGRAM- ASK them if that program works. ASK them why they have stayed on amongst the turmoil. TALK to the clients in your area. FEEL their frustration.
TIERS should only be put in a highly controlled environment- not one where it literally affects clients and their families. TIERS is not what the Executive Commissioner and his cronies are telling you. IT is not the "end all, be all". ASK the people in the field who know.
Please.
TIERS DOES NOT WORK.....GO TO YOUR LOCAL OFFICES IN YOUR DISTRICTS. TALK TO THE WORKERS WHO WORK IN THOSE OFFICES- ESPECIALLY THE ONES WHO WORK CASES ON THE SAVERR PROGRAM- ASK them if that program works. ASK them why they have stayed on amongst the turmoil. TALK to the clients in your area. FEEL their frustration.
TIERS should only be put in a highly controlled environment- not one where it literally affects clients and their families. TIERS is not what the Executive Commissioner and his cronies are telling you. IT is not the "end all, be all". ASK the people in the field who know.
Please.
What now?
Final News Release Here: http://www.cppp.org/files/3/news_releasefinal.pdf
We've been calling for this since it started, and now it's all beginning to unravel. I attribute this cancellation (since Hawkins and Co. have proclaimed all this time how GREAT all this is) to the pressure the Union helped put on the Agency through their Legislative contacts.
Now, what will happen?
Potentially "re-bid" the job? BAD IDEA.
Continue to rollout TIERS? BAD IDEA. Entirely TOO much money has been wasted on TIERS as it is. Cut bait and run. Convert all these cases back into SAVERR until a new system is "built" and WORKS. Rebuild staffing. Get rid of all these "chiefs" and let's get back to work - with the quality that we used to have. Re-vamp the "Upper Management" who refused to acknowledge the flaws until they were forced to. Remember this- "Upper Management" have goals that do NOT include client services OR employees. They do not care if you are or were a loyal employee. They do not CARE that clients have gotten the shaft. They do not CARE that the taxpayers in Texas have gotten this screw job. Us, those in the front lines- those in the offices that have borne the brunt of this screwup from the beginning- WE do care.
Write your local representative and tell them that this is NOT OVER. Please! There IS power in numbers. The more attention we can bring to this the better. Email reporters at various newspapers (maybe not in your town, if you are fearful)- OR, send ME your letter and where you want me to email it and I'll do it from MY "hhsc" email address. Remember this fellow HHSC Employees- WE ARE ALL "HHSC EMPLOYEE". We are the ONLY ones that can continue to push this.
And I've been waiting a long time to say this, but:
GOOD RIDDANCE ACCENTURE.
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Links about the Contract
Monday, March 12, 2007
Breaking News from TSEU
ACCENTURE CONTRACT DEAD?
Sources: announcement set for Tuesday, March 13
TSEU has received the word from several sources that Accenture and HHSC will jointly
announce on March 13 that the contract will be "unraveled", with each party "going its way."
The word is that Accenture is feeling pressure to do the job right including making the TIERS
system work and is balking at the cost.
Human Services might still not be on track
According to the sources, HHSC might put forward a plan to re-bid the contract rather than
concentrate on rebuilding the system we had, which actually worked until they started
dismantling it.
While this development goes a long way toward ending a wasteful and damaging boondoggle, it
does not by itself result in a restoration of quality human services eligibility. TSEU will continue
to call for implementation of our plan, which includes:
1. Terminate the Accenture contract.
2. Rebuild a functioning human services eligibility system.
A. Hire more staff: It would require less than 1000 additional positions to rebuild the staff
to the 2004 levels. Add these staff and re-evaluate staffing levels in 2009.
B. Rebuild a qualified staff:
1.) Create a program to bring skilled, tenured staff who have left back into the agency.
2.) Reverse the damage caused by the Job Search and Placement ( JSAP) program by
allowing all HHSC employees who accepted transfers under JSAP to return to their
original positions.
3.) Rebuild the training program for eligibility staff.
4.) Cancel the Convergys contract and rebuild effective human resources/personnel
services to support management and front-line staff.
C. Consider creative ways to enhance services. Ask front-line eligibility staff for ideas.
3. Integrate CHIP eligibility with children's Medicaid Eligibility in the state-operated
intake system.
HHSC already operates state-employee-staffed call centers in El Paso, Houston, Austin,
and San Antonio, and Dallas that do intake for Children's Medicaid. The CHIP and
Children's Medicaid programs are closely related: integrating eligibility would provide a
seamless, "one-stop" system in which a single qualified worker would directly enroll the
applicant in whichever program they are eligible for. This step would reduce costs and
increase accuracy and timeliness in providing these crucial services to Texas children.
4. Deploy a cost-effective, functional data system for human services eligibility.
A. Have a task force that is outside the HHSC structure and answerable to the Legislature
re-evaluate both the TIERS system and the SAVERR system to determine the systems'
present and potential functionality.
B. Move decisively on the findings of the study to either complete the development of
TIERS or cancel the project; to implement an upgrade of SAVERR , or to pursue a new
approach.
C. Suspend all input or conversion of cases into TIERS until the future of the system has
been decided and, if it is decided to keep TIERS, until the system is fully functional.
D. Seek and accept the input of front-line human services staff as part of all decision-making
and developmental steps to deploy a functional system.
Sources: announcement set for Tuesday, March 13
TSEU has received the word from several sources that Accenture and HHSC will jointly
announce on March 13 that the contract will be "unraveled", with each party "going its way."
The word is that Accenture is feeling pressure to do the job right including making the TIERS
system work and is balking at the cost.
Human Services might still not be on track
According to the sources, HHSC might put forward a plan to re-bid the contract rather than
concentrate on rebuilding the system we had, which actually worked until they started
dismantling it.
While this development goes a long way toward ending a wasteful and damaging boondoggle, it
does not by itself result in a restoration of quality human services eligibility. TSEU will continue
to call for implementation of our plan, which includes:
1. Terminate the Accenture contract.
2. Rebuild a functioning human services eligibility system.
A. Hire more staff: It would require less than 1000 additional positions to rebuild the staff
to the 2004 levels. Add these staff and re-evaluate staffing levels in 2009.
B. Rebuild a qualified staff:
1.) Create a program to bring skilled, tenured staff who have left back into the agency.
2.) Reverse the damage caused by the Job Search and Placement ( JSAP) program by
allowing all HHSC employees who accepted transfers under JSAP to return to their
original positions.
3.) Rebuild the training program for eligibility staff.
4.) Cancel the Convergys contract and rebuild effective human resources/personnel
services to support management and front-line staff.
C. Consider creative ways to enhance services. Ask front-line eligibility staff for ideas.
3. Integrate CHIP eligibility with children's Medicaid Eligibility in the state-operated
intake system.
HHSC already operates state-employee-staffed call centers in El Paso, Houston, Austin,
and San Antonio, and Dallas that do intake for Children's Medicaid. The CHIP and
Children's Medicaid programs are closely related: integrating eligibility would provide a
seamless, "one-stop" system in which a single qualified worker would directly enroll the
applicant in whichever program they are eligible for. This step would reduce costs and
increase accuracy and timeliness in providing these crucial services to Texas children.
4. Deploy a cost-effective, functional data system for human services eligibility.
A. Have a task force that is outside the HHSC structure and answerable to the Legislature
re-evaluate both the TIERS system and the SAVERR system to determine the systems'
present and potential functionality.
B. Move decisively on the findings of the study to either complete the development of
TIERS or cancel the project; to implement an upgrade of SAVERR , or to pursue a new
approach.
C. Suspend all input or conversion of cases into TIERS until the future of the system has
been decided and, if it is decided to keep TIERS, until the system is fully functional.
D. Seek and accept the input of front-line human services staff as part of all decision-making
and developmental steps to deploy a functional system.
FED AUDIT
Here's another comment...which is in line with the crazy decision to continuing to rollout TIERS:
Guess what? The feds audited hhsc and said IEE and Tiers is not working. The report is on the sao web page. Look at page 127. TIERS, 07-13 on page 126/136 PDF. www.sao.state.tx.us/reports/main/07-316.pdf
The fish are biting.
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Comment that is deserving of being posted
I thought the following comment was worthy enough to be on the page itself so everyone sees it........provides interesting food for thought:
Topics for an interesting Albert Hawkins hearing:
1. What about ethics charges filed by Chris Bell regarding Albert Hawkins' membership on the board of Texas Health Institute and their non-competitive award of state Health and Human Service dollars? Is there an outcome?
2. What about OIG report stating public funds were paid to contractors at DSHS to lobby? Are these groups still funded? Has anyone had to pay back the money?
3. What about allegations by OIG that records were altered by DSHS and their contractors? Has there been follow-up on this serious criminal allegation in the OIG report?
4. What about allegations of inside info on bids shared between DFPS and Providence in the outsourcing of CPS services? Has this been thoroughly investigated?
1. What about ethics charges filed by Chris Bell regarding Albert Hawkins' membership on the board of Texas Health Institute and their non-competitive award of state Health and Human Service dollars? Is there an outcome?
2. What about OIG report stating public funds were paid to contractors at DSHS to lobby? Are these groups still funded? Has anyone had to pay back the money?
3. What about allegations by OIG that records were altered by DSHS and their contractors? Has there been follow-up on this serious criminal allegation in the OIG report?
4. What about allegations of inside info on bids shared between DFPS and Providence in the outsourcing of CPS services? Has this been thoroughly investigated?
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More TEARS to come as TIERS spreads further into the state.......
I'm sure everyone got this- but I'm posting it for those who read here that do not work for HHSC. So it appears as though HHSC is going to continue rolling out TIERS which STILL does not perform in a way that it should. I suppose this also means that the issues that TIERS has in relation to fraud (where cases are basically not prosecuted that have fraud because there's no way to verify/prove that TIERS didn't cause the overpayment)...will now be spread into even MORE counties.
So while HHSC tells the public that they are putting the contract with Accenture rollout on "hold"- they are still going to rollout the system that doesn't work.
Good luck to the following counties:
In April, we will begin a series of conversions over the spring and summer that will move more counties in Region 7 and a few in Region 8 to the new system. Each conversion will take place after cutoff for that month. Here's the schedule:
April Bastrop , Burnet, Caldwell , Comal, Guadalupe, Lampasas and Llano counties
May Bell County
June Brazos , Burleson, Fayette, Grimes, Milam and Washington counties
July McLennan County
August Bosque, Coryell, Falls, Freestone, Hamilton, Hill, Lee, Leon, Limestone, Madison, Mills, Robertson and San Saba counties.
State workers will continue to process all cases, and all state offices will remain open. With each conversion, we will conduct thorough readiness assessments before reaching a final determination to move forward. We moved Williamson County cases to TIERS in November 2006, and we converted foster care cases in February of this year. Both those conversions went very well.
Staff in the conversion areas will begin receiving TIERS training, and ART workers will fill in at the offices while staff receive training. In addition, ART workers will be on hand in the offices to assist with each transition.
If you have questions or concerns, please let your supervisor know. One of the keys to any computer conversion is to identify and address issues quickly. You are on the front lines, and we need and value your input to make the transition successful.
Thank you for all your hard work and your commitment to our clients.
Anne Heiligenstein
Deputy Executive Commissioner for Social Services
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Sunday, March 11, 2007
Just some rambling
First off, sorry I've been away. I've not abandoned the blog (by any means)- work has been horribly busy and by the time I get home? I'm spent of all things HHSC.
I will say that with the session going on, there's no better time for those of us in the filed who are seeing the destruction that has become of this agency to SPEAK OUT! Write letters! Send your representative the link to this blog if you'd like- anything to get the word out.
I also want to do a post in the future of what the actual personal toll all this has taken on the actual employees. We all know the effects that the changes have had on our clients, but what about those of us who have served the agency and it's clients well for years- that have had to make huge personal changes due to what has gone on. Some have left the agency and taken a pay cut just to ensure they had a job (because they got a layoff notice). Some have sold homes, cars, cut out other various expenses (vacations, etc) because they thought they were losing their jobs. You have employees who, due to the stress, have developed medical problems that is directly due to the conditions under which they are now working. Stress kills. Then you have those employees that the agency really couldn't afford to lose, but have retired and NOT come back because it wasn't an agency they believed in anymore. Many of our offices are now short staffed with very few tenured workers left and the rest are temporary employees who are thrown into the fire and expected to be able to grasp the policy and see the full caseload with little or no protected plans in place. This overwhelms new people to the point that THEY then leave.
And now, they are expanding TIERS? So you will have small rural offices that have always been able to truly help their clients, see many appointments per day, etc- and now? With TIERS? That level of service will go way down. For HHSC "Powers that Be" to continue to act as though TIERS is the God-send of human services are just giving the public lip service. The amount of money that has been POURED into TIERS still has not produced the end product as promised. I'm sure most of us either work in TIERS already, or know a worker who is in ART and hears the stories of a "no show" taking an hour to process, or the simple procedure of correcting a case takes forever......this? this is client service? Insane.
So in offices that are seeing 15+ clients per day? What do they think will happen to the "almighty lead time" when the offices rollout into TIERS? If that office can only see 4-5 to account for the learning curve, it pushes the lead time even FURTHER. Which directly conflicts with Federal regulations. Is FNS doing anything at all?
Rumor has it that the Pilot area sees upwards of 17-18 appointments per day in TIERS. Can anyone verify? I've also heard that they are also getting massive amounts of overtime. So when those in charge point to the pilot area and how many they are seeing as the "model to follow"- they leave out the fact that it's not being done in an 8 hour day. How about those employees that have actual "lives" outside of the office? Are the rollout offices supposed to tell these employees that their families, their children, their outside responsibilities are no longer important? I guess they could, and more people could just quit.
I will say that with the session going on, there's no better time for those of us in the filed who are seeing the destruction that has become of this agency to SPEAK OUT! Write letters! Send your representative the link to this blog if you'd like- anything to get the word out.
I also want to do a post in the future of what the actual personal toll all this has taken on the actual employees. We all know the effects that the changes have had on our clients, but what about those of us who have served the agency and it's clients well for years- that have had to make huge personal changes due to what has gone on. Some have left the agency and taken a pay cut just to ensure they had a job (because they got a layoff notice). Some have sold homes, cars, cut out other various expenses (vacations, etc) because they thought they were losing their jobs. You have employees who, due to the stress, have developed medical problems that is directly due to the conditions under which they are now working. Stress kills. Then you have those employees that the agency really couldn't afford to lose, but have retired and NOT come back because it wasn't an agency they believed in anymore. Many of our offices are now short staffed with very few tenured workers left and the rest are temporary employees who are thrown into the fire and expected to be able to grasp the policy and see the full caseload with little or no protected plans in place. This overwhelms new people to the point that THEY then leave.
And now, they are expanding TIERS? So you will have small rural offices that have always been able to truly help their clients, see many appointments per day, etc- and now? With TIERS? That level of service will go way down. For HHSC "Powers that Be" to continue to act as though TIERS is the God-send of human services are just giving the public lip service. The amount of money that has been POURED into TIERS still has not produced the end product as promised. I'm sure most of us either work in TIERS already, or know a worker who is in ART and hears the stories of a "no show" taking an hour to process, or the simple procedure of correcting a case takes forever......this? this is client service? Insane.
So in offices that are seeing 15+ clients per day? What do they think will happen to the "almighty lead time" when the offices rollout into TIERS? If that office can only see 4-5 to account for the learning curve, it pushes the lead time even FURTHER. Which directly conflicts with Federal regulations. Is FNS doing anything at all?
Rumor has it that the Pilot area sees upwards of 17-18 appointments per day in TIERS. Can anyone verify? I've also heard that they are also getting massive amounts of overtime. So when those in charge point to the pilot area and how many they are seeing as the "model to follow"- they leave out the fact that it's not being done in an 8 hour day. How about those employees that have actual "lives" outside of the office? Are the rollout offices supposed to tell these employees that their families, their children, their outside responsibilities are no longer important? I guess they could, and more people could just quit.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
What a wonderful example TEXAS has become
Eligibility outsourcing’s tough childhood
James SchultzWashington Technology2/28/2007
For Indiana , entitlement eligibility outsourcing could be a dream come true. For Texas it’s been more like a nightmare. Both states are in the uneasy vanguard of an ambitious attempt to modernize decades-old processes and systems at health and human services agencies.
At stake are potential savings of hundreds of millions of dollars, dramatic improvements in speed and efficiency of delivery of services and adherence to welfare-reform regulations that otherwise lead to hefty fines for states unable to prove progress in moving from federal subsidies to employment. Comprehensive retooling of paper-based legacy systems also promises an aggressive approach to prevention and detection of otherwise undetectable fraud and abuse.
“Policy changes made by the federal government have driven modernization,” said Brian Whitfield, vice president of state and local government for IBM Global Services. States that want to see a real difference will have to similarly change their business processes, he said. Upgrading the information technology without updating the processes will have only a minimal effect.
States have neither the IT infrastructure nor the staff expertise to go the modernization route alone. But private-sector IT providers, ready for upfront investment so long as the profits can be spied somewhere in the thicket of multiyear milestones and deliverables, are stepping up.
The biggest players have the greatest advantage: deep pockets and a ready bench of experts that together can justify the considerable upfront investment in breaking systemwide incompatibilities and creating interoperable, user-friendly prototype replacements.
In December 2006, an IBM-led coalition landed a 10-year, $1.16 billion deal with Indiana to provide administrative and technological support for the state’s eligibility-determination process. The IBM team will help modernize the Indiana ’s failing eligibility system, state officials said.
At a little more than 6 percent, Indiana is last on national rankings of states that monitor the portion of those recipients transferred from welfare to work.
No bandwagon vaulting
Nationwide the human-services modernization market could theoretically amount to tens of billions of dollars for IT providers, said John Kost, managing vice president for Gartner Government and Health Care Research Worldwide. That figure is based on a high level of nationwide adoption that so far hs not been borne out in reality. Most states are waiting to see how successful Indiana and Texas can be with their outsourcing efforts before vaulting onto the bandwagon, Kost said.
There are many pitfalls, including disgruntled public employees forced onto private-sector employment rolls or out of work entirely. As the IT kinks are ironed out, citizens may have their benefits delayed or interrupted. Even the savviest of IT efforts can be gummed up by the unintended consequences of a re-architecture. And skeptical federal lawmakers want assurances that states will retain oversight of firms whose profit motives may not dovetail with devotion to citizen needs.
Kost summarizes part of the dilemma: “Can government create a meaningful contract that transfers fiduciary responsibility for what is regarded as a core government responsibility — health and welfare — to the private sector? Government procurement is horribly inflexible under most circumstances and trying to create a contractual relationship in a new market is chronically difficult.”
Scaling back
Difficulties have already surfaced in Texas . The state’s Health and Human Services Commission has scaled back private-sector involvement in a 2005 contract with the original goal of coupling Medicaid eligibility with broader social-services eligibility. Texas planned to offer eligibility services at four call centers in the state, maintain and support an integrated eligibility determination system and broker programs for those who receive food stamps, cash assistance and benefits through Medicaid and the state’s Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
The effort, led by Accenture, was originally worth $899 million, but has since been reduced to $543 million. In December 2006, Texas said it would rebalance the model by limiting the contract’s original scope after an Accenture subcontractor generated unnecessary letters to CHIP applicants requesting information. The subcontractor denied applications, the state asserts, even though the requested information was either on the original application or had already been received but not properly processed.
Modernization will continue, albeit at a more modest pace. The Accenture-led team will continue to work behind the scenes, processing food stamp, Medicaid and welfare applications, but Texas will reassume an active oversight role. The state says it will recover about $30 million in contract costs through service credits and discounts and convert 900 temporary positions in eligibility offices to regular-status positions to help stabilize the state workforce.
“ Texas took a very big bite of the apple,” said Zach Main, deputy director of the Division of Family Resources at Indiana’s Family and Social Services Administration. “We had the advantage of being a year and a half behind [their plan]. We watched what Texas did and realized it was too much for us to do at once. It was much too risky.”
Standardizing business practice
Main said the estimated $50 million in annual savings Indiana expects to recoup from the IBM deal is spread over 10 years and is a relatively small part of the initiative. What’s more important is establishing accurate eligibility review, more responsive citizen services and metrics to address anticipated Medicaid growth rates.
“We have all kinds of issues with the way we do business. We have no standard practices,” Main said. “We wanted to see what the private sector could do. Why should the state reinvent the wheel? Why not purchase the expertise and products already out there?”
A key element in the Indiana plan, and one that has by Main’s account prevented some likely objections, was the insistence by the state that IBM hire and retain 1,600 state workers whose jobs are privatized under the plan. Main asserts that although there’s been some opposition, the unions are almost completely driving the effort, and 95 percent of the affected state employees have accepted a same or better salary and benefits working for IBM.
“Many states are watching Indiana very closely to see how things go,” IBM’s Whitfield said. “Other states are obviously very interested in doing something similar, provided they can see the benefits.”
Kost said pinpointing benefits could take some time. Measuring success in dollars and cents will continue to be a challenge, and there are no commonly accepted methods to measure modernization’s effectiveness. Federal officials also are on constant watch for irregularities. Any state plan must undergo close federal examination. The childhood of this fledgling market could be one marked by skinned knees.
James SchultzWashington Technology2/28/2007
For Indiana , entitlement eligibility outsourcing could be a dream come true. For Texas it’s been more like a nightmare. Both states are in the uneasy vanguard of an ambitious attempt to modernize decades-old processes and systems at health and human services agencies.
At stake are potential savings of hundreds of millions of dollars, dramatic improvements in speed and efficiency of delivery of services and adherence to welfare-reform regulations that otherwise lead to hefty fines for states unable to prove progress in moving from federal subsidies to employment. Comprehensive retooling of paper-based legacy systems also promises an aggressive approach to prevention and detection of otherwise undetectable fraud and abuse.
“Policy changes made by the federal government have driven modernization,” said Brian Whitfield, vice president of state and local government for IBM Global Services. States that want to see a real difference will have to similarly change their business processes, he said. Upgrading the information technology without updating the processes will have only a minimal effect.
States have neither the IT infrastructure nor the staff expertise to go the modernization route alone. But private-sector IT providers, ready for upfront investment so long as the profits can be spied somewhere in the thicket of multiyear milestones and deliverables, are stepping up.
The biggest players have the greatest advantage: deep pockets and a ready bench of experts that together can justify the considerable upfront investment in breaking systemwide incompatibilities and creating interoperable, user-friendly prototype replacements.
In December 2006, an IBM-led coalition landed a 10-year, $1.16 billion deal with Indiana to provide administrative and technological support for the state’s eligibility-determination process. The IBM team will help modernize the Indiana ’s failing eligibility system, state officials said.
At a little more than 6 percent, Indiana is last on national rankings of states that monitor the portion of those recipients transferred from welfare to work.
No bandwagon vaulting
Nationwide the human-services modernization market could theoretically amount to tens of billions of dollars for IT providers, said John Kost, managing vice president for Gartner Government and Health Care Research Worldwide. That figure is based on a high level of nationwide adoption that so far hs not been borne out in reality. Most states are waiting to see how successful Indiana and Texas can be with their outsourcing efforts before vaulting onto the bandwagon, Kost said.
There are many pitfalls, including disgruntled public employees forced onto private-sector employment rolls or out of work entirely. As the IT kinks are ironed out, citizens may have their benefits delayed or interrupted. Even the savviest of IT efforts can be gummed up by the unintended consequences of a re-architecture. And skeptical federal lawmakers want assurances that states will retain oversight of firms whose profit motives may not dovetail with devotion to citizen needs.
Kost summarizes part of the dilemma: “Can government create a meaningful contract that transfers fiduciary responsibility for what is regarded as a core government responsibility — health and welfare — to the private sector? Government procurement is horribly inflexible under most circumstances and trying to create a contractual relationship in a new market is chronically difficult.”
Scaling back
Difficulties have already surfaced in Texas . The state’s Health and Human Services Commission has scaled back private-sector involvement in a 2005 contract with the original goal of coupling Medicaid eligibility with broader social-services eligibility. Texas planned to offer eligibility services at four call centers in the state, maintain and support an integrated eligibility determination system and broker programs for those who receive food stamps, cash assistance and benefits through Medicaid and the state’s Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
The effort, led by Accenture, was originally worth $899 million, but has since been reduced to $543 million. In December 2006, Texas said it would rebalance the model by limiting the contract’s original scope after an Accenture subcontractor generated unnecessary letters to CHIP applicants requesting information. The subcontractor denied applications, the state asserts, even though the requested information was either on the original application or had already been received but not properly processed.
Modernization will continue, albeit at a more modest pace. The Accenture-led team will continue to work behind the scenes, processing food stamp, Medicaid and welfare applications, but Texas will reassume an active oversight role. The state says it will recover about $30 million in contract costs through service credits and discounts and convert 900 temporary positions in eligibility offices to regular-status positions to help stabilize the state workforce.
“ Texas took a very big bite of the apple,” said Zach Main, deputy director of the Division of Family Resources at Indiana’s Family and Social Services Administration. “We had the advantage of being a year and a half behind [their plan]. We watched what Texas did and realized it was too much for us to do at once. It was much too risky.”
Standardizing business practice
Main said the estimated $50 million in annual savings Indiana expects to recoup from the IBM deal is spread over 10 years and is a relatively small part of the initiative. What’s more important is establishing accurate eligibility review, more responsive citizen services and metrics to address anticipated Medicaid growth rates.
“We have all kinds of issues with the way we do business. We have no standard practices,” Main said. “We wanted to see what the private sector could do. Why should the state reinvent the wheel? Why not purchase the expertise and products already out there?”
A key element in the Indiana plan, and one that has by Main’s account prevented some likely objections, was the insistence by the state that IBM hire and retain 1,600 state workers whose jobs are privatized under the plan. Main asserts that although there’s been some opposition, the unions are almost completely driving the effort, and 95 percent of the affected state employees have accepted a same or better salary and benefits working for IBM.
“Many states are watching Indiana very closely to see how things go,” IBM’s Whitfield said. “Other states are obviously very interested in doing something similar, provided they can see the benefits.”
Kost said pinpointing benefits could take some time. Measuring success in dollars and cents will continue to be a challenge, and there are no commonly accepted methods to measure modernization’s effectiveness. Federal officials also are on constant watch for irregularities. Any state plan must undergo close federal examination. The childhood of this fledgling market could be one marked by skinned knees.
Health Commissioner faces tough questioning in Senate
Health commissioner faces tough questioning in Senate
Robert T. GarrettDallas Morning News2/28/2007
AUSTIN – Conservative and liberal senators unhappy with Gov. Rick Perry over social initiatives and his order that girls be vaccinated against a sexually transmitted virus are holding up Senate confirmation of his point man for such safety-net programs as Medicaid and food stamps.
Health and Human Services Commissioner Albert Hawkins, who easily received Senate approval four years ago, faces tough questioning today from the Senate Nominations Committee.
Mr. Hawkins, who worked for the Legislature for many years as a budget analyst, is accustomed to kid-glove treatment from lawmakers.
But he's getting back of the hand swipes from Sens. Glenn Hegar, R-Katy, and Eliot Shapleigh, D-El Paso, both members of the nominations panel.
Mr. Hegar is upset that Mr. Hawkins' agency helped draft Mr. Perry's Feb. 2 order that sixth-grade girls be vaccinated against the human papillomavirus starting next year.
"I'm withholding my support until he can address some of the concerns that I have," Mr. Hegar said.
Mr. Shapleigh, who says he doesn't blame Mr. Hawkins for lawmakers' "underfunding" of social programs, nevertheless accuses him of incompetence in managing a 15-month-old privatization of eligibility screening for Medicaid, food stamps, welfare and the Children's Health Insurance Program.
Stephanie Goodman, a commission spokeswoman, said Mr. Hawkins is unfazed by the criticisms. "I think he's used to that role," she said.
Mr. Hawkins, who was budget director to Gov. George W. Bush, followed him to Washington , but returned to Texas in early 2003 at Mr. Perry's urging.
He advised the GOP-controlled Legislature that year on cutting programs to help meet a $10 billion budget shortfall. He has overseen a consolidation of 12 agencies into five. And he aggressively carried out one of the nation's most extensive efforts to privatize additional portions of social programs.
But Mr. Hegar is among social conservatives who have deplored Mr. Perry's HPV order as overreaching, an overly hasty promotion of one company's product and a possible signal to young girls that premarital sex can be safe.
The order provides "a false sense of hope to people" that cervical cancer can be avoided, he says. And he plans to sponsor legislation in the Senate to effectively override the order. A similar bill is moving in the House.
Ms. Goodman said the commission drafted the HPV order at the request of Perry aides. She said Mr. Hawkins probably would tell senators today about a federal agency's recommendation that young women receive the vaccine.
On the new eligibility screening system, Mr. Shapleigh said he's upset that Mr. Hawkins did not heed warnings that it wouldn't work.
"The alleged savings did not happen," Mr. Shapleigh said of the contract with a group led by Accenture. "Quality state employees were fired, and now we're hiring the same ones back. To me, that is incompetence on a major scale. I'll be asking what caused the agency to sign this contract."
Mr. Hawkins recently scaled back the contract by more than $350 million, limited the role of the contractor's employees and added back 900 state eligibility worker positions.
But while "not everything went as planned," Ms. Goodman said, the commission deserves credit for jumping on problems quickly and preventing a statewide rollout. If Mr. Hawkins' nomination clears the committee, the full Senate must act on it.
Robert T. GarrettDallas Morning News2/28/2007
AUSTIN – Conservative and liberal senators unhappy with Gov. Rick Perry over social initiatives and his order that girls be vaccinated against a sexually transmitted virus are holding up Senate confirmation of his point man for such safety-net programs as Medicaid and food stamps.
Health and Human Services Commissioner Albert Hawkins, who easily received Senate approval four years ago, faces tough questioning today from the Senate Nominations Committee.
Mr. Hawkins, who worked for the Legislature for many years as a budget analyst, is accustomed to kid-glove treatment from lawmakers.
But he's getting back of the hand swipes from Sens. Glenn Hegar, R-Katy, and Eliot Shapleigh, D-El Paso, both members of the nominations panel.
Mr. Hegar is upset that Mr. Hawkins' agency helped draft Mr. Perry's Feb. 2 order that sixth-grade girls be vaccinated against the human papillomavirus starting next year.
"I'm withholding my support until he can address some of the concerns that I have," Mr. Hegar said.
Mr. Shapleigh, who says he doesn't blame Mr. Hawkins for lawmakers' "underfunding" of social programs, nevertheless accuses him of incompetence in managing a 15-month-old privatization of eligibility screening for Medicaid, food stamps, welfare and the Children's Health Insurance Program.
Stephanie Goodman, a commission spokeswoman, said Mr. Hawkins is unfazed by the criticisms. "I think he's used to that role," she said.
Mr. Hawkins, who was budget director to Gov. George W. Bush, followed him to Washington , but returned to Texas in early 2003 at Mr. Perry's urging.
He advised the GOP-controlled Legislature that year on cutting programs to help meet a $10 billion budget shortfall. He has overseen a consolidation of 12 agencies into five. And he aggressively carried out one of the nation's most extensive efforts to privatize additional portions of social programs.
But Mr. Hegar is among social conservatives who have deplored Mr. Perry's HPV order as overreaching, an overly hasty promotion of one company's product and a possible signal to young girls that premarital sex can be safe.
The order provides "a false sense of hope to people" that cervical cancer can be avoided, he says. And he plans to sponsor legislation in the Senate to effectively override the order. A similar bill is moving in the House.
Ms. Goodman said the commission drafted the HPV order at the request of Perry aides. She said Mr. Hawkins probably would tell senators today about a federal agency's recommendation that young women receive the vaccine.
On the new eligibility screening system, Mr. Shapleigh said he's upset that Mr. Hawkins did not heed warnings that it wouldn't work.
"The alleged savings did not happen," Mr. Shapleigh said of the contract with a group led by Accenture. "Quality state employees were fired, and now we're hiring the same ones back. To me, that is incompetence on a major scale. I'll be asking what caused the agency to sign this contract."
Mr. Hawkins recently scaled back the contract by more than $350 million, limited the role of the contractor's employees and added back 900 state eligibility worker positions.
But while "not everything went as planned," Ms. Goodman said, the commission deserves credit for jumping on problems quickly and preventing a statewide rollout. If Mr. Hawkins' nomination clears the committee, the full Senate must act on it.
Thursday, February 15, 2007
I haven't forgotten!
I haven't forgotten the blog...again, work is busy.
One thing though- please PLEASE if you can, sign up to go to Lobby Day April 18th.
Comment about what's going on in the offices.
One thing though- please PLEASE if you can, sign up to go to Lobby Day April 18th.
Comment about what's going on in the offices.
Sunday, January 28, 2007
News you can use....Links
State Plans Medicaid Experiment- Dallas Morning News
Here's a Budget Priority For You- OfftheKuff.com
HHSC Reverses Course on Welfare Privatization-Father John Whiteford
I also wanted to comment on the "change" in the contract. Correct me if I'm wrong, but does it now sound like Accenture/TAA have become nothing more than glorified clerical staff- now that it sounds like all they have to do is scan in documents?
Here's a Budget Priority For You- OfftheKuff.com
HHSC Reverses Course on Welfare Privatization-Father John Whiteford
I also wanted to comment on the "change" in the contract. Correct me if I'm wrong, but does it now sound like Accenture/TAA have become nothing more than glorified clerical staff- now that it sounds like all they have to do is scan in documents?
Under the restructured contract, the Bermuda-based company will be largely relegated to data entry, leaving judgments about whether Texans qualify for food stamps, Medicaid and other welfare programs to state workers
So it sounds like the same thing WE were doing BEFORE TAA. Right?
We have to spend millions still for this?
Why?
Edited to add: Wanted to add the comment that was left so it won't be missed...I've bolded what stood out to me.....
I absolutely agree with your point here. I was at mini-lobby day on Wed. and this was the point we kept hammering home with the legislators. Throughout the next few months, it would be good to remind your state legislators and the members of the appropriations/finance committees and health and human service committees that it makes no fiscal sense to spend the same amt. of money (per year) for three years for Accenture to do less work. By the way, I did ask the question of whether the $543 million still being spent included money for TIERS maintenance or info. broker (because this will still go to Accenture for the full 5 years) and was told that this money is separate.
Friday, January 26, 2007
TSEU Broadcast Update 01/26/07
TEXAS STATE EMPLOYEES UNION
EMAIL BROADCAST UPDATE TO MEMBERS January 26, 2007
EMAIL BROADCAST UPDATE TO MEMBERS January 26, 2007
Who is Accenture trying to influence with mega media campaign?
Since January 1 Accenture has spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on a media advertising blitz that includes at least seven full pages and five half-pages on the Austin American Statesman along with frequent spots on Austin-area radio and television. There radio campaign includes major donations to local PBS station KUT with the regular "announcements" of the corporation's name and slogans. Full page ads in the Statesman cost about $20,000, and half-pages cost about
$10,000 each, so the media buy in the Austin newspaper alone was about $150,000.
$10,000 each, so the media buy in the Austin newspaper alone was about $150,000.
The newspaper ads are all close copies of one another, and feature full-page images of golf champion Tiger Woods with bits of inspirational wisdom like "relentless consistency 50%,willingness to change 50%, high performance delivered."
Accenture sells no consumer products or services, which raises the question of who the campaign is aimed at. The Bermuda-based corporation once had an $899 million contract with the Texas Health and Human Services Commission to provide human services eligibility via call centers. The contract was reduced to about $566 million after Accenture failed to deliver on most of the promised products and services. The contract has been a total failure, and many legislators are
calling for a complete cancellation. Press coverage of the problems has played a major role in bringing the issues to the attention of lawmakers. With legislators in Austin for the 80th session of the Texas Legislature, Accenture would not be helped by more media coverage of its failures.
calling for a complete cancellation. Press coverage of the problems has played a major role in bringing the issues to the attention of lawmakers. With legislators in Austin for the 80th session of the Texas Legislature, Accenture would not be helped by more media coverage of its failures.
Accenture's high-dollar advertising campaign appears to be a desperate attempt to restore its tarnished image and encourage less media coverage of its failure to deliver quality health and human services.
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Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Support in the local offices - Comments added to post in RED.
Time and time again it's been spoken that the disparity between employees and their Supervisor continues to grow. I'm not speaking on ALL Supervisors. There are many out there who are heartsick at the overwhelming work that their workers and clerks are facing daily. I'm not talking about them.
I'm talking about those in "charge" that have chosen to just go along with whatever is told to them, and in no way backing their workers up in the local offices. This may come in the form of fighting for their workers to have worktime that is sufficient to get some things done (rather than almost force their workers to work weekends - time away from family and their personal life - in order to stay caught up).....it may come from backing workers up when a client calls to complain.
Here's what needs to be understood- we are ALL behind. In everything. Not because we "like" it, but because it is the way it is. Why does upper management think that piling more work on top of more work is going to "fix" the problem? The more cases you interview (by phone, no less), the more cases that sit pending waiting to be finished. Our offices have gone from 6-8 per day to as many as 20-22 per day. And rather than the same amount of "worktime", in many cases- workers aren't given ANY worktime or very little. So management says "schedule them with 2-3 more each per day" without giving a thought that we are ALREADY SEEING TOO MANY. And front line supervisors - in many cases- don't say anything. Just go along. Yet, they (supvs) expect the work from their workers who feel lost in all of this.
In NO WAY SHAPE OR FORM AM I HARPING ON SUPERVISOR'S IN THE LOCAL OFFICES. I can't IMAGINE being in your position. I wouldn't even want to be. That's not what this is- but whether it's nice to read or not- IT'S THE PERCEPTION AMONG YOUR STAFF THAT'S MOST IMPORTANT. Workers who feel like they have the back up and respect of their supervisor WILL perform FOR their supervisor.
If "The Powers That Be" want to keep and retain the little tenured staff they have left...then it's time to step up to the plate. It's time to stop sending out these emails proclaiming your appreciation for "all our hard work" and do something about it. Quality is suffering in this (Does QC even matter anymore?) and you've got good workers who have tried to stick it out now leaving because it's just become too much.
I sure miss our "old" DHS.
Great comments, posting for all to see.....THANKS for your input, anyone else?
Anonymous said...
The work being piled up and piled up is what eventually sent me packing. I left. I couldn't take it anymore. I have been out about 3 months and am a different person. You don't realize how oppressed you are as a worker until you get away from it. I finally told myself, "This is HHSC's mess, not mine. It is not my problem anymore." My family agrees. They said they would eat out of the trash before I go back to that place... My hair is no longer falling out..No longer on anti depressants..No high blood pressure...You may need some time off. Talk to you Dr if you are feeling stressed or ill alot. I have not been ill one time since leaving. I used to be sick alot. The doctor said it was stress. It can kill you...That scared me. Have you started having panic attacks in the middle of the night yet? I was at that point. I hate what is happening, I was good at my job as a worker, but felt it was so political and that our voices were not being heard. They need to make all temps permanent and quit the temp thing. They are just taking those jobs to get their foot in the door and then moving on to other departments or agencies.
How far will they let it go?
Too far apparantly. I don't know if it can ever be fixed.
I used to love the "old DHS" too. When Clinton was president it was a good place to work. Why is that?
It's all politics. The rich getting richer. The poor getting poorer. What is going to happen to these people on benefits when minimum wage is raised? Will they lost them. Sorry for rambling.
GOOD LUCK to you all that stayed and God Bless You All.
Anonymous said...
One of the things I learned as I worked my way up the ladder at DHS/HHSC was that a lot of people in DHS had a client focus that was not popular in the general population, the Governor's office, or TWC.
Granted, there are radicals at both end of the political spectrums. I dont want to make this a liberal/conservative issue. But as a slightly conservative leaning person, I was proud of the work I and the agency did in helping the truly needy.
Well, Albert Hawkins and his clique hate the old DHS heirarchy and it's "baby-ing" of clients. If you were with the old DHS and specifically the old Texas Works section, you carry a certain stigma within HHSC and their heirarchy. Your competence, intelligence, and integrity are considered questionable and the old DHS guard, to a large degree, has been pushed out.
My greatest pain has come in having to see some of the most caring, self-sacrificing public servants I've ever known be driven off. They were replaced by "headhunters" such as Greg Phillips and Sidonie Squire. Parasites who came in, bathed the halls of DHS with blood of long time employees, then left to greener pastures elsewhere. And by the way, both Phillips and Squire, personally or through their families, have connections with private companies that made out like bandits in the privatization efforts here in Texas. For example, at one time, the manager responsible for oversight of the vendor under the new eligibility system was.... a former vice-president of one of the companies that won the bid. Talk about putting a rat in charge of the cheese.
How I wish a thorough and indepth investigation of the whole privatization and exploitation of the contracts under Hawkins were conducted by the FEDERAL government. The loss in public monies and client services is a crime and a shame for the state of Texas.
I'm talking about those in "charge" that have chosen to just go along with whatever is told to them, and in no way backing their workers up in the local offices. This may come in the form of fighting for their workers to have worktime that is sufficient to get some things done (rather than almost force their workers to work weekends - time away from family and their personal life - in order to stay caught up).....it may come from backing workers up when a client calls to complain.
Here's what needs to be understood- we are ALL behind. In everything. Not because we "like" it, but because it is the way it is. Why does upper management think that piling more work on top of more work is going to "fix" the problem? The more cases you interview (by phone, no less), the more cases that sit pending waiting to be finished. Our offices have gone from 6-8 per day to as many as 20-22 per day. And rather than the same amount of "worktime", in many cases- workers aren't given ANY worktime or very little. So management says "schedule them with 2-3 more each per day" without giving a thought that we are ALREADY SEEING TOO MANY. And front line supervisors - in many cases- don't say anything. Just go along. Yet, they (supvs) expect the work from their workers who feel lost in all of this.
In NO WAY SHAPE OR FORM AM I HARPING ON SUPERVISOR'S IN THE LOCAL OFFICES. I can't IMAGINE being in your position. I wouldn't even want to be. That's not what this is- but whether it's nice to read or not- IT'S THE PERCEPTION AMONG YOUR STAFF THAT'S MOST IMPORTANT. Workers who feel like they have the back up and respect of their supervisor WILL perform FOR their supervisor.
If "The Powers That Be" want to keep and retain the little tenured staff they have left...then it's time to step up to the plate. It's time to stop sending out these emails proclaiming your appreciation for "all our hard work" and do something about it. Quality is suffering in this (Does QC even matter anymore?) and you've got good workers who have tried to stick it out now leaving because it's just become too much.
I sure miss our "old" DHS.
Great comments, posting for all to see.....THANKS for your input, anyone else?
Anonymous said...
The work being piled up and piled up is what eventually sent me packing. I left. I couldn't take it anymore. I have been out about 3 months and am a different person. You don't realize how oppressed you are as a worker until you get away from it. I finally told myself, "This is HHSC's mess, not mine. It is not my problem anymore." My family agrees. They said they would eat out of the trash before I go back to that place... My hair is no longer falling out..No longer on anti depressants..No high blood pressure...You may need some time off. Talk to you Dr if you are feeling stressed or ill alot. I have not been ill one time since leaving. I used to be sick alot. The doctor said it was stress. It can kill you...That scared me. Have you started having panic attacks in the middle of the night yet? I was at that point. I hate what is happening, I was good at my job as a worker, but felt it was so political and that our voices were not being heard. They need to make all temps permanent and quit the temp thing. They are just taking those jobs to get their foot in the door and then moving on to other departments or agencies.
How far will they let it go?
Too far apparantly. I don't know if it can ever be fixed.
I used to love the "old DHS" too. When Clinton was president it was a good place to work. Why is that?
It's all politics. The rich getting richer. The poor getting poorer. What is going to happen to these people on benefits when minimum wage is raised? Will they lost them. Sorry for rambling.
GOOD LUCK to you all that stayed and God Bless You All.
Anonymous said...
One of the things I learned as I worked my way up the ladder at DHS/HHSC was that a lot of people in DHS had a client focus that was not popular in the general population, the Governor's office, or TWC.
Granted, there are radicals at both end of the political spectrums. I dont want to make this a liberal/conservative issue. But as a slightly conservative leaning person, I was proud of the work I and the agency did in helping the truly needy.
Well, Albert Hawkins and his clique hate the old DHS heirarchy and it's "baby-ing" of clients. If you were with the old DHS and specifically the old Texas Works section, you carry a certain stigma within HHSC and their heirarchy. Your competence, intelligence, and integrity are considered questionable and the old DHS guard, to a large degree, has been pushed out.
My greatest pain has come in having to see some of the most caring, self-sacrificing public servants I've ever known be driven off. They were replaced by "headhunters" such as Greg Phillips and Sidonie Squire. Parasites who came in, bathed the halls of DHS with blood of long time employees, then left to greener pastures elsewhere. And by the way, both Phillips and Squire, personally or through their families, have connections with private companies that made out like bandits in the privatization efforts here in Texas. For example, at one time, the manager responsible for oversight of the vendor under the new eligibility system was.... a former vice-president of one of the companies that won the bid. Talk about putting a rat in charge of the cheese.
How I wish a thorough and indepth investigation of the whole privatization and exploitation of the contracts under Hawkins were conducted by the FEDERAL government. The loss in public monies and client services is a crime and a shame for the state of Texas.
Word on the Street
Got this from someone in email.....please, if you hear something or know something, email me the info- I NEVER reveal where it comes from.
On to the info:
Wait a minute, what? So PP is signing clients up without them knowing? Are those one page applications required to be signed? If this is happening, who do we tell? Will it matter?
I've heard this as well...that there is already a massive amount of overflow into ART. Again, as was said here before....these clients have NO IDEA that this will throw them into TIERS for ALL their cases.
On to the info:
Rumor has it that Planned Parenthood offices are signing up clients for
that new program (Woman's Insurance Program), apparently without their
knowledge...... A woman came in to apply recently for benefits and found that
she was a TIERS client. The only thing that she had done remotely close to
applying for benefits prior to this was visited the local Planned Parenthood for
an exam. Another woman had gone to Planned Parenthood to get birth control. She was willing to pay for any services provided, but was told she couldn't, that
she had to sign up for "a Medicaid program" that would cover it.... This is all
second party hearsay, but the source is reliable, as they had to try to explain
the why's and wherefores of the new program to the clients.
Wait a minute, what? So PP is signing clients up without them knowing? Are those one page applications required to be signed? If this is happening, who do we tell? Will it matter?
The second tidbit is that the new program has already overwhelmed the
unit that is supposed to be working the cases and converting associated cases.
Over 7000 applications were tallied through 011507, with more on the way. They
are already asking some of the other ART workers to help out. This really Chaps
my hide, as they KNEW that they would have a gadjillion applications to process
at first. Are these poor clients going to go without if their cases come up for
review during the transition?
I've heard this as well...that there is already a massive amount of overflow into ART. Again, as was said here before....these clients have NO IDEA that this will throw them into TIERS for ALL their cases.
Friday, January 19, 2007
Comment left by client......comments?
i have read several of your blogs, and would like to contribute some thoughts from the other side of the coin. being a single mother of two children, one of which is handicapped, i would beg that you and your co-workers, the good ones, the ones who really truly care about the people who come to them for help, will respond, and let me know how we change this system. i have no doubt what-so-ever that when the federal assistant programs were started by the FDR administration, today's end result is NOT what was intended at all. i work. have worked up to 3 jobs at a time. because my son's disability is very expensive, i have no choice but to make sure he stays eligible for his medicaid. its not a fact im proud of, quite the contrary actually. but its a fact all the same. which means SSI dictates how much money i can make and still allow my son to be eligible for the benifits that are necessary for his life...yet, i only qualified for $107 per month worth of food stamps. my childrens father , who owes over $35,000 in child support and REFUSES to work, and has 4 other children he refuses to support, lives with 2 of his children and his common law wife, and they get SSI, social security disability, and nearly $600 a month in food stamps. have money for beer. they eat steak all the time. my kids are lucky to have hamburger helper. someone please tell me how this is fair? now, because i refuse to lie, i dont qualify at all. nothing. still cant make more money, or loose my son's medicaid. so how do i feed my children? why does the system force us to lie? why does the system reward laziness, yet punishes those of us who WANT to work? i dont understand. and honestly, it pisses me off. not at you workers. i get that you follow rules. i get that you are frustrated with the system. but i dont get why we cant work together to change it...to make it right. to make it fair. im glad i stumbled across this blog. it makes me happy to know there are some HHSC workers who give a damn. tell me who to write..who to call....how do we change what obviously does not work? i have a friend who works for HHSC..i know he is so frustrated with the way things are. he gets angry with me because i wont lie. i wont just do what he tells me to do in order to get benifits. i just cant do it that way. i know he is one of the good guys. and i know he cant be alone out there. thanks for letting me vent. maybe some day this system will return to what it was meant to be. a helping hand. not a hand out. not a free ride. help those of us who desperately need assistance, and make those who refuse to work, refuse to even try, fend for themselves. i know that sounds harsh. but im sick of paying medicaid taxes out of every check i make for some lazy jerk who wants nothing more than a few more kids so the benifits go up for doing nothing. ITS WRONG. plain and simple. you all have the power to make those in charge understand...its time
Finding fabulous fares is fun.
Let Yahoo! FareChase search your favorite travel sites to find flight and hotel bargains.
Finding fabulous fares is fun.
Let Yahoo! FareChase search your favorite travel sites to find flight and hotel bargains.
Monday, January 15, 2007
Update!
Got this in comments:
Can you update the blog more regularly?
And in response to that- I update as much as I can. I'm an Advisor interviewing a huge amount of clients everyday, working late and weekends to stay caught up. What little "free time" I do find, I try to spend with the family I have that has had their time with me cut back by the job.
I update when I get information or when someone emails me information. I try to post on big stories as they happen, or sometimes prior to happening as I did when I posted the press release was forthcoming in regards to the contract "changes"-before it was official.......anyone reading is more than welcome to send me an email with a concern or issue they have and I'll be more than happy to post it on the blog. In fact, I encourage anyone reading to do just that- just email me whatever- what you are seeing in your area, your opinion on things- etc. Anyone of us could be "hhscemployee" and most of us are.
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