Case Management: Making VACMS Work For You This presentation is to highlight case management activities that can be utilized within VaCMS as well as those activities that have been utilized throughout eligibility prior to the implementation of VACMS. VaCMS is the case management system for Virginia and has various tools built within itself to assist workers with many facets of eligibility, many of which are still under utilized. Case Management: Making VACMS Work For You Monica Moore and Morningstar Misa VDSS Benefit Program Trainers Spring BPRO May 2019

Agenda: Case management Finishing Touches Reports Handling Changes This presentation is designed to teach you how to utilize VACMS to ensure successful case management and help organize your office. Agenda: Case management Reports Scheduling Documentation DMIS Finishing Touches Handling Changes Organization Wrap Up/Q&A

What does case management mean to you? Question is presented to audience to facilitate and encourage discussion as well as provide additional information that may not have been covered within the presentation itself. What does case management mean to you?

Case Management “Case management is a collaborative process that assesses, plans, implements, coordinates, monitors and evaluates the options and services required to meet the client’s human services needs. It is characterized by advocacy, communication, and resource management and promotes quality and cost-effective interventions and outcomes.”

Skills Needed Responsibility Organization Delegation Time management Commitment Knowledge Resourcefulness Collaborating Decision-making Highlight the many skills needed to be an organized, proficient and knowledgeable Eligibility Worker.

Caseload Management Tools Are you using the tools available in VaCMS and other systems as well as you could? There are a lot of tools at your disposal that perhaps you could be using more fully to help manage your caseload.

Reports How can reports help you manage your caseload? We will review a number of reports that are available, and how they can help you manage your caseload, or that can assist supervisors in assigning caseloads appropriately. Question is presented to audience to facilitate and encourage discussion as well as provide additional information that may not have been covered within the presentation itself. How can reports help you manage your caseload?

Reports Data Warehouse and FUSION MMIS: Monthly Renewals Due and Overdue Locality Active Enrollment Enrollee Eligibility Birth Date System Cancellation Reports VaCMS: MA Applications Processing Report Clients by Benefit Services Dashboards (MA, SNAP, and TANF) MA: Application Metric Report MA Management Reports: Patient Pay Reports SNAP: Participation Report APPTRACK Report in the Web Based System Generic: Performance Indicators Monthly Reports (PIMR) These are some of the reports that are available in Data Warehouse and FUSION.

Reports: VaCMS TANF TANF/VIEW Clock Active TANF VIEW Cases with No Open VIEW Supplement SNAP Interims Due Claims Data SNAP ABAWD Statistics SNAPET Registrant Supporting Mass Change APPTRACK EAP Pending By Component Unpaid By Component MA Ex Parte Automated Run Generic Renewal Status Pending Point in Time DMIS Case/Alpha Listing Reports: VaCMS Utilize the VaCMS Caseload Management Reporting Tools Guide found on the Fusion Page

Reporting Tools Guide on FUSION Quick Links VaCMS Learn More Is your agency using the Scheduler in VaCMS for anything besides renewals? Do you keep a separate calendar within G Suite or Outlook? Consider integrating your processes to avoid the need for separate scheduling systems.

Scheduling What does scheduling mean to you? Question is presented to audience to facilitate and encourage discussion as well as provide additional information that may not have been covered within the presentation itself. What does scheduling mean to you?

Scheduling Scheduling occurs daily, weekly, monthly, and sometimes even more infrequently Different tasks may be required at different intervals Daily should not only include interviews to be completed but scheduling other activities to allow for caseload management Such as: reports, processing changes, handling infrequent tasks such as training, unit meetings and time off Utilize the Benefit Programs Calendar sent out monthly and coordinate it with your other scheduling methods (Google or Outlook) Q&A/ sharing suggestions. For workers that are using G Suite, there is a page in FUSION dedicated to how to use Google’s G Suite. It contains a lot more than just how to organize your email!

Scheduling: Daily Daily scheduling should include things in addition to processing, such as pulling voicemail and returning calls and emails Scheduling monthly and weekly tasks helps determine your daily schedule In the morning, review your daily schedule and organize for the day In the afternoon, see how far you’ve gotten in your daily schedule and shift the weekly schedule as needed In the evening review the next day’s schedule to be prepared Make sure to schedule breaks/lunch Make a checklist if it is helpful In addition to weekly and monthly scheduling, you should always schedule your daily work but be mindful that your schedule could change in a moments notice and we should be flexible while still keeping our many deadlines in our minds.

Scheduling: Monthly and Weekly Set up interviews and regularly scheduled meetings Look at tasks due not only in the next month but two months ahead Take into account your leave and teammates’ leave Eventually these will show annual trends to note for upcoming years Review actions needed (processing deadlines, meetings, number of appointments and open spots Review multiple times to see if scheduling needs to be adjusted Schedule cutoff and system downtime as they occur Note items such as expedites, PG Women, APPTRACK updates and renewal processing In addition to weekly and monthly scheduling, you should always schedule your daily work but be mindful that your schedule could change in a moments notice and we should be flexible while still keeping our many deadlines in our minds.

Using the Scheduler in VaCMS

Documentation What story should your case tell? Question is presented to audience to facilitate and encourage discussion as well as provide additional information that may not have been covered within the presentation itself. What story should your case tell?

Documentation Documentation supports the eligibility determination made by the eligibility worker. Documentation must be clear, concise and to the point. There must be enough information so that any third party reviewer can determine the reason, logic, and accuracy of the worker's decisions and actions. Examples of actions required to be documented: Approval or denial of benefits including the denial reason Changes reported by the client which result in an increase or decrease of benefits. Discrepancies between information reported on the application and entered in VaCMS The inclusion or exclusion of information and why Change in household composition Significant client contacts (concerns or complaints from the client) Don’t forget to utilize the guide that is available on the Fusion page. You may also try to develop a template to help you remember all of the important areas that you must be documenting. This will also help save time and reduce the amount of typing that may nee to occur in your documentation.

Documentation in VaCMS Does not have to only occur at the end of the case action Such as: phone calls as they occur and any other client contact, communication between Eligibility and Service workers Allows for anyone to pick up the case and know where you left off if you called out sick or they are completing the IR or renewal on your intake Include things such as if an application was associated to a case, the action you are taking and any follow up needed Helps to facilitate agency transfers to communicate to new eligibility or service workers Avoid duplicate documentation (such as paper evaluations) Documentation standards are listed per program and on the multi-program guide posted on the FUSION page Is your agency still doing paper evaluations and documentation in addition to doing it in the system? Are you doing interactive interviews for SNAP/TANF? VaCMS is designed to be used without the need for separate questionnaires, printed applications, etc. If you are not a supervisor or decision-maker on this process, talk to your supervisor about the necessity of this and be prepared to make suggestions for implementation of an electronic process.

Documentation Guide on FUSION Quick Links VaCMS Learn More

Do you utilize your paperless case filing system? DMIS Question is presented to audience to facilitate and encourage discussion as well as provide additional information that may not have been covered within the presentation itself. Do you utilize your paperless case filing system?

DMIS as part of the case record Customers can upload documents through CommonHelp to review before sending a checklist Uploading documents keeps paper files to a minimum Allows for seamless transfer of cases between agencies Workers may upload documents received from customers in electronic formats Prevents loss of verifications Keeps work area clear and organized DMIS standards are on FUSION Are you encouraging clients to send you verifications electronically? Electronic documents—even photos sent by text—received through a secure email server may then be uploaded directly into DMIS by the worker.

Using Manually Generated Forms Forms/correspondence created in VaCMS become a permanent part of Forms History Prevents the need for forms to be scanned into DMIS

Finishing Touches Question is presented to audience to facilitate and encourage discussion as well as provide additional information that may not have been covered within the presentation itself. What additional steps do you take to ensure your cases are complete?

Finishing Touches: Tasks/Reminders System generated according to policy rules Reminds you of important tasks that must be completed on cases at certain intervals 60 Days Postpartum Child turning 1, 6 or 18 years old Should be checked daily and cleared out regularly Can be used like a to-do list Can be set up manually to remind yourself of future actions that need to occur based on reported changes or other information

Finishing Touches: Other Steps Verify the correct information went over to other systems: EPPIC MMIS Verify all correspondence has generated correctly: Checklists and notices Do you need to locally print and add additional information? Do you need to suppress any correspondence? Was the case overdue or will the case show on APPTRACK? Other ideas: Do as much as you can electronically to avoid duplicate processes Subscribe to FUSION Broadcasts to know when there are delays/issues with VaCMS or other systems Subscribe to the appropriate ListServ distribution lists for the programs you serve

How does case management change when you process case changes or experience change in your agency? Handling Change Question is presented to audience to facilitate and encourage discussion as well as provide additional information that may not have been covered within the presentation itself. Over the past 5 years, VDSS and local agencies have experienced tremendous amounts of change. These changes help us grow in many ways. How have you or your agency grown since the implementation of VaCMS? Since MAGI policy and the Affordable Care Act were implemented? Since the shut down of ADAPT and the MMIS ‘back door’?

Reported Changes Are customers truly aware of change reporting requirements? Could be addressed during interview and/or on Notice of Action Changes reported by other Agency staff Such as CPS, Foster Care and Child Care Certain changes can require additional follow up Such as: decrease in income causing increase in benefit and requesting pay verification if needed When reporting a change of address Offering Voter Registration and asking about shelter expenses Encourage clients to report changes through CommonHelp Check the changes and renewals inbox in My Workspace daily It’s reported that there are still a number of issues with agencies not checking for changes in My Workspace and acting on them timely. Make sure someone in the agency is checking this daily.

Adapting to Change Be flexible and know that your day could change If your daily schedule is leading to stress, look at adapting your weekly and/or monthly schedule Benefit years tend to be cyclical; make note of busier months and less busy months to be prepared Look for opportunities outside of the agency for training Ask for refresher training when needed Find reasons to celebrate your personal and team successes

Using Announcements in VaCMS Workers with the proper security role may create announcements These may be viewed on the Dashboard of workers agency-wide to facilitate agency communication This is an underused feature of VaCMS. Check with your LSO to find out who has the proper security roles to maintain Announcements.

What resources do you have to keep you organized? Organization Question is presented to audience to facilitate and encourage discussion as well as provide additional information that may not have been covered within the presentation itself. What resources do you have to keep you organized?

Organization Organization can mean organizing your time as well as your physical space Reports help to organize your workflow Scheduling helps to keep your time organized Tasks/Reminders help organize important tasks DMIS helps organize paperwork and files Work organization into your schedule so you can refresh and clean up your space on a regular basis Such as: always clean your work space at the end of each day and set up your work space for the next day’s activities Organize for absence; helps for scheduled and unscheduled absences Also assists your co-workers to follow your casework in your absence

Q&A/Wrap - Up You’ve made it! Don’t be afraid to ask Find a mentor Be sure to take time for yourself during the day Leave work at work