AB 1331: Status of Implementation March 11, 2010 Presentation to the Children’s Committee of CWDA Contact Hannah Haley, Policy Intern, John Burton Foundation (415) SSITransitions.org

Who Participated? 37 counties (64%) responded to the survey 6 counties participated in phone interviews Several counties responded to requests for additional information via phone and . Ranged in caseload size from smallest to largest. Responding counties’ represented 55,696 of 59, 586 children in care (July 2009); 93.4% of caseload. Well distributed geographically, with slightly fewer far Northern CA counties reporting. 62% of all responses from small counties (fewer than 1000 in caseload) Every county with a caseload greater than 1000 responded. 14 responses (38%) by representatives of counties with populations smaller than 250,000.

Findings Most Counties are at the “Intermediate” Stage of Implementation 59.5% Intermediate 21.6% Beginner 18.9% Expert Two-Thirds of Counties Have an SSA Liaison 67.5% of counties use an SSA Liaison 45.9% task their SSA Liaison with being available to Social Workers and coordinating with SSA

Findings Specialized Unit/Individual, Outside Contractor or Other In-House Process 58.3% Specialized unit/individual 22.2% Outside Contractor 19.4% “Don’t Know” ** ** Upon follow up with 6 of 10 “don’t know” counties, discovered that many counties manage the process “in-house” but don’t give the task to a single person or unit. Reason was often size of county, availability of funding, or historical process of applying for SSI for other youth. May fall to individual social worker, or in some counties was handled by mental health counselor or ILP counselor. 70.3% In-House 21.6% Outside Contractor 8.1% Don’t Know/ Didn’t respond (3 counties)

Findings Strength of the Relationship with SSA 54.1% “Average” Relationship: “We have a working relationship, meet periodically and have a general understanding of each agency’s respective programs.” 24.3% “Strong” Relationship: “We have a close collaborative relationship, meet regularly and have a shared understanding of each others’ respective programs.” 21.6% “Weak” Relationship: “The relationship is a source of frustration to our agency with no identified process to address issues that arise” Caveats to strength of relationship in comments section Interviews: Close collaborative relationship with SSA, outside contractor, and/or other key parties (including caretakers and teens) is key to implementation. One county representative re: relationship with OC: “the working relationship has been the most significant feature that makes this work.”

Findings Time to Determination SSA reports their overall time to process initial applications as 101 days. CA county average: 155 days; only 31% of counties see wait of less than 101 days. Weighted for caseload size: 216 days; 7% of caseload see wait of less than 101 days. 45% of caseload: wait of 273 days (9 months)

Findings Applications Approved SSA ultimately grants benefits to 36.9% of child applicants nationally. PCG reports SSA approves 72% of their initial applications. In interview, cites working relationship as cause of higher rate. CA counties report average of 73%; becomes 62% when weighted. Limitations to data: 51% response rate; 71% of caseload; estimates; county not notified of every approval.

Findings Screening Time Frame Presents a Challenge to Counties In interviews, some counties expressed frustration with screening time frame of Underscores importance of relationship with SSA and knowledge of their timing Law states counties must screen, not apply: tickle until later, treat each case individually

Findings Budget cuts affected SSI capacity In interviews, lack of funding came up as an obstacle to implementation. May force prioritization of AB 1331 cases over other children and youth until filing capacity is met. Prevents or ends use of outside contractors.

Findings Counties want more training 78% of responding counties indicated they want additional training; many provided an idea of what kind of training they want. Technology plays an important role in successful management of SSI process Updated technology ensures “ticklers” don’t get lost, outcome data can be tracked. SSA’s online application system is a good first step, but not very usable when information must be collected from various sources; has made appeals process smoother.

SSA Liaisons and the Relationship with SSA Strong relationships with SSA are associated with expertise Having an SSA Liaison is related to stage of implementation Using an SSA Liaison contributes to the relationship with SSA

County Size No large counties (caseload greater than 1000) called themselves “Beginners”: 61.5% “Intermediate,” and 38.5% “Expert” – Larger caseload means more opportunity to gain experience Most large counties have “Strong” relationships with their local SSA (53.8%) Small counties are gaining expertise and building relationships with SSA, too. More likely to be “Intermediate” than “Beginner,” and more likely to have “Average” relationships than “Weak” ones.

Outside Contractors Counties Using Outside Contractors tend to fare better on every element of implementation: 100% have designated SSA liaison 50% have a “strong” relationship with SSA; 0% have a “weak” one Why?: Outside contractors have lots of experience and already have very strong, collaborative relationships built up with SSA.

Implications Support knowledge sharing and build expertise within counties to properly time applications. Strengthen the relationship with SSA to improve applications and respond to problems effectively. Use an outside contractor to improve every aspect of implementation. Collaboration and resource sharing among small counties will improve implementation.

Implications Budget cuts present a challenge to strong implementation. Provide a centralized site for resources and information sharing. (SSITransitions.org) AB 1331 is still the best strategy for insuring California’s disabled foster youth “age out” with SSI benefits in place.** SSA will be better equipped to handle applications from foster youth with better understanding of Child Welfare.