FOOD STAMP NEGATIVE CASE ACTION 4/5/2017 This should be a bright alert recognizing page to show the importance of the booklet or screen FOOD STAMP NEGATIVE CASE ACTION Error Rate Reduction Campaign

Message from Philip L. Browning, Director 4/5/2017 Message from Philip L. Browning, Director As a Department, we have achieved great success in reducing our Active Food Stamp (FS) Error Rate. We are now faced with another challenge and that is to lower our FS Negative Case Action Error Rate. The FS Negative Case Action error rate results from erroneously withdrawing, denying and terminating FS cases. The FS Negative Case Action error rate for Los Angeles County for FFY 2007 was 17.05% and it is projected that the Negative Case Action error rate for FFY 2008 will once again be high. Our goal for FFY 2009 is to reduce the FS Negative Case Action error rate to below 8%. To achieve this goal, the FS Negative Case Action Campaign was developed to increase staff awareness of the importance of accurately determining FS eligibility and correctly processing withdrawals, denials and terminations in a timely manner. I am confident with your ongoing support and commitment, we will accomplish the goal of achieving a FS Negative Error Rate goal of 8% or less. Thank you for all that you do each day to make a difference and enrich the lives of the citizens of Los Angeles County. This message is too long for a PP presentation Leave all wording. Trainer could read highlights, If worker wants to read will they have flyer? Staff needs to be told why it is so important that cases are correct What’s is the purpose of this campaign? Food Stamp Negative Case Action Error Rate (before the last paragraph) Federal no financial sanctions but will receive bonus from federal if we are below the national level Error Rate Reduction Campaign - December 08

What Is A FS Negative Case Action Error? 4/5/2017 What Is A FS Negative Case Action Error? WITHDRAWALS INCORRECT DENIALS TERMINATIONS Use a friendly image Very cute graphic. Should stay in the presentation Change IMPROPER for ERRONEOUS INVALID INCORRECT Given an e.g. of each (in a bullet format) on a separate slide Include when to deny/term or withdraw. Explain what a proper denial, termination or withdrawal is. Include examples of invalid/valid terminations and denials Explain difference in withdrawal and denials specifically “Client request” FS Negative Case Action Error Means… What is Food Stamp Negative Case Action? Define how & why. Be specific in explaining why each of these actions could be erroneous. What IMPROPER means? When is it improper (scenarios) Error Rate Reduction Campaign - December 08

Incorrect FS Negative Case Actions occur when we… Deny the application for a missed interview, but we failed to send a Notice of Missed Interview (NOMI) to the applying household Deny the FS applications prior to the 30th day after the application date without a valid reason Cancel the FS application after the participant has completed and signed the application for FS benefits Fail to sufficiently document in Case Comments, the reasons for the negative actions Error Rate Reduction Campaign - December 08

4/5/2017 Why Do We Care? Inaccurate or improper withdrawals, denials, or terminations may: Contribute to hunger, homelessness, and poor nutrition Prevent individuals and families from receiving the benefits to which they are entitled Compromise integrity of the Food Stamp Program causing Food Stamp Negative Case Action Errors Make it real to staff Add possible consequences e.g. Sanctions, penalties, decrease in funding Contribute to hunger, homelessness, and poor nutrition of Individuals and families This page should include the revenue loss as the BIG PICTURE How does it affect us and the public we serve? Increased error rate above 8% will cause the county money if penalized Error Rate Reduction Campaign - December 08

How Is The Negative Case Action Error Rate Determined? 4/5/2017 How Is The Negative Case Action Error Rate Determined?  Each month withdrawn, denied and terminated Food Stamp cases are audited by the State from a sample selected by the Federal Government.  Based on the State review, a determination is made on whether the actions taken by the County were correct or incorrect.  The Food Stamp Negative Case Action error rate is established by the number of case reviews completed and the number of cases identified in error for a given month. Include samples of correct and incorrect negative case actions Let staff know that if FED’s audit a case and State has cited no error, the error can triple  Federal re-review of a State’s QC negative case action sample is conducted for all States each year to validate State reviews and rank the States in order of accuracy and error rates. Error Rate Reduction Campaign - December 08

How Large was the Sample in 2007? 4/5/2017 How Large was the Sample in 2007? 1082 negative cases were reviewed Statewide 305 negative cases were reviewed in Los Angeles County 777 negative cases were reviewed in all other Counties in California Change colors Add the percentage next to the numbers 1082 negative cases were reviewed in California 777 negative cases were reviewed in the remaining 52 counties in California Highlight the impact of L.A county This is unnecessary – Knowledge of the sample size will not impact in lowering the negative errors Error Rate Reduction Campaign - December 08

4/5/2017 How Are We Doing? State/LA County Goal 8.0% State/County Goal FFY 2008 - Preliminary National average negative case action error rate is 9.37%. * FFY 2008 –Preliminary. October 2007 through July 2008 Error Rate Reduction Campaign - December 08

FFY 2008: What Are Some of The Problem Areas? 4/5/2017 FFY 2008: What Are Some of The Problem Areas? Denials due to erroneous calculations of monthly gross income Denials with no supporting documentation or case comments to substantiate the reason for the denial or withdrawal Denials prior to the end of the 30th day time frame for failure to provide verification Erroneous terminations due to missing NOMI at recertification Cases terminated instead of transferred - This point is not clear – Transfer to where? Show numbers and percentage Improper case comments Erroneous terminations due to sanctions e.g. LEADER is terminating cases due to GROW non-compliances, even when participants are 50 yrs older, sanction is being imposed, which is incorrect) The 3rt point -Denials prior to the end of the 30th day time frame for failure to provide verification- is too general. More explanation of type of error. This statement can be misinterpreted Erroneous terminations due to missing Notice of Missed Interview (NOMI) at Intake There is no information regarding withdrawals Denials/terminations due to applying incorrect policy Incorrect NOA being sent Withdrawals not having withdrawal forms in case file Change order of listing by most important to least Erroneous terminations due to non-eligibility factors (e.g. Cases terminated instead of transferred) Error Rate Reduction Campaign - December 08

How Can We Make A Difference? 4/5/2017 How Can We Make A Difference? Provide a copy of a checklist and explain it how to complete it, Provide AD’s for NOMI denials include NOA’s used for denials/terms

We can make a difference with 4/5/2017 We can make a difference with Departmental Commitment Heightened Staff Awareness Ongoing Staff Training Resource/Reference Tools for Eligibility Staff Improved Participant Education Departmental Corrective Actions Error Rate Reduction Campaign - December 08

1. Departmental Commitment 4/5/2017 1. Departmental Commitment Establish clear expectations Ensure accountability at all levels Encourage open communication Ensure corrective action plans are implemented and monitored Recognize staff for error free negative case actions on a quarterly basis Embolden the last bullet 2. Do this in their yearly evaluations –Save paper and attitude problems between workers Error Rate Reduction Campaign - December 08

2. Heightened Staff Awareness 4/5/2017 2. Heightened Staff Awareness Reinforce the importance of reducing negative case actions at all Departmental HSA/ASM III, BWS District Directors, General Staff Meetings and Unit Meetings. Establish an effective case review process to identify and correct inaccurate or inappropriate negative case actions. Analyze all data available to determine the root causes of incorrect negative actions identified through QC and other sources. Post Department Negative Case Action error rates in all District offices. Reemphasize use of the correct Notice of Action for withdrawals, denials or terminations. Second Appointments, NOMI Too much emphasize on staff meeting benchmark “processing timeliness” and in turn hindering & approvals. Workers are taking shortcuts and creating their own workarounds. Show samples of proper NOA Should detail root causes Error Rate Reduction Campaign - December 08

Food Stamp –Quality Control (Negative) FFY 2008* 4/5/2017 2. Heightened Staff Awareness Food Stamp –Quality Control (Negative) FFY 2008* Error Rate Reduction Campaign - December 08

3. Ongoing Staff Training 4/5/2017 3. Ongoing Staff Training Conduct Supplemental Negative Case Action Training Conduct refresher Case Opening Clerk Training Develop additional training tools: QC Trivia, Quizzes, etc. Policy library –easily accessible to staff and updated periodically LEADER handbook Error Rate Reduction Campaign - December 08

4. Resource/Reference Tools for Eligibility Staff 4/5/2017 4. Resource/Reference Tools for Eligibility Staff Administrative Memorandum # 07-23 Food Stamp Negative Error Rate dated 1/15/08 Anatomy of Negative Case Action Errors Food Stamp Negative Case Action Review Checklist ERP Alert Bulletins Food Stamp Nutrition Planners QC/QA Newsletters Portal Denial and Withdrawal Listings Awareness Flyers Food Stamp Resource Guide CD Best Practices Put down where they can be accessed Error Rate Reduction Campaign - December 08

5. Improved Participant Education 4/5/2017 5. Improved Participant Education Ensure participants are well-informed about timeframes and what they must provide to the Department to verify their eligibility Reinforce use of the Verification Checklist (VCL) on LEADER Reinforce Participant Rights and Responsibilities Business Cards Refrigerator Magnets Flip Charts Rights & R e s p on s i b i l i t i e s Remove the last bullet point- Lobby PowerPoint Ongoing staff training: more time effective way to generate VCL on LEADER Reinforce use of the Verification Checklist (VCL) FROM LEADER Error Rate Reduction Campaign - December 08

6. Departmental Corrective Actions 4/5/2017 6. Departmental Corrective Actions Analyze Negative Case Action Error trends Discuss negative case actions at Departmental and District Corrective Action meetings Reinforcement Training Initiate specific corrective actions Administrative Directives and Memorandums LEADER Change Requests Newsletter articles LEADER enhancements Automated denial for missed interview at the 30th day Drop Down box: “Have You Made Case Comments?” NOMI at recertification (in development) Increase monthly QCM reviews of Negative Actions to 40 cases Monitor results and develop/share corrective actions. Reinforcement Training Manual NOA’s placed in case LEADER Enhancements – Update profiles LEADER not to term or deny F/S due to GROW Non-Cooperation when participant is ABAWD exempt NOA preview for EW’s based on action taken on case. NOA’s are not generated until ES has completed authorization causing erroneous NOA mailed out to participants CCW should not do workarounds to process cases, e.g. Deny in order to rescind just to meet processing deadline Ensure LEADER is mailing failure to provide liquid resources. Clarify withdrawal form to be used and the difference between withdrawal Notice and denial NOA. Also, state which withdrawal form should be used QCM (checklist) What consists of a correct NOA Manual NOA’s included in case QA meetings Error Rate Reduction Campaign - December 08

USE CORRECT NOTICE OF ACTION FOR A WITHDRAWAL, DENIAL OR TERMINATION 4/5/2017 Don’t Forget…  DOCUMENT!  COMMUNICATE!  DOCUMENT!  COMMUNICATE!  DOCUMENT!  COMMUNICATE! USE CORRECT NOTICE OF ACTION FOR A WITHDRAWAL, DENIAL OR TERMINATION Definition of - Correct NOA USE CORRECT NOTICE OF ACTION FOR A DENIAL OR TERMINATION REPLACE: NOA! NOA! NOA! WHEN IN DOUBT: SCREEN FOR APPROVAL, NOT FOR WITHDRAWAL State that withdrawal of application, participant will loose right to appeal. Withdrawal’s are only mentioned in the first screen but nowhere else USE CORRECT NOTICE OF ACTION FOR A DENIAL, TERMINATION and WITHDRAWAL “WHEN IN DOUBT: SCREEN IN, NOT OUT!” Error Rate Reduction Campaign - December 08

Also remember… The only valid reason for a FS application withdrawal is Client Request If an applicant completes and signs an application for FS benefits, the application is not to be cancelled Incomplete case comments are unacceptable and should be avoided The County is required to send a NOMI to households that miss their scheduled intake or recertification interviews Error Rate Reduction Campaign - December 08

DOES NOT REPLACE And Keep In Mind… AUTOMATION DOCUMENTATION 4/5/2017 Error Rate Reduction Campaign - December 08

“TOGETHER, WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE” 4/5/2017 “TOGETHER, WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE” At the end of this presentation should be a summary of the improper denials, terminations, and withdrawals