When you google Brent Connett and see that he is a "policy analyst" for the
Texas Conservative Coalition Research Institute, it all is clear. One would
think that the definition of a conservative is a person who abhors waste of tax
dollars, yet here we have a "conservative" who will support a global profiteer
like Accenture even as tax dollars are drained away from the tax payers and from
the poor people we are supposed to be serving. It just shows how hypocritical
they are. We know Accenture is profiting even as they delay and incorrectly
providing federal benefits. It's just nuts.I was checking some more on Brent Connett and see that his boss at the TCCRI is Tom Delay's indicted buddy John Colyandro. A little more looking and guess what? The TCCRI was instrumental in writing HB2292 for Arlene Wohlgemuth who was (I am not sure if she still is) on the board of directors for them. In 2003 she wrote a big old thank you to them for being so instrumental in providing the framework for 2292. So it makes sense that they get a little defensive when the facts get in the way of their little masterpiece.
I just thought that tidbit of info was interesting enough to post in case anyone missed the comments.
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
More information
A couple of posts down, the letter from Brent Connett is posted- and in comments, an anonymous commentor did some research (thanks!) and came up with the following:
CPPP article
OfftheKuff posted yesterday about an article that the Center for Public Policy Priorities (CPPP) just released....."Updating and Outsourcing Enrollment Public Benefits: The Texas Experience".
Off the Kuff gives a good synopsis of it.......
Everyone is raving about the all-new Yahoo! Mail beta.
Sunday, November 12, 2006
Albert Hawkins gives HIS spin on recent allegations and questions regarding his ethics....
This following was posted on the Employee Intranet on November 6th. Spin in Mr. Hawkins. Spin it.
Staying Focused on Our Work
Recent media stories have reported that gubernatorial candidate Chris Bell
has filed an ethics complaint against me. I want to assure you that any
allegations of corruption or misconduct are utterly without merit. Perhaps
the explanation of the circumstances below will establish some
context.
When I became HHSC Commissioner in 2003, I was asked to assume the post
held by the two previous HHSC Commissioners on the board of the Texas
Health Institute. The Texas Health Institute is a non-profit organization
devoted to health policy research. I considered the position to be
honorary and agreed. I think that it is important to note that I have
never attended a meeting of the board, never participated in any board action
and never exercised any fiduciary duty on behalf of the board or the
Institute. I have received no financial benefit of any kind and have no
financial ties to the Institute. Unfortunately, because I never considered
this post as anything other than honorary, I overlooked it when I filed my
personal financial statement with the state Ethics Commission. I have
submitted a corrected statement.
While the Institute has received a competively awarded contract
through the Department of State Health Services, I had no prior knowledge of or
involvement in the procurement or contracting decision at State Health
Services.
While this is clearly a personal distraction, I do not want it to detract
from the work you perform for the people of this state. I remain focused on
taking care of the business of this agency, the HHS enterprise and the State of
Texas .
Albert Hawkins — Nov. 6, 2006
Few new things of interest.....
Welch goes from comptroller's office to HHSC
Texas Weekly11/10/2006
Ken Welch, the funds management guru at the comptroller's office (the guy who actually does know where all the state's money is at any given time), left that agency for the Health and Human Services Commission, where he's the new budget and fiscal policy director.
HoustonChronicle.com
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/editorial/outlook/4312101.html
Letters: No horror story on CHIP
THE Chronicle's gratuitous insults directed at the state's effort to modernize its social service eligibility system and the company that won the bid to help with that process, Accenture, should be retracted(see the Oct. 29 editorial "Horror story").
Ever since the overhauling of the system began, the Texas StateEmployees Union has led the effort to derail the program and to undo the social service reforms passed by the 78th Legislature. Part of its strategy has involved tarring the reputation of the firm that is helping the state implement the new system. And now the Chronicle appears to have bought into the misguided efforts of TSEU, referring to Accenture as "Bermuda-based," as if where it was incorporated has any bearing on its work for the state *doesn't it? Why would taxpaying Texans want a company based in BERMUDA (because they ARE based in Bermuda) taking care of the poor in Texas? Why else, other than make a profit on the poor, would Accenture even WANT this job?*. In fact, Accenture employs 27,000 people domestically, including more than 3,000 in Texas , and pays federal and state taxes. The editorial tossed a vile canard at the company by calling it "aspin-off of disgraced Arthur Andersen," even though Accenture was incorporated more than a decade before Andersen's implosion. In covering the eligibility system and the Children's Health InsuranceProgram, the Chronicle pushes anecdotal accounts of processing errors as the main cause of declines in the size of CHIP, when, in fact, the following are the leading reasons for CHIP disenroll-ment (based on October 2006 data available on the Health and Human Service's Website):
"45 percent didn't return renewal packet" *packets they never got? packets they received and turned in more than once? Hmmmm.*
"19 percent exceeded CHIP income limits"
"17 percent were Medicaid eligible"
"11 percent didn't pay the renewal fee" *renewal fees that clients never got a notice about until AFTER the fee was due and the case was already closed?*
"5 percent aged out of the program
The Chronicle would do well to leave off the wild allegations and join an essential program to bring Texas ' social services into the 21stcentury.
BRENT CONNETT Austin *Do you work for Accenture?*
Texas Weekly11/10/2006
Ken Welch, the funds management guru at the comptroller's office (the guy who actually does know where all the state's money is at any given time), left that agency for the Health and Human Services Commission, where he's the new budget and fiscal policy director.
HoustonChronicle.com
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/editorial/outlook/4312101.html
Letters: No horror story on CHIP
THE Chronicle's gratuitous insults directed at the state's effort to modernize its social service eligibility system and the company that won the bid to help with that process, Accenture, should be retracted(see the Oct. 29 editorial "Horror story").
Ever since the overhauling of the system began, the Texas StateEmployees Union has led the effort to derail the program and to undo the social service reforms passed by the 78th Legislature. Part of its strategy has involved tarring the reputation of the firm that is helping the state implement the new system. And now the Chronicle appears to have bought into the misguided efforts of TSEU, referring to Accenture as "Bermuda-based," as if where it was incorporated has any bearing on its work for the state *doesn't it? Why would taxpaying Texans want a company based in BERMUDA (because they ARE based in Bermuda) taking care of the poor in Texas? Why else, other than make a profit on the poor, would Accenture even WANT this job?*. In fact, Accenture employs 27,000 people domestically, including more than 3,000 in Texas , and pays federal and state taxes. The editorial tossed a vile canard at the company by calling it "aspin-off of disgraced Arthur Andersen," even though Accenture was incorporated more than a decade before Andersen's implosion. In covering the eligibility system and the Children's Health InsuranceProgram, the Chronicle pushes anecdotal accounts of processing errors as the main cause of declines in the size of CHIP, when, in fact, the following are the leading reasons for CHIP disenroll-ment (based on October 2006 data available on the Health and Human Service's Website):
"45 percent didn't return renewal packet" *packets they never got? packets they received and turned in more than once? Hmmmm.*
"19 percent exceeded CHIP income limits"
"17 percent were Medicaid eligible"
"11 percent didn't pay the renewal fee" *renewal fees that clients never got a notice about until AFTER the fee was due and the case was already closed?*
"5 percent aged out of the program
The Chronicle would do well to leave off the wild allegations and join an essential program to bring Texas ' social services into the 21stcentury.
BRENT CONNETT Austin *Do you work for Accenture?*
Sunday, November 05, 2006
Thursday, November 02, 2006
TSEU Broadcast Email
TEXAS STATE EMPLOYEES UNION EMAIL BROADCAST UPDATE TO MEMBERS November 2, 2006
STOP ANOTHER HIGH-TECH BOONDOGGLE: PRIVATIZATION OF STATE AGENCY I.T. THREATENS TAX DOLLARS, AGENCY EFFICIENCY, JOBS
Last year the Texas Legislature passed HB 1516, which authorizes the consolidation and privatization of the information technology (IT)/data center departments of 27 state agencies.
The plan will merge much of the IT functions ofthe agencies into one or two data centers, one of which must be located in SanAngelo, and then contract out operation of the data center(s) to a private contractor. This plan will be yet another high-tech boondoggle, like the Accenture/eligibility services and the Convergys/AccessHR projects that have wasted vast sums of money and reduced the ability of state agencies to fulfill their missions. Over 500 agency positions are due to be eliminated or transferred to a contractor under this proposal. A list of the agencies to be affected follows, below the list of DIR Board members. According to the current schedule, a contractor is to be selected in December2006. This date would make it much for difficult for the Texas Legislature to look at this plan again. Many suspect that the date was chosen to make this plan a "done deal" before the Legislature has a chance to reconsider it.
TSEU believes that our recent experience with high-tech outsourcing contracts should be a warning, and that this plan should be cancelled. At a bare minimum, the speeded-up implementation should be slowed down to allow the Texas Legislatureto reconsider the plan. Several legislators have expressed these concerns, and have suggested that, at a minimum the implementation schedule should be slowed downto give the Texas Legislature a chance to look at it again. Rep. Jim Pitts, of Waxahachie, is the chair of the House Appropriations Committee.
He would have the power to call for a slowdown in the roll-out of this plan.
TIME IS CRITICAL: DIR is scheduled to select a contractor in December.
TAKE ACTION TODAY to save tax dollars, quality services, and state jobs.
Slow down the headlong rush into another boondoggle that will put millions of tax dollars, and the operating efficiency of 27 state agencies, at risk.
1. Get involved. Contact Mike Gross at TSEU (mgross@cwa-tseu.org, or (512)448-4225)
2. Get state agency IT employees involved. Do you know a state worker in anagency IT/Data Services department? Have them contact TSEU to get involved
3. Call your state legislator ASAP. Ask him/her to: A. Contact Rep. Jim Pitts, chair of the House Appropriations Committee, and askhim to call for a delay in the roll-out of this plan. B. Contact Governor Perry. Ask him to direct that the plan be delayed. C. Contact members of the DIR Board and ask them to call for a more thorough analysis of this project, and a delay in the roll-out schedule to allow legislative review.
For information on how to contact your legislator, go this link on the TSEUwebsite: http://www.cwa-tseu.org/hhsc_fdstmp_contact.html
DIR BOARD MEMBERS
William L. Transier, DIR Board Chair Co-Chief Executive Officer, DirectorEndeavour International Corporation, HoustonTerm: 02/01/2003 to 02/01/2009, Appointed by the Governor
The Honorable Charles Bacarisse Harris County District ClerkHarris County, Houston Term: 07/17/2006 to 02/01/2007, Appointed by the Governor
M. Adam Mahmood, Ph.D.Professor of Computer Information Systems & Business AdministrationThe University of Texas at El Paso, El PasoTerm: 02/01/2001 to 02/01/2007, Appointed by the Governor
The Honorable Debra McCartt MayorCity of AmarilloTerm: 02/01/2006 to 02/01/2011, Appointed by the Governor
P. Keith Morrow CIO & Vice President of Information Systems 7-Eleven, Inc., DallasTerm: 03/07/2005 to 02/01/2011, Appointed by the Governor
Cliff P. MountainManaging MemberAccent Capital, LLC, Austin Term: 02/01/2003 to 02/01/2009, Appointed by the Governor
Bill Wachel Principal/Owner The Wachel Group, DallasTerm: 02/01/2003 to 02/01/2009, Appointed by the Governor
Robert L. Cook Executive Director Texas Parks and Wildlife DepartmentTerm: 02/01/2005 to 02/01/2007, Ex officio
Brad Livingston Executive Director Texas Department of Criminal JusticeTerm: 02/01/2005 to 02/01/2007, Ex officio
Adam Jones Associate Commissioner for Operations and Fiscal Management Texas Education AgencyTerm: 02/01/2005 to 02/01/2007, Ex officio
AGENCIES TO BE AFFECTED
Department of Criminal Justice
Department of Information Services
Department of Licensing and Regulation
Department of Public SafetyGeneral Land OfficeDept. of Aging and Disability Services (DADS)Dept. of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services (DARS)
Dept. of Family and Protective Services (DFPS)
Dept. of State Health Services (DSHS)
Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC)
Office the Attorney General
Public Utility Commission
Railroad Commission
Secretary of State Alcoholic Beverage Commission
Building and Procurement Commission
Commission on Environmental Quality
Dept. of AgricultureDept. of Insurance
Dept. of Transportation
Texas Education Agency Higher Education
Coordinating Board Parks and Wildlife
Library and Archives Commission
Workforce Commission
Youth Commission
Water Development Board
STOP ANOTHER HIGH-TECH BOONDOGGLE: PRIVATIZATION OF STATE AGENCY I.T. THREATENS TAX DOLLARS, AGENCY EFFICIENCY, JOBS
Last year the Texas Legislature passed HB 1516, which authorizes the consolidation and privatization of the information technology (IT)/data center departments of 27 state agencies.
The plan will merge much of the IT functions ofthe agencies into one or two data centers, one of which must be located in SanAngelo, and then contract out operation of the data center(s) to a private contractor. This plan will be yet another high-tech boondoggle, like the Accenture/eligibility services and the Convergys/AccessHR projects that have wasted vast sums of money and reduced the ability of state agencies to fulfill their missions. Over 500 agency positions are due to be eliminated or transferred to a contractor under this proposal. A list of the agencies to be affected follows, below the list of DIR Board members. According to the current schedule, a contractor is to be selected in December2006. This date would make it much for difficult for the Texas Legislature to look at this plan again. Many suspect that the date was chosen to make this plan a "done deal" before the Legislature has a chance to reconsider it.
TSEU believes that our recent experience with high-tech outsourcing contracts should be a warning, and that this plan should be cancelled. At a bare minimum, the speeded-up implementation should be slowed down to allow the Texas Legislatureto reconsider the plan. Several legislators have expressed these concerns, and have suggested that, at a minimum the implementation schedule should be slowed downto give the Texas Legislature a chance to look at it again. Rep. Jim Pitts, of Waxahachie, is the chair of the House Appropriations Committee.
He would have the power to call for a slowdown in the roll-out of this plan.
TIME IS CRITICAL: DIR is scheduled to select a contractor in December.
TAKE ACTION TODAY to save tax dollars, quality services, and state jobs.
Slow down the headlong rush into another boondoggle that will put millions of tax dollars, and the operating efficiency of 27 state agencies, at risk.
1. Get involved. Contact Mike Gross at TSEU (mgross@cwa-tseu.org, or (512)448-4225)
2. Get state agency IT employees involved. Do you know a state worker in anagency IT/Data Services department? Have them contact TSEU to get involved
3. Call your state legislator ASAP. Ask him/her to: A. Contact Rep. Jim Pitts, chair of the House Appropriations Committee, and askhim to call for a delay in the roll-out of this plan. B. Contact Governor Perry. Ask him to direct that the plan be delayed. C. Contact members of the DIR Board and ask them to call for a more thorough analysis of this project, and a delay in the roll-out schedule to allow legislative review.
For information on how to contact your legislator, go this link on the TSEUwebsite: http://www.cwa-tseu.org/hhsc_fdstmp_contact.html
DIR BOARD MEMBERS
William L. Transier, DIR Board Chair Co-Chief Executive Officer, DirectorEndeavour International Corporation, HoustonTerm: 02/01/2003 to 02/01/2009, Appointed by the Governor
The Honorable Charles Bacarisse Harris County District ClerkHarris County, Houston Term: 07/17/2006 to 02/01/2007, Appointed by the Governor
M. Adam Mahmood, Ph.D.Professor of Computer Information Systems & Business AdministrationThe University of Texas at El Paso, El PasoTerm: 02/01/2001 to 02/01/2007, Appointed by the Governor
The Honorable Debra McCartt MayorCity of AmarilloTerm: 02/01/2006 to 02/01/2011, Appointed by the Governor
P. Keith Morrow CIO & Vice President of Information Systems 7-Eleven, Inc., DallasTerm: 03/07/2005 to 02/01/2011, Appointed by the Governor
Cliff P. MountainManaging MemberAccent Capital, LLC, Austin Term: 02/01/2003 to 02/01/2009, Appointed by the Governor
Bill Wachel Principal/Owner The Wachel Group, DallasTerm: 02/01/2003 to 02/01/2009, Appointed by the Governor
Robert L. Cook Executive Director Texas Parks and Wildlife DepartmentTerm: 02/01/2005 to 02/01/2007, Ex officio
Brad Livingston Executive Director Texas Department of Criminal JusticeTerm: 02/01/2005 to 02/01/2007, Ex officio
Adam Jones Associate Commissioner for Operations and Fiscal Management Texas Education AgencyTerm: 02/01/2005 to 02/01/2007, Ex officio
AGENCIES TO BE AFFECTED
Department of Criminal Justice
Department of Information Services
Department of Licensing and Regulation
Department of Public SafetyGeneral Land OfficeDept. of Aging and Disability Services (DADS)Dept. of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services (DARS)
Dept. of Family and Protective Services (DFPS)
Dept. of State Health Services (DSHS)
Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC)
Office the Attorney General
Public Utility Commission
Railroad Commission
Secretary of State Alcoholic Beverage Commission
Building and Procurement Commission
Commission on Environmental Quality
Dept. of AgricultureDept. of Insurance
Dept. of Transportation
Texas Education Agency Higher Education
Coordinating Board Parks and Wildlife
Library and Archives Commission
Workforce Commission
Youth Commission
Water Development Board
Sunday, October 29, 2006
Sunday
Off the Kuff talks about the article regarding Hawkins association with the non-profit group- here's another article as well:
Perry's health chief under fire-Hawkins will consider resigning from nonprofit board.
Edited to add this: Here is a post I did back in April- read the comment. Hmmmmm.
Later this week, I'm going to start reading the 171 pages of the audit- reporting what's there so you don't have to read the whole thing.....what I HAVE read so far is interesting....and there are things Accenture didn't do that the State Employees would have NEVER gotten away with.... of course.
In case you missed the link to the audit findings...you can find them here: Strayhorn Audit.
Perry's health chief under fire-Hawkins will consider resigning from nonprofit board.
Edited to add this: Here is a post I did back in April- read the comment. Hmmmmm.
Later this week, I'm going to start reading the 171 pages of the audit- reporting what's there so you don't have to read the whole thing.....what I HAVE read so far is interesting....and there are things Accenture didn't do that the State Employees would have NEVER gotten away with.... of course.
In case you missed the link to the audit findings...you can find them here: Strayhorn Audit.
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Links
HHS Commissioner Fails To Disclose Information
Houston Chronicle Article
News from Lufkin
"Off the Kuff" has a great write-up regarding the audit- go HERE to read about it.
Of course, don't forget to check CAPITOL ANNEX everyday- he has great information about news around the state, including news regarding HHSC.....
Houston Chronicle Article
News from Lufkin
"Off the Kuff" has a great write-up regarding the audit- go HERE to read about it.
Of course, don't forget to check CAPITOL ANNEX everyday- he has great information about news around the state, including news regarding HHSC.....
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Ramblings
I'm going to ramble some as my thoughts are scattered.....
1- has everyone heard about the new 2-1-1 menu options? Now, if you are a TIERS client (and there are many statewide) you can't call 211 unless you are in Travis or Hayes Counties. You are referred to your local office. Problem with that is every office doesn't have a worker/clerk available to do TIERS inquiry. So, if the client comes in for help about their case, and it's an office WITHOUT an ART worker, then what? Figures.
2- how is that jsap job placement going for everyone? How about AccessHR? Had any problems with leave? Savings bonds? If you haven't - consider yourselves lucky. This privatization is GREAT (/sarcasm)
3- have you workers been told that you surely can work weekends and late if you have to in order to stay somewhat caught up? Is this an option that is given to you more as a demand rather than something to help you out? Wow- I guess TPTB think we don't have households to take care of or kids to care for.
4- if you are a client, or someone who helps clients (Advocacy Inc and San Antonio Food Bank!)- please enourage them to contact FNS. FNS regulates the Food Stamp Program. Having to wait 40-50 days is against policy. Problem is, it's not the fault of local office staff, but rather this scheme to line someone's pockets through contracts....local office staff are doing all they know to do to do everything as fast as possible. But interview 15-20 clients per day, 4-5 days per week leaves little to no time to finish cases UNLESS that worker wants to work Saturday AND Sunday. This misconception that the public has that all we do is 'push a few buttons' to make it happen isn't so. I wish it were that easy. I'd encourage all clients to show up for office appointments rather that do by phone. Yes, it can be inconvenient- but I can assure you that a client that shows up **proof in hand** will get finished THE SAME DAY THEY ARE INTERVIEWED in most cases. Otherwise, it's more waiting.
5- Lead times are out of control. Management of lead times has become unrealistic. The offices are not staffed enough to maintain the 'staus quo' and acceptable lead times.
Clients are going without, employees are working in an unorganized chaos- while Albert Hawkins touts that we have a stable workforce. I'd love to see Mr. Hawkins come on in and sit in a lobby one day. These clients are FURIOUS at the long waits for appointments, the inability to get through to their workers on the phone (because we are all on phone interviews) and having to wait to get questions answered.
Oh, and "Hi!" Accenture (I know y'all still read here!)...got any insight? Y'all all caught up over there?
1- has everyone heard about the new 2-1-1 menu options? Now, if you are a TIERS client (and there are many statewide) you can't call 211 unless you are in Travis or Hayes Counties. You are referred to your local office. Problem with that is every office doesn't have a worker/clerk available to do TIERS inquiry. So, if the client comes in for help about their case, and it's an office WITHOUT an ART worker, then what? Figures.
2- how is that jsap job placement going for everyone? How about AccessHR? Had any problems with leave? Savings bonds? If you haven't - consider yourselves lucky. This privatization is GREAT (/sarcasm)
3- have you workers been told that you surely can work weekends and late if you have to in order to stay somewhat caught up? Is this an option that is given to you more as a demand rather than something to help you out? Wow- I guess TPTB think we don't have households to take care of or kids to care for.
4- if you are a client, or someone who helps clients (Advocacy Inc and San Antonio Food Bank!)- please enourage them to contact FNS. FNS regulates the Food Stamp Program. Having to wait 40-50 days is against policy. Problem is, it's not the fault of local office staff, but rather this scheme to line someone's pockets through contracts....local office staff are doing all they know to do to do everything as fast as possible. But interview 15-20 clients per day, 4-5 days per week leaves little to no time to finish cases UNLESS that worker wants to work Saturday AND Sunday. This misconception that the public has that all we do is 'push a few buttons' to make it happen isn't so. I wish it were that easy. I'd encourage all clients to show up for office appointments rather that do by phone. Yes, it can be inconvenient- but I can assure you that a client that shows up **proof in hand** will get finished THE SAME DAY THEY ARE INTERVIEWED in most cases. Otherwise, it's more waiting.
5- Lead times are out of control. Management of lead times has become unrealistic. The offices are not staffed enough to maintain the 'staus quo' and acceptable lead times.
Clients are going without, employees are working in an unorganized chaos- while Albert Hawkins touts that we have a stable workforce. I'd love to see Mr. Hawkins come on in and sit in a lobby one day. These clients are FURIOUS at the long waits for appointments, the inability to get through to their workers on the phone (because we are all on phone interviews) and having to wait to get questions answered.
Oh, and "Hi!" Accenture (I know y'all still read here!)...got any insight? Y'all all caught up over there?
Check this out.
THIS is a good post...check it out.
Get your own web address for just $1.99/1st yr. We'll help. Yahoo! Small Business.
Get your own web address for just $1.99/1st yr. We'll help. Yahoo! Small Business.
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Chris Bell Commercial
He talks about firing Accenture:
All-new Yahoo! Mail - Fire up a more powerful email and get things done faster.
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Check this article out
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/4261398.html
Get your email and more, right on the new Yahoo.com
Get your email and more, right on the new Yahoo.com
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
Discouraged
I write tonight discouraged. Don't get me wrong, I've been discouraged for some time, but it has reached a point ....
The "Powers that Be" have RUINED HHSC. They have ruined what used to be a good agency that did good things. We were the last resort for those desperate and in need, and we were there to help.
The "Snowball" effect of the work is full speed ahead. When you couple the change in policy to do ALL interviews by phone (thereby cutting out the opportunities some clients used to have to sit and wait all day, hoping to take someone's place if they missed an appointment) AND the mass exodus of good tenured employees- everything has spun out of control. Lead times are awful. By the time we get to interview a client, they are already pissed COMPLETELY off that it has taken so long to get an interview. Couple that with the fact that because they are being interviewed by phone, they most ASSUREDLY will have a delay in processing their case because they aren't there in person to give you necessary information. So they are pended. When they DO finally get their mail (after 2-3 days) then that leaves them with about 7 days to get their information together. When they turn the info in, it is the client's expectation that their case be completed IMMEDIATELY. However, how does one do that when they are interviewing all day long? It's lose lose. Workers are overwhelmed to the point that there are numerous employees across the state who are suffering real medical problems due to stress. Clients are going without necessary services- their kids are going without Medicaid. Their households are going without adequate food. Bill money is used to buy groceries, meaning that NOW, the bills are behind. It's never ending.
Everyone in my office is seeking other employment. Before long, the only workers the office will have will be temps who were inadequately trained.
Through all this, you have Albert Hawkins giving lip service to our "stable workforce". What? GIVE ME A BREAK. IT'S ANYTHING *BUT* STABLE.
Hawkins and Co. and still talking about rolling TIERS out to other areas. Yes, please- let's add to the already growing problems with TIERS and put MORE clients in that convoluted system.
On top of all this- TPTB are still expecting the local offices to schedule clients timely (within 20 days) and finish the cases timely. There. Are. Not. Enough. Workers. In. The. Local. Offices. To. Accomplish. This. Why does no one see this? Or better yet, "Those in charge" just don't care. Period. They don't. But, the staff in local offices who are dealing with an ever increasing workload (an impossible workload) and increasingly irate clients ARE supposed to care? Why? No one else does.
I've said all along I wasn't one to jump ship. I was going to stick it out. I felt like I owed it to my clients, and my coworkers to stick it out. I don't feel that way anymore. No one does.
Do you Yahoo!?
Everyone is raving about the all-new Yahoo! Mail.
Friday, September 15, 2006
I've not forgotten the blog!!!
I'm here- but have neglected to post.....and I'm sorry.
When you work until 7ish each night and weekends, the blog kind of falls by the wayside.
Work is.......the same. Busy. We are hiring temps, but those aren't benefitting us enough to make the workload manageable.
Workers are currently completing cases as best and as fast as they can. I would imagine that if most of the cases worked now in local office were pulled for QC, they'd be full of errors. I'm sure clients are being certified incorrectly- not because we are unable to do the job, but because we must do the job so fast (when you are interviewing up to 20 clients a day? Quality is not high on the priority list- getting the case FINISHED is what matters)....we miss things.
There are still many MANY problems with clients who are in the TIERS system- and this will likely continue to be a problem until Accenture is FIRED and we rebuild the agency. This will probably never happen.
Does anyone want to guest blog once in a while? Email me a story- whats happening in your area- what frustrates you the most? I'll post it. Anonymously - of course.
I'm going to try to do better with the posting. If you notice an article that you think needs to be put out there, please send it to me.
I had one email regarding a race with Van Taylor? About a commerical that the incumbent opponet voted for Food Stamps to be given to Illegal aliens. Of course, we all know that is not true- I'll try to put a link up to his site at some point or if some kind soul reading could find it for me, and send me the link- I'll post THAT.
I hate when wanna be representatives use welfare, once again, as a political football when they have no clue what they are even talking about.
Let's talk about the fiasco in Texas with privatization......
So, email me something if you want, and I'll try to get better about posting!
Hang in there!
Do you Yahoo!?
Get on board. You're invited to try the new Yahoo! Mail.
Saturday, August 26, 2006
Friday, August 25, 2006
Computer System Audit
Audit Reveals Security Gaps - But No Breaches - in Public Assistance Computer System
Corrie MacLaggan
Austin American-Statesman
8/25/2006
Austin American-Statesman
8/25/2006
Personal information about Texans who receive public assistance could be at risk of being accessed by computer hackers, according to a new internal audit of the Health and Human Services Commission.
The audit, conducted for the agency by Clifton Gunderson LLP, identified several vulnerable areas of the computer backbone of the state's new system for determining eligibility for food stamps, Medicaid and other programs.
However, the study did not uncover any security breaches.
The computer system, TIERS, and the new call centers handling public assistance enrollment have been targets of criticism recently. A private group, the Texas Access Alliance, anchored by Accenture LLP, is administering the computer system and call centers.
The state has halted statewide rollout of the new enrollment system until problems with a Central Texas pilot program can be fixed.
Stephanie Goodman, a spokeswoman for the Health and Human Services Commission, said the computer system works well and is an improvement over the old one.
*Wait, what? It works well? TIERS? Actually, it does not work well, and you can ask any worker across the STATE that deals with TIERS and they will tell you the same thing. Maybe it's an improvement over the old system once it IS working, but that's not the case yet. It may never be. I guess that's why local staff who work in the TIERS system are told to not 'bad mouth' TIERS to other staff across the Regions who aren't in TIERS yet.....but we all know the truth, don't we?
"What you want to do with an internal audit is test every possible way the system could conceivably fail," she said. "That doesn't mean it has failed. All tests like this reveal some weaknesses somewhere."
The audit found:
• The agency does not have a plan for monitoring computer system performance and security.
• The Texas Access Alliance does not ensure that all employees have background checks, increasing the risk that people with criminal backgrounds could access sensitive information.
*Sensitive information that includes people's name, dates of birth, social security numbers, bank account information, job information, living arrangements, etc.
• Computer user accounts are not always removed when employees change jobs or stop working for the agency or its contractor.
• Fraud prevention and detection controls for the system are not fully implemented.
"The audit shows that after costing $300 million and after three years in pilot, TIERS still isn't ready for prime time," said Will Rogers, a spokesman for the 12,000-member Texas State Employees Union, which has opposed the new public assistance enrollment system.
Get your own web address for just $1.99/1st yr. We'll help. Yahoo! Small Business.
Thursday, August 24, 2006
So I suppose this means the State Employees really ARE good at what they do?
Need Help Applying for Public Benefits? Find Answers Saturday in Austin
Corrie MacLaggan
Austin American-Statesman
8/22/2006
Austin American-Statesman
8/22/2006
For Central Texans who have had trouble enrolling in public assistance recently, here's a message from local officials: Try again.
On Saturday, anyone who needs help applying for Medicaid, food stamps, the Children's Health Insurance Program or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families can come to the Austin Convention Center for help. State workers will be on hand to help with applications and answer questions.
The event is sponsored by the local legislative delegation, Mayor Will Wynn and the Austin City Council and nonprofit organizations. It is a response to problems some residents of Hays and Travis counties have had since the state turned over public assistance enrollment for those counties to a private contractor in January.
State officials have halted statewide rollout of the new system until problems with the Central Texas pilot can be resolved.
The problems include eligible Texans being denied services and talking to call center representatives who could not answer their questions.
"To the people who need those services, these glitches are measured in pain and illness untreated by a doctor," state Sen. Gonzalo Barrientos, D-Austin, said.
Organizers recommend that participants in Saturday's event bring documents to facilitate enrollment, such as birth certificates, driver's licenses and proof of income and residence. For help determining what documents to bring, call insure-a-kid at 324-2447.
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Sunday, August 20, 2006
Little Sunday Reading.....
Saturday, August 19, 2006
What it is becoming out there....
As has been mentioned time and time again in the comments and on this blog- the media has no idea what is really going on. Used to, the articles pointed to the long hold times that people had when they called the call-centers.......now the articles all point out the long wait times at local offices WITHOUT mentioning that the reason the local offices are in such disarray is because we are severly SEVERLY short staffed.
We have offices working under 50% staffing. We have offices around the state with NO clerical support- workers are having to bear this. We have offices where there isn't anyone available to do the most mundane tasks- opening and distributing mail (for example)...and yet, it's almost as though the intent is to make the "State Employees" be the bad guys. Afterall, aren't we- the "state employees" the ones who are against Accenture/TAA just because we are "disgruntled" and angry we are losing our jobs? So what better way to "show" everyone why we need a "new system" than to have the local offices tank, little by little, and become inefficient and unable to handle the workload.
Is that what all this is?
Do you want to guest blog? Email me what you would like posted...and I'll post it. It's all anonymous, but if you want to put where you are- what area- that's fine.
Hang in there guys.
We have offices working under 50% staffing. We have offices around the state with NO clerical support- workers are having to bear this. We have offices where there isn't anyone available to do the most mundane tasks- opening and distributing mail (for example)...and yet, it's almost as though the intent is to make the "State Employees" be the bad guys. Afterall, aren't we- the "state employees" the ones who are against Accenture/TAA just because we are "disgruntled" and angry we are losing our jobs? So what better way to "show" everyone why we need a "new system" than to have the local offices tank, little by little, and become inefficient and unable to handle the workload.
Is that what all this is?
Do you want to guest blog? Email me what you would like posted...and I'll post it. It's all anonymous, but if you want to put where you are- what area- that's fine.
Hang in there guys.
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
Worker tells of training problems with state contractor
Accenture group failed to give her knowledge she needed
By Corrie MacLaggan
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Friday, August 11, 2006
When Amanda Morris started working at a private office that enrolls Texans in public assistance, she was trained to enter information into a computer about people who want to apply for benefits.
But she immediately found that most cases didn't involve signups. Clients needed to renew benefits, make changes to their accounts or update their address.
Thao Nguyen
AMERICAN-STATESMAN
Problems at the Texas Access Alliance may have affected public assistance recipients such as Diana Acosta, an Austin mother of two. Acosta, 43, who is on disability and does not have a job, said she received her food stamps two weeks late one month and her children were not enrolled in Medicaid for three months because TAA representatives said they did not have paperwork she had sent repeatedly.
And she didn't know how to do that.
"I trained for three weeks and was put onto the floor with about 2 percent knowledge of how to do my job," said Morris, 21, who works for a temp agency and has been on assignment since March with the San Antonio office of state contractor Texas Access Alliance.
Problems with worker training are one of the reasons the state has indefinitely delayed statewide rollout of that contractor's new call-in system to enroll Texans in food stamps, Medicaid and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.
Morris' account sheds more light on the problems. A former Texas Access Alliance employee in San Antonio, who asked that her name not be used because it might affect her current job, said Morris' story matches her experience.
The state is paying more than $800 million over five years to the Texas Access Alliance, a consortium of private companies led by Accenture LLP, for the system, which has been in a pilot stage in Travis and Hays counties since January. The privatization was intended to save the state money.
Since the contractor took over, benefits recipients have reported getting inexplicably dropped from public assistance, talking to customer service representatives who couldn't answer their questions and being asked for information they'd already provided.
In response, the private group has retrained its call center employees and overhauled training for new hires, spokeswoman Mindy Brown said this week. Texas Access Alliance "has turned a major corner," she said.
"Our training is intensive and depends on each employee's role," Brown said. "If an employee feels they need additional training to do their job correctly, all they need to do is to speak with their supervisor and additional instruction can be arranged."
Stephanie Goodman, a spokeswoman for the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, said the reports of improved quality is a positive sign but that the state has not yet evaluated that. "We'll measure the success of the training by how well the call-center representatives respond to client questions and concerns," she said.
Morris, for one, said training sessions she's attended recently were just as ineffective as the original.
She admits she's bitter about her job: her boyfriend was one of several dozen people laid off from the San Antonio office earlier this summer, and she wishes she earned more than her $12-per-hour salary. But she says that as a former recipient of food stamps and Medicaid, she's concerned about the experiences of the 3 million Texans who receive public assistance.
"You have no idea how (messed) up this is getting," said Morris, who works with applications and renewals but does not take calls. "There's misorganization regarding documents. Information gets linked incorrectly or lost altogether."
For example, Morris said she recently found that a public assistance recipient had submitted an address change. But an employee flagged the file to indicate a change of state residency, instead. And another employee who handled the case didn't catch the error. So the family was sent a letter asking about their Texas residency, Morris said.
Morris attributes problems like this to a lack of training and co-workers who are "purposely lazy." In May, Health and Human Services Executive Commissioner Albert Hawkins announced that no new applications will be processed in the privately run San Antonio call center until the contractor improves.
Alton Martin, CEO of Customer Operations Performance Center, Inc., a New York-based call-center consultant, said the training problems aren't surprising.
When he asks call-center representatives at various sites whether they felt ready for their job, "about half the time they'll say training was really bad or nonexistent or not appropriate to the task."
Martin, whose company is not working with the Texas contract but has worked with Accenture on other projects, said that call center quality issues often stem from the contract.
"Maybe the state wasn't rigorous enough," said Martin, who works in Austin. "Lots of times people want to throw the vendor under the bus . . . (But) if you want a fast car, ask for a fast car."
Goodman, though, said the state has set a high bar and is doing its own quality checks.
The private call centers — located in San Antonio, Austin, Midland and Athens — are expected to replace some state offices where Texans sign up for public assistance. The new system gives Texans more ways to apply for public assistance — mail, fax, Internet and phone — as well as in person.
Mary Katherine Stout of the Texas Public Policy Foundation, which advocates for limited government, said those who argue for the state to resume public assistance enrollment overlook problems with the outdated state system.
She recently visited a state benefits office in Fort Worth and found that despite having appointments, Texans were waiting hours. One public assistance recipient told Stout she has a rule of thumb for visiting the state office: pack a lunch.
cmaclaggan@statesman.com; 445-3548.
By Corrie MacLaggan
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Friday, August 11, 2006
When Amanda Morris started working at a private office that enrolls Texans in public assistance, she was trained to enter information into a computer about people who want to apply for benefits.
But she immediately found that most cases didn't involve signups. Clients needed to renew benefits, make changes to their accounts or update their address.
Thao Nguyen
AMERICAN-STATESMAN
Problems at the Texas Access Alliance may have affected public assistance recipients such as Diana Acosta, an Austin mother of two. Acosta, 43, who is on disability and does not have a job, said she received her food stamps two weeks late one month and her children were not enrolled in Medicaid for three months because TAA representatives said they did not have paperwork she had sent repeatedly.
And she didn't know how to do that.
"I trained for three weeks and was put onto the floor with about 2 percent knowledge of how to do my job," said Morris, 21, who works for a temp agency and has been on assignment since March with the San Antonio office of state contractor Texas Access Alliance.
Problems with worker training are one of the reasons the state has indefinitely delayed statewide rollout of that contractor's new call-in system to enroll Texans in food stamps, Medicaid and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.
Morris' account sheds more light on the problems. A former Texas Access Alliance employee in San Antonio, who asked that her name not be used because it might affect her current job, said Morris' story matches her experience.
The state is paying more than $800 million over five years to the Texas Access Alliance, a consortium of private companies led by Accenture LLP, for the system, which has been in a pilot stage in Travis and Hays counties since January. The privatization was intended to save the state money.
Since the contractor took over, benefits recipients have reported getting inexplicably dropped from public assistance, talking to customer service representatives who couldn't answer their questions and being asked for information they'd already provided.
In response, the private group has retrained its call center employees and overhauled training for new hires, spokeswoman Mindy Brown said this week. Texas Access Alliance "has turned a major corner," she said.
"Our training is intensive and depends on each employee's role," Brown said. "If an employee feels they need additional training to do their job correctly, all they need to do is to speak with their supervisor and additional instruction can be arranged."
Stephanie Goodman, a spokeswoman for the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, said the reports of improved quality is a positive sign but that the state has not yet evaluated that. "We'll measure the success of the training by how well the call-center representatives respond to client questions and concerns," she said.
Morris, for one, said training sessions she's attended recently were just as ineffective as the original.
She admits she's bitter about her job: her boyfriend was one of several dozen people laid off from the San Antonio office earlier this summer, and she wishes she earned more than her $12-per-hour salary. But she says that as a former recipient of food stamps and Medicaid, she's concerned about the experiences of the 3 million Texans who receive public assistance.
"You have no idea how (messed) up this is getting," said Morris, who works with applications and renewals but does not take calls. "There's misorganization regarding documents. Information gets linked incorrectly or lost altogether."
For example, Morris said she recently found that a public assistance recipient had submitted an address change. But an employee flagged the file to indicate a change of state residency, instead. And another employee who handled the case didn't catch the error. So the family was sent a letter asking about their Texas residency, Morris said.
Morris attributes problems like this to a lack of training and co-workers who are "purposely lazy." In May, Health and Human Services Executive Commissioner Albert Hawkins announced that no new applications will be processed in the privately run San Antonio call center until the contractor improves.
Alton Martin, CEO of Customer Operations Performance Center, Inc., a New York-based call-center consultant, said the training problems aren't surprising.
When he asks call-center representatives at various sites whether they felt ready for their job, "about half the time they'll say training was really bad or nonexistent or not appropriate to the task."
Martin, whose company is not working with the Texas contract but has worked with Accenture on other projects, said that call center quality issues often stem from the contract.
"Maybe the state wasn't rigorous enough," said Martin, who works in Austin. "Lots of times people want to throw the vendor under the bus . . . (But) if you want a fast car, ask for a fast car."
Goodman, though, said the state has set a high bar and is doing its own quality checks.
The private call centers — located in San Antonio, Austin, Midland and Athens — are expected to replace some state offices where Texans sign up for public assistance. The new system gives Texans more ways to apply for public assistance — mail, fax, Internet and phone — as well as in person.
Mary Katherine Stout of the Texas Public Policy Foundation, which advocates for limited government, said those who argue for the state to resume public assistance enrollment overlook problems with the outdated state system.
She recently visited a state benefits office in Fort Worth and found that despite having appointments, Texans were waiting hours. One public assistance recipient told Stout she has a rule of thumb for visiting the state office: pack a lunch.
cmaclaggan@statesman.com; 445-3548.
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
Opinion: Modernizing Texas Social Services
State Rep. Suzanna Hupp
Special to the Austin American-Statesman
8/8/2006
Special to the Austin American-Statesman
8/8/2006
Want to take a trip back to the 1970s? Try visiting your local Food Stamps office. You'll find row after row of filing cabinets, computer screens with flashing neon green cursors and an occasional typewriter.
What office still has the computers with flashing neon green cursors? I'm sorry, but I believe I have a new Dell computer (well, 3-4 years old)......could she be talking about the old Packard Bells? I think those screens were orange. And typewriters? That's going back to the 70's? I know that our office has ONE typewriter in the office that rarely, if ever, gets used. BUT, it's there in case we need it for anything. OH! And if I'm not mistaken- I believe that cases were actually done on PAPER in the 70's. I wasn't clear that DHS was so "Advanced" in the 70's that we were the ONLY agency with computers.....
It's definitely time for an upgrade.
Yes it is- and let's not act like IT didn't know that SAVERR (the ancient system that "seems to be able to get things done") COULD be converted to a web based program and upgraded.
Recently, in a letter to Health and Human Services Executive Commissioner Albert Hawkins, a number of my colleagues in the Texas Legislature and I reaffirmed our support for modernizing the eligibility system for programs such as Medicaid and Food Stamps. The massive overhaul of an antiquated system has not been easy. But it is necessary.
For years there has been an outcry for change to the system. Taxpayer dollars were being exhausted by a very labor-intensive system that cannot keep up with rising caseloads.
The new system will modernize the state's computer systems and business processes. It also will allow Texans to choose how they want to apply for services — in person, by phone (FNS still requires a signature to process an application for food stamps, so applying over the phone does nothing more than delay when their case gets started), over the Internet or by fax. These new options are being piloted in four offices in Travis and Hays counties. Although not off to an ideal start, these changes ultimately will make it easier for people to apply for services.
During a recent public hearing, a witness explained to lawmakers that she had to drive 30 minutes to a state office to simply pick up a children's Medicaid application (we would have mailed her one, all she has to do is call). This meant hiring someone to watch after her elderly mother and taking her 33-year-old autistic daughter and 10-year-old grandson with her to the office. When she arrived to the "extremely hot and overcrowded" office, she took number 99, only to discover they were on number 30. (the office is overcrowded now that most of the tenured staff has left after getting a layoff notice, and the people left are doing all they can to keep their heads above water) Because of her autistic daughter's reaction to strange environments, she finally had no other option but to leave the enrollment office, no better off than when she had arrived.
We must make it easier for Texans to apply for the services they need. (Had she gotten her application by mail, and then sent it back, the Children's Medicaid would have been done WITHOUT an interview even being required and her not having to come to the office again.)
In 2005, a statewide poll of Texas benefit recipients found that clients wanted more options, including the ability to apply by phone or Internet from the privacy of their own homes, when applying for benefits. (Again, the clients that are now in the TIERS program - the one that DOESN'T work - are wishing we'd go BACK to the 'old' way, so that they could actually get their benefits...but I digress.)
In the new system, Texans still will be able to apply in person at one of more than 200 offices across the state in addition to the new methods. The system also uses technology and streamlined business processes to reduce costs.
All incoming and outgoing correspondence is scanned and saved to create an electronic case file that can be accessed from any state benefits office. That means that clients who move won't have to wait for their case files to catch up with them.
The modernization of the Texas social service system has drawn fire, some of which has been justified by issues discovered in the pilot phase. The state has been working closely with the contractor, the Texas Access Alliance, to address those problem areas before expanding the pilot to other regions.
But Texans should not forget where we came from — a system that caused frustration for the clients who depended on it and the state workers who administered it (State workers that administered it? What is that supposed to mean? That we were part of the problem? Wow- to think all that hard work, and all that enhanced funding that the "state workers" worked so hard for- enhanced funding money that went straight to the GENERAL FUND...yes, let's not forget where we came from). We have made considerable progress in this worthwhile endeavor, and we are on track to provide Texas with a better social services eligibility system.
(If you would like to email Ms. Hupp and give her your thoughts on this article, click below and it will go straight to her page..........leave a comment if you do contact her.....)
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Monday, July 31, 2006
Spin by Center for Health Care Policy Studies at the Texas Public Policy Foundation
Opinion: Wait's Out of Welfare; Why Aren't Critics Happy?
Mary Katherine Stout
Special to the Houston Chronicle
7/29/2006
Special to the Houston Chronicle
7/29/2006
Texas has undertaken an ambitious plan to overhaul the way applications for government assistance are handled. But over the last six months the plan has taken a pummeling at the hands of state employees unions and advocates for bigger government; they have relished the bad news and missteps dominating news reports of the new system.
Like blacksmiths facing the advent of the automobile, critics hope to forestall progress.
**I know that in our local office, we have long held the belief that if this system could work, and work WELL- benefitting the clients as a whole- we'd be all for it.
In 2003, lawmakers directed the Health and Human Services Commission to establish and outsource call centers for all assistance programs, "if cost-effective." The commission contracted with a coalition of firms, led by Accenture, which began work late last year. The new system, allowing one-stop access to all assistance programs, was to be gradually implemented.
By using modern tools that have become standard conveniences — such as the Internet and phone (Internet and phone that a majority of our clients do not even have, but ok) — the new system is designed to control costs, increase efficiency and improve client accessibility. Rather than relying primarily on in-person interviews in a field office (which helps to insure a case is done correctly, and accurately- as the client is RIGHT THERE WITH YOU- also preventing fraud in that you could verify who you were interviewing) with limited hours of operation (easily solved if you only extend office hours in local offices- oh wait! We did that and the response was deadtime), the new system also allows applicants extended hours by phone, and 24-hour online access (they can call an automated line RIGHT NOW in the "old world" 24/7 to check the status of their case. That has always been available).
Real and perceived problems have stalled implementation. Meanwhile, critics have promoted stories of miscues, such as claims applications were inappropriately faxed to a warehouse in Seattle. The commission found that incident resulted from accidental misdialing by applicants, yet those opposing the new system wrongly cling to it as evidence of malfeasance.
Critics claim the old way is best and should be rebuilt, while others believe privatization will modernize the system.
In early July, 30 Texas House members sent Health and Human Services Commissioner Albert Hawkins a letter, expressing support for the new system and its promise to "bring administration of human services programs in Texas into the 21st century."
Two days later, 60 other members of the House sent a different letter to Hawkins, urging him to cancel the contract. They asked him to "commit the remaining resources to rebuild the human services eligibility system that, as little as two years ago, was among the best in the country."
The contrast in positions could not be more stark.
Of course, the old system — "the best in the country" (best in the country which was proven by way of accuracy rates and ENHANCED FUNDING BONUSES PAID TO THE TEXAS GENERAL FUND)— still serves most recipients of state assistance, since the new system isn't available statewide. Critics pan the new system, holding a seemingly romanticized notion of the old ways. Perhaps they should consider what the "old" system was like.
In a recent visit to a field office outside the "pilot" area, I sat for two hours in a room with dozens of people, many of whom arrived long before me, and would remain long after I left. One man was in the same office the day before, only to be told that his application couldn't be finished that day and he would need to return the next. On day two he arrived 50 minutes early for an 11 o'clock appointment, but wasn't seen until after 4 p.m.
As one woman waited more than three hours for her appointment, she said the rule of thumb was to "pack a lunch." She later learned her name had been called while stepping outside, missing her "appointment." She was instructed to return the next day, despite protests she had other state-required appointments to keep and difficulty in finding transportation.
Considering her instructions to return the next day, perhaps she will also begin taking a sleeping bag.
The waiting room had no reading material, no information on finding a job, getting a degree, locating community resources, getting parenting guidance or child care. While waiting, some attended to their children; others talked on their cellular phones.
Most people spent hours just waiting — unproductively. (I would hope that you aren't making the broad generalizations based on a visit to one office. I know that in the office I work in, I see upwards of 10-15 appointments everyday ON TIME. I certify my clients timely. I assure you that you would not find that to the be the case every single day in every single office. To write about it based on that one experience is wrong.)
While many would argue this is the result of short-staffed offices (that is EXACTLY why this is happening across the state- some offices have lost anywhere from 20% to 80% of their staff! What in the world can anyone expect? If the only grocery store in town lost 80% of its checkers, what kind of wait do you think that would cause?), the reality is that there is no excuse for a horse-and-buggy system when considering the technology now available (That horse and buggy system never had a client waiting MONTHS for their Food Stamp case to be completed. Everyone involved with TIERS knows it does NOT WORK like SAVERR does). A system that treats people with such lack of dignity, and with no respect for their time, is simply indefensible. (Thank your local Congressmen and Albert Hawkins for that).
At one time many of the new system's critics would have agreed. For years they pointed to the inconvenience of going to a field office for in-person interviews (just FYI- but now that we are doing virtually ALL phone interviews, clients are realizing that coming in isn't that big of an inconvenience if that means their case could be finished the same day. When doing interviews by phone, 99% of the cases must be delayed for futher information-information that the client may have had with them at the interview had it been a face to face interview), highlighting the virtues of one-stop shopping and demanding change based on client dissatisfaction. Dissatisfaction with the system they now claim is superior to all others. (Dissatisfaction with a system that actually got people CERTIFIED timely. Clients are like anyone else- if you tell them you can make something easier, they are all for it- but in non-pilot areas- we are dealing with clients that are in the TIERS system that practically beg local office staff to please take them OUT of the "new and improved system" and let them stay in the old system....of course, we are 'told' that is not possible- even though everyone knows that it is).
Reports of real problems in the new system cannot be taken lightly, and taxpayers should demand efficiency for every tax dollar. But calls to end the project and return to the old way are simply insufficient. To ignore the opportunity to deliver services more efficiently for taxpayers and more conveniently for the recipients, despite having the resources to do so, is unacceptable.
The state must move forward using well-established technologies that deliver better efficiency for taxpayers, along with greater convenience for the recipients of state benefits.
Mary Katherine Stout is the director of the Center for Health Care Policy Studies at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, a nonprofit research institute based in Austin.
Groups are talking. We´re listening. Check out the handy changes to Yahoo! Groups.
Saturday, July 29, 2006
Feedback from the Hearings on Wednesday
Got this via email from someone who was at the hearing Wednesday:
Hello- I was at the hearing yesterday about chip and iee. Two important
items stood out for me.1-- I believe we all understand the 5 yr. contract period to have begun in 1/06 or 12/05 and that there is approx. 4.5 yrs. left in the contract. Hawkins was saying that the 5 yrs. begins when full rollout begins. Uresti then asks - does this mean this is a 10 yr. or 20 yr. contract? Hawkins is saying - well we don't know-Huh? are we going to be working into the next millenium on this?
2-- I have understood that if this contract adventure does not work out, the eligibility would revert back to the state. I seem to recall this as something that was mentioned as the fall back position to coax us into supporting integrated eligibility. But no, I was wrong and naive. HHSC atty. Steve Aragon was saying that if, and it's not going to happen because the contract is going to work, but if the contract were to fail, we would have to look for someone else. Not, this will go back to the state, but get used to being private because that's what's happening whether we like it or not. I think this is a new spin position of hhsc.
Interesting article, with many comments
Read this article HERE, then read all the comments.
Are there any ART workers reading here? If not, can someone forward this post to them- I'd like to know what their response is to the "Craig" that left a comment to this article.
Are there any ART workers reading here? If not, can someone forward this post to them- I'd like to know what their response is to the "Craig" that left a comment to this article.
Thursday, July 27, 2006
Decision months away on call center sanctions
Despite performance, state says it doesn't plan to drop privatization
08:49 AM CDT on Thursday, July 27, 2006
By ROBERT T. GARRETT / The Dallas Morning News
AUSTIN – The state has to gather so much evidence before it penalizes the private vendor running social services call centers that any decision about sanctions could be many months away, officials suggested Wednesday.
**By the time the state gets around to sanctioning Accenture, it will probably already be in the process of being sanctioned by the Feds......because we ALL know that's coming.
The state's top social services officials told lawmakers that they are still in the early stages of assessing possible damages for poor performance, which they can seek under a five-year, $899 million contract with a group led by Accenture Ltd., a consulting and outsourcing company.
But Health and Human Services Commissioner Albert Hawkins said he isn't retreating from privatization of social program signups, despite calls by 60 House members and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Chris Bell for him to cancel the contract.
*But of course, why in the world would Albert Hawkins listen to House Members? I mean, who are they to him, right? Albert Hawkins only does as he pleases- studies be damned- workers in the field who DO this work everyday be damned- clients be damned.
"The concept of the new model provides many more benefits to our clients, to our workers and to our state taxpayers," Mr. Hawkins said. "And that's why the goals of the initiative are the right goals to pursue."
Both Mr. Hawkins, an appointee of Gov. Rick Perry, and Accenture executive Randy Willis acknowledged that the outsourcing effort has had some failures, especially last winter.
But they told the House Government Reform Committee that abandoned calls, wait times and errors are down (maybe that's the case because the State was given back the work and now instead of clients calling 2-1-1 they come in the local office for service- if they DO call 2-1-1, guess what they are told? To go to the local office), while service is improving for Texans seeking to apply for social services. Staffing is up at the vendor's four call centers, they said; a fourth opened this month in Athens.
Still, Mr. Hawkins wouldn't say when the state would resume rolling out the new system, which will close many state eligibility field offices as more aid seekers apply by Internet, phone or fax, not an office visit. (Once again- clients have ALWAYS been able to apply by fax. The internet? I mean, let's be real- they go to the website and download the application which then has to be faxed or mailed into the local offices. And, let's not leave out the fact that if the client is applying for FOOD STAMPS they must SIGN the application before it is accepted- so they cannot apply by PHONE. They can give basic info, then must wait for the application to be sent to them, so they can sign, and return. No one has EVER had to make an 'office visit' to apply).
Poorly trained call center operators, technological problems and state rule changes threatened to overwhelm the vendor earlier this year.
Mr. Hawkins said the state has spent more than it expected to help train the private employees. He said that he doesn't know how much that cost but that the money can be recouped in a "fairly simple and straightforward" adjustment to Accenture's future bills.
The state has paid the vendor $103 million.
Mr. Hawkins said the contract was tightly written to protect taxpayers, though some provisions also protect Accenture. The state has to document any allegations of failure to perform and let Accenture respond, he said. He declined to say when he might rule on sanctions.
"The payment structure, the key performance requirements, all of it comes in to make a very complex contract structure," Mr. Hawkins said.
Celia Hagert, a nutrition expert with the Center for Public Policy Priorities, a progressive think tank that has criticized the state for rushing the privatization without adequate testing, said a decision on sanctions could take years, not months.
"It would require an incredible amount of work ... by state staff in order to make the case just for a simple penalty," she said.
While people all over the state can apply electronically or by phone for children's health insurance, that can be done for adult aid only in the Austin-San Marcos area.
Even there, the state is still not confident enough of the vendor's capability to let private workers handle new applications. The private workers have focused on reducing a backlog, while state workers process new applications.
Accenture's Mr. Willis said a subcontractor running its Midland call center has had to raise operators' wages to reduce turnover. They are now paid $8.75 an hour, up from $8. (Where is my Accenture commentor from before? The one that said the employees made WAY more than $8? I do believe this quote came from someone FROM Accenture- they've raised what they are paying their employees- to $8.75! That doesn't exactly match that $40,000 year quote that was left in comments on this blog, does it?)
E-mail rtgarrett@dallasnews.com
08:49 AM CDT on Thursday, July 27, 2006
By ROBERT T. GARRETT / The Dallas Morning News
AUSTIN – The state has to gather so much evidence before it penalizes the private vendor running social services call centers that any decision about sanctions could be many months away, officials suggested Wednesday.
**By the time the state gets around to sanctioning Accenture, it will probably already be in the process of being sanctioned by the Feds......because we ALL know that's coming.
The state's top social services officials told lawmakers that they are still in the early stages of assessing possible damages for poor performance, which they can seek under a five-year, $899 million contract with a group led by Accenture Ltd., a consulting and outsourcing company.
But Health and Human Services Commissioner Albert Hawkins said he isn't retreating from privatization of social program signups, despite calls by 60 House members and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Chris Bell for him to cancel the contract.
*But of course, why in the world would Albert Hawkins listen to House Members? I mean, who are they to him, right? Albert Hawkins only does as he pleases- studies be damned- workers in the field who DO this work everyday be damned- clients be damned.
"The concept of the new model provides many more benefits to our clients, to our workers and to our state taxpayers," Mr. Hawkins said. "And that's why the goals of the initiative are the right goals to pursue."
Both Mr. Hawkins, an appointee of Gov. Rick Perry, and Accenture executive Randy Willis acknowledged that the outsourcing effort has had some failures, especially last winter.
But they told the House Government Reform Committee that abandoned calls, wait times and errors are down (maybe that's the case because the State was given back the work and now instead of clients calling 2-1-1 they come in the local office for service- if they DO call 2-1-1, guess what they are told? To go to the local office), while service is improving for Texans seeking to apply for social services. Staffing is up at the vendor's four call centers, they said; a fourth opened this month in Athens.
Still, Mr. Hawkins wouldn't say when the state would resume rolling out the new system, which will close many state eligibility field offices as more aid seekers apply by Internet, phone or fax, not an office visit. (Once again- clients have ALWAYS been able to apply by fax. The internet? I mean, let's be real- they go to the website and download the application which then has to be faxed or mailed into the local offices. And, let's not leave out the fact that if the client is applying for FOOD STAMPS they must SIGN the application before it is accepted- so they cannot apply by PHONE. They can give basic info, then must wait for the application to be sent to them, so they can sign, and return. No one has EVER had to make an 'office visit' to apply).
Poorly trained call center operators, technological problems and state rule changes threatened to overwhelm the vendor earlier this year.
Mr. Hawkins said the state has spent more than it expected to help train the private employees. He said that he doesn't know how much that cost but that the money can be recouped in a "fairly simple and straightforward" adjustment to Accenture's future bills.
The state has paid the vendor $103 million.
Mr. Hawkins said the contract was tightly written to protect taxpayers, though some provisions also protect Accenture. The state has to document any allegations of failure to perform and let Accenture respond, he said. He declined to say when he might rule on sanctions.
"The payment structure, the key performance requirements, all of it comes in to make a very complex contract structure," Mr. Hawkins said.
Celia Hagert, a nutrition expert with the Center for Public Policy Priorities, a progressive think tank that has criticized the state for rushing the privatization without adequate testing, said a decision on sanctions could take years, not months.
"It would require an incredible amount of work ... by state staff in order to make the case just for a simple penalty," she said.
While people all over the state can apply electronically or by phone for children's health insurance, that can be done for adult aid only in the Austin-San Marcos area.
Even there, the state is still not confident enough of the vendor's capability to let private workers handle new applications. The private workers have focused on reducing a backlog, while state workers process new applications.
Accenture's Mr. Willis said a subcontractor running its Midland call center has had to raise operators' wages to reduce turnover. They are now paid $8.75 an hour, up from $8. (Where is my Accenture commentor from before? The one that said the employees made WAY more than $8? I do believe this quote came from someone FROM Accenture- they've raised what they are paying their employees- to $8.75! That doesn't exactly match that $40,000 year quote that was left in comments on this blog, does it?)
E-mail rtgarrett@dallasnews.com
Thursday, July 20, 2006
Remember the Days
Remember when Burton Raiford was the Commish and you NEVER saw him- then Eric Bost came along and actually got out and about among the masses? Of course, we didn't know at the time what would become of Mr Bost, but it was refreshing to see the head of the agency out talking to the ones that work in the field!
Remember QC Rallies? Remember they'd bring in a comedian or something to lighten the mood and make you laugh until you couldn't breathe?
Remember how you felt like the average John Doe didn't think you did anything worthwhile - but you always felt like "Administration" cared about what you did?
Remember BJST! Lifelong friendships could be made in those classes, couldn't they? You bonded with the 20 or so "new workers" and even if you scattered out to various offices after BJST was over, you still kept in touch through email or no, SPEED MEMOS!
Remember those slow computers!? Packard Bells! Ugly Orange Screens that were slow as can be!
We got supplemental trainings: PRA Training, Changes Training, Self-Employment Training, Case Clues Training, Quarterly Revision Training, Stress Management Training, "Who's on First" for Trainees, QC Rallies, Worker Conferences......
Remember the days when you could put in your time, and put in for a promotion and get a Worker III job, then a Supervisor job. If you wanted, you could apply for a job with the Training Unit- or if you were in Austin- you could end up in State Office. There was a job track!
Remember MATP's? I can remember having to stay late in the office so all the MATP's could be issued to all those expedites, then we'd get up and do it again the next day.
Remember the days when you felt like you were actually helping people?
How do we get that back? Can we?
Remember QC Rallies? Remember they'd bring in a comedian or something to lighten the mood and make you laugh until you couldn't breathe?
Remember how you felt like the average John Doe didn't think you did anything worthwhile - but you always felt like "Administration" cared about what you did?
Remember BJST! Lifelong friendships could be made in those classes, couldn't they? You bonded with the 20 or so "new workers" and even if you scattered out to various offices after BJST was over, you still kept in touch through email or no, SPEED MEMOS!
Remember those slow computers!? Packard Bells! Ugly Orange Screens that were slow as can be!
We got supplemental trainings: PRA Training, Changes Training, Self-Employment Training, Case Clues Training, Quarterly Revision Training, Stress Management Training, "Who's on First" for Trainees, QC Rallies, Worker Conferences......
Remember the days when you could put in your time, and put in for a promotion and get a Worker III job, then a Supervisor job. If you wanted, you could apply for a job with the Training Unit- or if you were in Austin- you could end up in State Office. There was a job track!
Remember MATP's? I can remember having to stay late in the office so all the MATP's could be issued to all those expedites, then we'd get up and do it again the next day.
Remember the days when you felt like you were actually helping people?
How do we get that back? Can we?
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
New posting by another blogger
Father John has a new post up today about the fiasco that is HHSC. Go check it out!
News for the Day
July 18, 2006, 6:43AM
Lawyer says state unlikely to drop call center contractor
Associated Press
AUSTIN -- The Health and Human Services Commission probably won't act on a request made by 60 lawmakers that it fire the contractor in charge of enrolling people in public assistance, the agency's top lawyer said. (read the rest of the article HERE)
************************************************************************************
Local reps against call center contracts
New method alters way of applying for public assistance
By Michael HinesTimes Record News
July 18, 2006
Area state lawmakers are part of a push to end a new method for applying for public assistance services such as Medicaid and food stamps. (read the rest of the article HERE)
Lawyer says state unlikely to drop call center contractor
Associated Press
AUSTIN -- The Health and Human Services Commission probably won't act on a request made by 60 lawmakers that it fire the contractor in charge of enrolling people in public assistance, the agency's top lawyer said. (read the rest of the article HERE)
************************************************************************************
Local reps against call center contracts
New method alters way of applying for public assistance
By Michael HinesTimes Record News
July 18, 2006
Area state lawmakers are part of a push to end a new method for applying for public assistance services such as Medicaid and food stamps. (read the rest of the article HERE)
Monday, July 17, 2006
Clients speak out!
Here is a synopsis of a client navigating the 'system' since 'privatization'- you can read it HERE.
Articles out there in the Blog World about HHSC
Outsource Accenture-Bay Area Houston
60 State Reps Demand Accenture be Fired from HHS Account-Dallas Blog
More Accenture? - Capitol Annex
Fire Accenture! - Off the Kuff
If it's broke, don't fix it-PinkDome
Accenture's view of the work for HHS-Dallas Blog
Left Hand,Right Hand-South Texas Chisme
I've added links on the blog to Blog Searches for both "Accenture" and "HHSC"- it's a quick way to see what's being said out there.....
If you come across something of interest that you have not seen here, please email me the link or leave it in comments and I'll get it posted.
The more we spread the word, the better.
60 State Reps Demand Accenture be Fired from HHS Account-Dallas Blog
More Accenture? - Capitol Annex
Fire Accenture! - Off the Kuff
If it's broke, don't fix it-PinkDome
Accenture's view of the work for HHS-Dallas Blog
Left Hand,Right Hand-South Texas Chisme
I've added links on the blog to Blog Searches for both "Accenture" and "HHSC"- it's a quick way to see what's being said out there.....
If you come across something of interest that you have not seen here, please email me the link or leave it in comments and I'll get it posted.
The more we spread the word, the better.
Joining the Union
This blog is not going to preach about joining the Union....but I must say that if you are not a member of the Union, you should be.
Historically, many employees feel like that because we do not have the right to bargain or strike, that there isn't anything the Union can do for us. However, I must say that I implore anyone reading here is NOT a member of the Union to realize and understand that the Union is working very hard to get this Agency back. They work with your State Representives in getting client services back to acceptable levels and work to save your jobs.
I wasn't a member of the Union for many years due to the fact that I was unaware of what the Union could do for ME specifically. However, I've come to realize that what is good for me is good for everyone and vice versa. If the Union can, for example, sway State Reps who were previously ALL FOR privatization to rethink their position, this is a huge positive. They are hard at work all the time making phone calls, making visits, dealing with whoever they possibly can to help others on the outside see the light of what has happened with the contract with Accenture. We, front line staff, knew all along that the push to privatize was never going to work. We said it from the very beginning. State Reps had no idea of the amount of work we really did, and all they saw was Hawkins and Co. say they were going to save Texas millions of dollars. Nevermind the fact that pre-Accenture, Texas was GETTING millions from the Feds in enhanced funding ALREADY. The Enhanced Funding Bonuses that were being paid to Texas were the direct result of Advisors ensuring that cases were worked accurately and timely.
If you haven't already, click on the link to the Union and just read up on it. Consider it. There IS power in numbers. Imagine if the entire agency was part of the Union- this would increase the amount of money the Union needs to lobby FOR us. If you are already a member of the Union, I encourage you to become a member of COPE.
If you aren't a member now and would like more information, leave a comment....I'll do my best to find out what you need.
See the all-new, redesigned Yahoo.com. Check it out.
Timeliness/Delinquencies
Can anyone shed light on what is going on in your area as far as exceptions being given to worker staff who are experiencing delinquencies due to the overload of applications? I read in a comment in another post that someone wasn't getting exceptions? How can that be? If an application is not scheduled until the 30th day (for example) it was going to be delinquent before the worker even touches it!
Are you getting exceptions? If not, what are the reasons being given? If not, are you being held accountable on your evaluations for the delinquencies?
Are you getting exceptions? If not, what are the reasons being given? If not, are you being held accountable on your evaluations for the delinquencies?
Opinion: Don't Throw Good Social Services Money After Bad
Staff Editorial
Lufkin Daily News
7/14/2006
Lufkin Daily News
7/14/2006
There was plenty of skepticism beforehand as to whether privately owned call centers could effectively handle the state's public assistance enrollment program.
So far, the performance of Texas Access Alliance – the group of companies awarded an $899 million, five-year contract to handle benefit enrollment – has done nothing to inspire confidence that the plan will work.
In fact, there has been no "performance" to judge, because the program has not yet been instituted. Problems with technology, personnel and training caused the state to delay the rollout of the program that would turn over the enrollment process for those seeking food stamps, Medicaid and welfare. They also delayed the layoff of at least 1,000 state employees due to the inability of TAA to get the program up and running.
A group of 60 legislators, among them Democratic state Rep. Jim McReynolds of Lufkin, have written a letter asking the state to cancel the program, according to a Wednesday story by Cox News Service.
McReynolds is one of 48 Democrats and 12 Republicans asking Texas Health and Human Services Executive Commissioner Albert Hawkins to cancel the contract due to the inability of Accenture, the "anchor" of the TAA program, to get the program up and running.
Hawkins had already halted the statewide expansion of the new eligibility system "until concerns can be resolved," but the group of legislators is now recommending the contract be canceled. They appear to be of the opinion that it's better to cut the state's losses now, at $103 million, than to continue with a company that has been so far unable to produce on a single "deliverable."
A group of 30 legislators, all Republican, has written a letter in support of the contract, although they did approve of Hawkins' decision to delay the expansion.
We agree with McReynolds' group. Accenture has been given plenty of time, and money, to produce something other than excuses. They have not.
We've already said that we disagreed with the state's plan to turn over the system to call centers. If there are to be any savings, and that's yet to be proven, we don't believe it would be enough to justify the loss to those who depend on the system.
However, if the decision has been made to go to such a system, then they should at least be assured of some degree of success.
The present contractor hasn't been able to deliver that assurance.
We shouldn't throw $796 million in good money after bad.
Do you Yahoo!?
Get on board. You're invited to try the new Yahoo! Mail Beta.
Bell joins welfare screener critics The Democratic governor hopeful urges HHS to drop privatization deal, keep jobs in Texas
Clay Robison
Houston Chronicle
7/14/2006
Houston Chronicle
7/14/2006
AUSTIN - Democratic gubernatorial nominee Chris Bell said Friday the state should cancel an $899 million human services privatization contract that also has come under fire from Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn and many legislators.
"It's every bit as nightmarish as the reports indicate," Bell said of the contract awarded to Accenture LLP for screening applicants for public assistance programs.
The Bermuda-based company, which manages a consortium of subcontractors called Texas Access Alliance, has been attacked by social services advocates, who say low-income Texans are losing benefits because of inadequate staffing and training at private call centers.
The contract is part of a massive reorganization of health and human services agencies ordered by the Legislature in 2003 in an effort to streamline the delivery of public services and reduce costs.
HHS leader still backs plan
Health and Human Services Commissioner Albert Hawkins, an appointee of Gov. Rick Perry, isn't backing down from the contract, and neither is Perry.
Hawkins, however, has slowed down the privatization effort to try to address complaints about a call center pilot program, including lost or backlogged applications, long wait times on phone lines and eligible recipients being cut from services.
The commissioner has canceled plans to lay off hundreds of state workers who were to have been replaced by contract employees.
Perry spokeswoman Kathy Walt has said the governor is unhappy with the privatization problems but has "utmost confidence that Commissioner Hawkins will address the issues."
Earlier this week, 60 members of the Texas House, 12 Republicans and 48 Democrats, called for the state to cancel the Accenture contract and use the money to "rebuild a community-based system that works."
But 30 other legislators, all Republicans, urged Hawkins to continue the transition to privatization.
Strayhorn, running for governor as an independent, announced plans two months ago to investigate the contract. Spokesman Mark Sanders said Friday that Strayhorn didn't want to comment on whether the contract should be canceled until after the investigation has been completed.
"It's a huge contract with huge problems," Sanders said.
Strayhorn also targeted
Bell has criticized Strayhorn for once advocating privatization of some health and human services programs.
Sanders said the privatization approved by the Legislature and the Health and Human Services Commission was broader than the comptroller had recommended as a cost-cutting measure in 2003.
Bell said screening of public assistance applicants should be handled by state employees.
Spokeswoman Jill Angelo said earlier this week that Texas Access Alliance was working with the state and had made "significant progress over the past several months to improve performance."
Do you Yahoo!?
Everyone is raving about the all-new Yahoo! Mail Beta.
Thursday, July 13, 2006
TSEU Broadcast
TEXAS STATE EMPLOYEES UNION EMAIL BROADCAST UPDATE TO MEMBERS
July 13, 2006
Human Services call center plan/ Accenture contract
60 LEGISLATORS SIGN LETTER: CANCEL THE CONTRACT, REBUILD HHSC
* 30 others sign letter supporting Accenture contract
* all signers listed in this broadcast
* see TSEU's website (www.cwa-tseu.org at High Tech Boondoggle) for copies of the letters
* See also Press Releases and Press Clippings on TSEU's web site for more
On July 12 State Rep. Pat Haggerty ( R El Paso) released a letter to HHSC Executive Chairman Albert Hawkins that calls on the commissioner to cancel the contract with Accenture, commit resources to rebuild the HHSC community-based eligibility system, and to demand a refund from Accenture. TSEU worked closely with Rep. Haggerty's staff on the project, contacting dozens of legislators to explain the issues and ask for their support. The letter was signed by a bi-partisan group of 60 state representatives. The letter applauds Commissioner Hawkins' decision to delay the rollout of theAccenture/call center plan and to rescind the layoff notices for HHSC employees. It goes on to note that Texas faces a severe funding crunch, and that the state should not throw good moneyafter bad by continuing to fund the call center plan or the Accenture contract. The letter continues: "In light of all these issues, we ask you to consider the following proposal to rebuild a community-based system that works and does not waste tax dollars on broken contractual promises. We ask you to cancel the contract with Accenture for non-performance and commit the remaining resources to rebuild the human services eligibility system that, as little as two years ago, was among the best in the country. In addition, we ask you to consider demanding thatAccenture return some of the payments for which Texas has not received the products and/or services as promised."
The legislators who signed the letter (in order as they appear on the letter):
Rep. Pat Haggerty (R) El Paso
Rep.Elliott Naishtat (D) Austin
Rep. Dawnna Dukes (D) Austin
Rep. Rick Hardcastle ( R) Vernon;
Rep. Charlie Geren (R) Fort Worth
Rep. Tony Goolsby ( R) Dallas
Rep. Mike "Tuffy" Hamilton ( R) Mauriceville
Rep. Yvonne Gonzalez Toureilles (D) Alice
Rep. Jim Dunnam (D) Waco
Rep. Brian McCall ( R) Plano
Rep. Toby Goodman ( R) Arlington
Rep. Bryan Hughes ( R) Marshall
Rep. Joe Pickett (D) El Paso
Rep. Delwin Jones ( R) Lubbock
Rep. Robert Puente (D) San Antonio
Rep. Tracy King (D) Eagle Pass
Rep. Bob Griggs ( R) North Richland Hills
Rep. Pete Gallego (D) Alpine
Rep. Rafael Anchia (D) Dallas
Rep. Carter Casteel (R) New Braunfels
Rep. David Farabee (D) Wichita Falls
Rep. Hubert Vo (D) Houston
Rep. Garnet Coleman (D) Houston
Rep. Chuck Hopson (D) Jacksonville
Rep. Craig Eiland (D) Galveston
Rep. Bob Hunter ( R) Abilene
Rep. Allan Ritter (D) Nederland
Rep. Roberto Alonzo (D) Dallas
Rep. Mark Homer (D) Paris
Rep. Donna Howard (D) Austin
Rep. Ruth Jones McClendon (D) San Antonio
Rep. Juan Escobar (D) KIngsville
Rep. Richard Raymond (D) Laredo
Rep. Marc Veasey (D) Fort Worth
Rep. Rick Noriega (D) Houston
Rep. Stephen Frost (D) Atlanta
Rep. Jim McReynolds (D) Lufkin
Rep. Armando Martinez (D) Weslaco
Rep. Senfronia Thompson (D) Houston
Rep. Eddie Rodriguez (D) Austin
Rep. Lon Burnam (D) Fort Worth
Rep. Dora Olivo (D) Houston
Rep. David Leibowitz (D) San Antonio
Rep. Scott Hochberg (D) Houston
Rep. Norma Chavez (D) El Paso
Rep. Ana Hernandez (D) Houston
Rep. Ryan Guillen (D) San Diego
Rep. Alma Allen (D) Houston
Rep. Jessica Farrar (D) Houston
Rep. Mike Villarreall (D) San Antonio
Rep. Yvonne Davis (D) Dallas
Rep. Abel Herrero (D) Corpus Christi
Rep. Aaron Pe a (D) Edinburg
Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer (D) San Antonio
Rep. Terry Hodge (D) Dallas
Rep. Jose Menendez (D) San Antonio
Rep. Joaquin Castro (D) San Antonio
Rep. Paul Moreno (D) El Paso
Rep. Joe Deshotel (D) Port Arthur
Rep. Chente Quintanilla (D) El Paso
30 LEGISLATORS SIGN TO SUPPORT ACCENTURE & CALL CENTER PLAN
After the release of the letter initiated by Rep. Haggerty, Rep. John Davis ( R Houston)pulled together 30 legislators, all Republicans, to sign a letter supporting the discredited callcenter plan and the contract with Bermuda-based Accenture. The letter claims that the call center system "provides Texans with new channels ofaccess," and that it "has handled more than 2.8 million phone calls" and "processed more than 6.8 million documents and mailed more than 1.5 million pieces of correspondence." The letter does not address the plummeting number of Texans who successfully navigate the system and begin to receive benefits or the 12,000-case backlog that has been transferred from the callcenters to state employees. It does concede that "the new system has experienced challenges." (Experienced challenges? Wow, is that what they tell clients in their area that call their office for help in navigating the system? "oh, I'm sorry Jane Doe- I realize you have no money to feed your kids, you must understand that the new system is simply 'experiencing challenges' and unfortunately, you will just have to wait until these problems are worked out-school will be starting soon, and your kids can at least get two meals there!"
Signers of the letter supporting the Accenture contract:
John Davis ( R -Houston)
Jim Pitts ( R -Waxahachie)
Suzanna Gratia Hupp ( R -Lampassas)
Warren Chissum ( R -Pampa)
David Swinford ( R -Amarillo)
Beverly Wooley ( R -Houston)
Dan Gattis ( R -Georgetown)
Robert Talton ( R -Pasadena)
Ruben Hope Jr. ( R -Conroe)
Fred Brown ( R -Bryan)
Bill Callegari ( R -Houston)
Bill Keffer ( R -Dallas)
Joe Nixon ( R -Houston)
Jerry Madden ( R -Plano)
Buddy West ( R -Odessa)
Ken Paxton ( R -McKinney)
Rob Eisler ( R -The Woodlands)
Jim Jackson ( R -Carrollton)
Betty Brown ( R -Athens)
Bill Zedler ( R -Arlington)
Larry Taylor ( R -League City)
Leo Berman ( R -Tyler)
Corbin Van Arsdale ( R -Houston)
Debbie Riddle ( R -Houston)
Linda Harper-Brown ( R -Irving)
Mary Denny ( R -Flower Mound)
Glenda Dawson ( R -Pearland)
Jodie Laudenberg ( R -Rockwall)
Joe Driver ( R -Garland)
Valerie Corte ( R -San Antonio, temporary for Frank Corte)
**Blogger's Note: I encourage everyone to call or write your local representative and Thank them for their support (if they signed the letter) and if they signed the letter supporting Accenture, I encourage you to ask your representative to explain why they continue to support a failing system that hurts the poor in the State of Texas and is going to cost the taxpayers of Texas far more than necessary.
July 13, 2006
Human Services call center plan/ Accenture contract
60 LEGISLATORS SIGN LETTER: CANCEL THE CONTRACT, REBUILD HHSC
* 30 others sign letter supporting Accenture contract
* all signers listed in this broadcast
* see TSEU's website (www.cwa-tseu.org at High Tech Boondoggle) for copies of the letters
* See also Press Releases and Press Clippings on TSEU's web site for more
On July 12 State Rep. Pat Haggerty ( R El Paso) released a letter to HHSC Executive Chairman Albert Hawkins that calls on the commissioner to cancel the contract with Accenture, commit resources to rebuild the HHSC community-based eligibility system, and to demand a refund from Accenture. TSEU worked closely with Rep. Haggerty's staff on the project, contacting dozens of legislators to explain the issues and ask for their support. The letter was signed by a bi-partisan group of 60 state representatives. The letter applauds Commissioner Hawkins' decision to delay the rollout of theAccenture/call center plan and to rescind the layoff notices for HHSC employees. It goes on to note that Texas faces a severe funding crunch, and that the state should not throw good moneyafter bad by continuing to fund the call center plan or the Accenture contract. The letter continues: "In light of all these issues, we ask you to consider the following proposal to rebuild a community-based system that works and does not waste tax dollars on broken contractual promises. We ask you to cancel the contract with Accenture for non-performance and commit the remaining resources to rebuild the human services eligibility system that, as little as two years ago, was among the best in the country. In addition, we ask you to consider demanding thatAccenture return some of the payments for which Texas has not received the products and/or services as promised."
The legislators who signed the letter (in order as they appear on the letter):
Rep. Pat Haggerty (R) El Paso
Rep.Elliott Naishtat (D) Austin
Rep. Dawnna Dukes (D) Austin
Rep. Rick Hardcastle ( R) Vernon;
Rep. Charlie Geren (R) Fort Worth
Rep. Tony Goolsby ( R) Dallas
Rep. Mike "Tuffy" Hamilton ( R) Mauriceville
Rep. Yvonne Gonzalez Toureilles (D) Alice
Rep. Jim Dunnam (D) Waco
Rep. Brian McCall ( R) Plano
Rep. Toby Goodman ( R) Arlington
Rep. Bryan Hughes ( R) Marshall
Rep. Joe Pickett (D) El Paso
Rep. Delwin Jones ( R) Lubbock
Rep. Robert Puente (D) San Antonio
Rep. Tracy King (D) Eagle Pass
Rep. Bob Griggs ( R) North Richland Hills
Rep. Pete Gallego (D) Alpine
Rep. Rafael Anchia (D) Dallas
Rep. Carter Casteel (R) New Braunfels
Rep. David Farabee (D) Wichita Falls
Rep. Hubert Vo (D) Houston
Rep. Garnet Coleman (D) Houston
Rep. Chuck Hopson (D) Jacksonville
Rep. Craig Eiland (D) Galveston
Rep. Bob Hunter ( R) Abilene
Rep. Allan Ritter (D) Nederland
Rep. Roberto Alonzo (D) Dallas
Rep. Mark Homer (D) Paris
Rep. Donna Howard (D) Austin
Rep. Ruth Jones McClendon (D) San Antonio
Rep. Juan Escobar (D) KIngsville
Rep. Richard Raymond (D) Laredo
Rep. Marc Veasey (D) Fort Worth
Rep. Rick Noriega (D) Houston
Rep. Stephen Frost (D) Atlanta
Rep. Jim McReynolds (D) Lufkin
Rep. Armando Martinez (D) Weslaco
Rep. Senfronia Thompson (D) Houston
Rep. Eddie Rodriguez (D) Austin
Rep. Lon Burnam (D) Fort Worth
Rep. Dora Olivo (D) Houston
Rep. David Leibowitz (D) San Antonio
Rep. Scott Hochberg (D) Houston
Rep. Norma Chavez (D) El Paso
Rep. Ana Hernandez (D) Houston
Rep. Ryan Guillen (D) San Diego
Rep. Alma Allen (D) Houston
Rep. Jessica Farrar (D) Houston
Rep. Mike Villarreall (D) San Antonio
Rep. Yvonne Davis (D) Dallas
Rep. Abel Herrero (D) Corpus Christi
Rep. Aaron Pe a (D) Edinburg
Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer (D) San Antonio
Rep. Terry Hodge (D) Dallas
Rep. Jose Menendez (D) San Antonio
Rep. Joaquin Castro (D) San Antonio
Rep. Paul Moreno (D) El Paso
Rep. Joe Deshotel (D) Port Arthur
Rep. Chente Quintanilla (D) El Paso
30 LEGISLATORS SIGN TO SUPPORT ACCENTURE & CALL CENTER PLAN
After the release of the letter initiated by Rep. Haggerty, Rep. John Davis ( R Houston)pulled together 30 legislators, all Republicans, to sign a letter supporting the discredited callcenter plan and the contract with Bermuda-based Accenture. The letter claims that the call center system "provides Texans with new channels ofaccess," and that it "has handled more than 2.8 million phone calls" and "processed more than 6.8 million documents and mailed more than 1.5 million pieces of correspondence." The letter does not address the plummeting number of Texans who successfully navigate the system and begin to receive benefits or the 12,000-case backlog that has been transferred from the callcenters to state employees. It does concede that "the new system has experienced challenges." (Experienced challenges? Wow, is that what they tell clients in their area that call their office for help in navigating the system? "oh, I'm sorry Jane Doe- I realize you have no money to feed your kids, you must understand that the new system is simply 'experiencing challenges' and unfortunately, you will just have to wait until these problems are worked out-school will be starting soon, and your kids can at least get two meals there!"
Signers of the letter supporting the Accenture contract:
John Davis ( R -Houston)
Jim Pitts ( R -Waxahachie)
Suzanna Gratia Hupp ( R -Lampassas)
Warren Chissum ( R -Pampa)
David Swinford ( R -Amarillo)
Beverly Wooley ( R -Houston)
Dan Gattis ( R -Georgetown)
Robert Talton ( R -Pasadena)
Ruben Hope Jr. ( R -Conroe)
Fred Brown ( R -Bryan)
Bill Callegari ( R -Houston)
Bill Keffer ( R -Dallas)
Joe Nixon ( R -Houston)
Jerry Madden ( R -Plano)
Buddy West ( R -Odessa)
Ken Paxton ( R -McKinney)
Rob Eisler ( R -The Woodlands)
Jim Jackson ( R -Carrollton)
Betty Brown ( R -Athens)
Bill Zedler ( R -Arlington)
Larry Taylor ( R -League City)
Leo Berman ( R -Tyler)
Corbin Van Arsdale ( R -Houston)
Debbie Riddle ( R -Houston)
Linda Harper-Brown ( R -Irving)
Mary Denny ( R -Flower Mound)
Glenda Dawson ( R -Pearland)
Jodie Laudenberg ( R -Rockwall)
Joe Driver ( R -Garland)
Valerie Corte ( R -San Antonio, temporary for Frank Corte)
**Blogger's Note: I encourage everyone to call or write your local representative and Thank them for their support (if they signed the letter) and if they signed the letter supporting Accenture, I encourage you to ask your representative to explain why they continue to support a failing system that hurts the poor in the State of Texas and is going to cost the taxpayers of Texas far more than necessary.
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
Retention Bonuses and other misc ramblings...
**For those of you who have not yet checked, your bonus "paycheck stub" is showing up on AccessHR- and should be in your bank account tomorrow.......
**In other HHSC office news- for those of you who are in an office that does not have security, are you finding that it is increasingly becoming necessary due to all the changes that have come about?
I know that in our local office, we do not have security- but we have had many instances of IRATE clients come in and I feel that it's a matter of time before something happens.
We are doing all we can, and while I certainly see the problems from the standpoint of the clients- what more can we do? I mean, we cannot help it that an appointment is taking up to 3-4 weeks to get. If we COULD see the clients any faster, we WOULD.
Client complaints are increasing and what do you do? Work til 9 and do the impossible, then the expectation is set?
That's the problem see- the "Powers that Be" say "get it done" and if we do, then they figure that there is no problem and if there is one, then the problem is in the local office and not the overall procedures.
**Faxing pending information to TAA is an everyday all day duty- and now we are having clients come BACK into the local offices screaming at US that WE never did it- because when they call to check the status of their case, they are told WE never sent it. However, we keep copies of everything faxed and the confirmation- so we have to dig through stacks and stacks of papers just to prove to the clients that we did in fact send the information and the information they are given by TAA is incorrect. Imagine being stuck in that loop while waiting on help to feed your kids or pay your rent........
This was supposed to be easier? For who? The clients? Hardly.
**As far as money savings, where is that? Because any savings that they THOUGHT they would see is going into overtime, hotel bills, food bills, and mileage for all the workers statewide that are being sent to the call centers, and to other local offices across the state that have dwindled to NOTHING and need help desperately. Guess what happens to the office that the worker was sent out of? It is now short a worker.
**I would have never, in my 15 years of state employment, would have ever dreamed that the offices would be in this condition. As it stands- even if all this was stopped and done away with- it would STILL take 2-3 years (if not more) to get the local offices back on track. How sad.
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Friday, July 07, 2006
Posting
Sorry for not being around....work has been, well- crazy- and I've worked late everyday- by the time I get home, I'm beat.
The speeding implosion of local offices continues to spiral down faster than we thought it would. Just a month ago, we were still holding on and "ok". Now? We have stacks and stacks of applications that need to be scheduled, and more coming in faster than we can take them. What is also happening are workers are so stressed and overburdened that they just call in sick sporadically. Usually this happens when they are scheduled a full load for that day- and everyone else is to. So you know what happens to those applications? Well, they can't be worked in because there is nowhere to put them. So they go back to that worker to deal with when they come back to work. Meanwhile, clients are calling wanting to know why they haven't been called for their appointments. Front line staff are the ones bearing the brunt of the frustration that clients have. I don't blame the clients at all. I mean, at this point they are waiting anywhere from 3-4 weeks to get an appointment, and then no one is there to see them? It just goes round and round and makes it worse and worse. With or without a permanent placement in the "new system" virtually employees are seeking work somewhere else. What will become of our offices if we lose another 50% of the staff we have left? 75%?
Changes aren't being entered timely, or worked timely. Timeliness is falling off the charts in every area of what we do. Yet, we still will get emails from 'those up above' telling us that the problem with timeliness is not acceptable and something must be done. But what, exactly- can be done?
What the public has to realize is that the worse the system gets in Texas, the more likely Texas will be sanctioned by the Feds. Sanctions not only mean loss of funding from FNS, but it also means fines to be paid TO FNS. I'm talking MILLIONS of dollars that the State of Texas will have to pay out of their funds for this mass chaos occuring.
How bad will this get? I can totally see this fiasco being another reason to bring a State Income Tax to Texans.
Rumor also has it that HHSC is not being completely cooperative with records requests that have been made by the Comptroller's office. Rather than full disclosure, it's been said that pieces are sent, little by little. Could it be that the Powers that Be are hoping that nothing comes of the audit until AFTER the elections in the Fall?
THE SYSTEM IS IMPLODING. THE POOR IN TEXAS ARE BEARING THE BRUNT OF THIS COMPLETE AND TOTAL FAILURE. THE EMPLOYEES WHO HAVE SERVED THE STATE OF TEXAS FOR MANY MANY YEARS ARE BEARING THE BRUNT OF THIS FAILURE. FAMILIES ARE GOING WITHOUT ADEQUATE FOOD AND MEDICAL HELP. FAMILIES ARE UNABLE TO PAY THEIR RENT AND UTILITIES.
The speeding implosion of local offices continues to spiral down faster than we thought it would. Just a month ago, we were still holding on and "ok". Now? We have stacks and stacks of applications that need to be scheduled, and more coming in faster than we can take them. What is also happening are workers are so stressed and overburdened that they just call in sick sporadically. Usually this happens when they are scheduled a full load for that day- and everyone else is to. So you know what happens to those applications? Well, they can't be worked in because there is nowhere to put them. So they go back to that worker to deal with when they come back to work. Meanwhile, clients are calling wanting to know why they haven't been called for their appointments. Front line staff are the ones bearing the brunt of the frustration that clients have. I don't blame the clients at all. I mean, at this point they are waiting anywhere from 3-4 weeks to get an appointment, and then no one is there to see them? It just goes round and round and makes it worse and worse. With or without a permanent placement in the "new system" virtually employees are seeking work somewhere else. What will become of our offices if we lose another 50% of the staff we have left? 75%?
Changes aren't being entered timely, or worked timely. Timeliness is falling off the charts in every area of what we do. Yet, we still will get emails from 'those up above' telling us that the problem with timeliness is not acceptable and something must be done. But what, exactly- can be done?
What the public has to realize is that the worse the system gets in Texas, the more likely Texas will be sanctioned by the Feds. Sanctions not only mean loss of funding from FNS, but it also means fines to be paid TO FNS. I'm talking MILLIONS of dollars that the State of Texas will have to pay out of their funds for this mass chaos occuring.
How bad will this get? I can totally see this fiasco being another reason to bring a State Income Tax to Texans.
Rumor also has it that HHSC is not being completely cooperative with records requests that have been made by the Comptroller's office. Rather than full disclosure, it's been said that pieces are sent, little by little. Could it be that the Powers that Be are hoping that nothing comes of the audit until AFTER the elections in the Fall?
THE SYSTEM IS IMPLODING. THE POOR IN TEXAS ARE BEARING THE BRUNT OF THIS COMPLETE AND TOTAL FAILURE. THE EMPLOYEES WHO HAVE SERVED THE STATE OF TEXAS FOR MANY MANY YEARS ARE BEARING THE BRUNT OF THIS FAILURE. FAMILIES ARE GOING WITHOUT ADEQUATE FOOD AND MEDICAL HELP. FAMILIES ARE UNABLE TO PAY THEIR RENT AND UTILITIES.
Indiana Caseworker Comment! Welcome to those readers/workers from other states!
Indiana Caseworker: Caseloads running around 400 in our office. Lots of pressure from management now. After working more than 25 years I have accumulated around 100 vacation days but as you said, if you use them you just get that much more behind. I will probably lose most of them when we privatize. Privatization was to start July 1 but has now been delayed a few months. Thanks for this website as I have been very interested in what is happening elsewhere. Accenture is one of two companies bidding for eligibility jobs. We are working under pressure of some court orders on timeliness of medicaid disability applications that is a tracking nightmare but it has speeded up processing. We are losing employees that aren't being replaced. With training it takes a good year to get someone fairly independent and up to a full caseload if they survive that long.No overtime allowed here and the bargaining agreement was thrown out with the change in governor last year so the union has no power. The caseworkers who have TANF and FS Impact(work program) have much lower caseloads and higher pay in our office. Child Protection has now been totally separated from eligibility.
Thursday, July 06, 2006
Comments from Kansas......
Checking in from another state. Same situation here in Kansas. They're referring to it some "leadership" circles as a "high performance environment". The people purportedly running the show have no clue what it takes to process a case.We've been put in "IST's" or Integrated Service Teams where we are now co-located with the Child Support worker and a social worker. The social workers were recently "upgraded" some 3 pay levels and are making, easily, $5,000.00 more per year than those of us who process TANF, Child Care, Medical, etc. benefits and case manage. I have no clue why.
The great thing about the IST is the fact we get to see how little the social workers actually do, aside from plugging in headphones and using the CD-rom on their computers to listen to music: they're seldom on the phone; no longer are responsible for foster care case mgmt., and maybe have a handful of investigations. I grant you it may be different in larger offices; but then so is the cash and foodstamp environment in those larger offices: They're like war zones with "customers" who scream the loudest getting the most "services".
Rather than focusing on those TANF clients who want to get a job, this state spends most of it's time with those who do not and do whatever they can to avoid "mandatory" job search matters. Everyone is so afraid of being reported to the "customer service" unit (who don't do diddly from what can be seen from the battle ground) that the proverbial squeaky wheel gets all the attention while others simply wait.Top the above with the fact that one entire section of the state was caught manipulating application dates in the computer system to force timeliness on FS applications (when they were processed and were to be untimely, the application date was changed in the computer data base to make it appear as timely). 100% of the randomly pulled cases had had their app dates falsified.
And another:
It is not possible to work more than 40 hours per week in this state, Kansas, irrespective of how many applications or reviews one has. If you don't get it done in your 40 hour work week, you're in the cross hairs of those who make the big money and give themselves all pats on the back annual pay hikes. Kansas is in a "high performance" environment. People sink or swim and more and more are sinking. Case assignment is in constant flux as people quit or are released. There is no union to speak of in Kansas given this is a right to work state. Training? New staff have a "performance improvement" staff member "sit" with them for a bit of time, and then the case load is turned over to the new hire. I don't know about Texas, but in Kansas it takes upwards of two years to know what you're sort of doing. Kansas is essentially "generic" in that staff process TANF, FS, childcare, healthcare, work programs.
Staff do the intake and work the case from that point forward It is impossible to use annual leave because if one does, the toll of backed up work negates the vacation: It's there waiting for you when you get back...nobody is assigned diddly boo except the most "urgent" of matters (read that as a "consumer" who has screamed the most....). It's gotten so bad that staff actually have to lose vacation time at the close of the state's fiscal year given they've accumulated all the state will allow. One upper management practice has been to have case application dates changed in the computer data base to avoid untimely processing stats to be worse than they already are. The USDA regional office has been noticed about the practice and thus far they've essentially shrugged their shoulders and said "They've said they won't do that anymore...". The embraced practice and documentation of same has just today been forwarded to USDA FNS staff in Washington. Think they'll care anymore than Kansas' regional office?
The great thing about the IST is the fact we get to see how little the social workers actually do, aside from plugging in headphones and using the CD-rom on their computers to listen to music: they're seldom on the phone; no longer are responsible for foster care case mgmt., and maybe have a handful of investigations. I grant you it may be different in larger offices; but then so is the cash and foodstamp environment in those larger offices: They're like war zones with "customers" who scream the loudest getting the most "services".
Rather than focusing on those TANF clients who want to get a job, this state spends most of it's time with those who do not and do whatever they can to avoid "mandatory" job search matters. Everyone is so afraid of being reported to the "customer service" unit (who don't do diddly from what can be seen from the battle ground) that the proverbial squeaky wheel gets all the attention while others simply wait.Top the above with the fact that one entire section of the state was caught manipulating application dates in the computer system to force timeliness on FS applications (when they were processed and were to be untimely, the application date was changed in the computer data base to make it appear as timely). 100% of the randomly pulled cases had had their app dates falsified.
And another:
It is not possible to work more than 40 hours per week in this state, Kansas, irrespective of how many applications or reviews one has. If you don't get it done in your 40 hour work week, you're in the cross hairs of those who make the big money and give themselves all pats on the back annual pay hikes. Kansas is in a "high performance" environment. People sink or swim and more and more are sinking. Case assignment is in constant flux as people quit or are released. There is no union to speak of in Kansas given this is a right to work state. Training? New staff have a "performance improvement" staff member "sit" with them for a bit of time, and then the case load is turned over to the new hire. I don't know about Texas, but in Kansas it takes upwards of two years to know what you're sort of doing. Kansas is essentially "generic" in that staff process TANF, FS, childcare, healthcare, work programs.
Staff do the intake and work the case from that point forward It is impossible to use annual leave because if one does, the toll of backed up work negates the vacation: It's there waiting for you when you get back...nobody is assigned diddly boo except the most "urgent" of matters (read that as a "consumer" who has screamed the most....). It's gotten so bad that staff actually have to lose vacation time at the close of the state's fiscal year given they've accumulated all the state will allow. One upper management practice has been to have case application dates changed in the computer data base to avoid untimely processing stats to be worse than they already are. The USDA regional office has been noticed about the practice and thus far they've essentially shrugged their shoulders and said "They've said they won't do that anymore...". The embraced practice and documentation of same has just today been forwarded to USDA FNS staff in Washington. Think they'll care anymore than Kansas' regional office?
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