Economic Self-Sufficiency Services July 16, 2001

Mission: To Promote Self-Sufficiency s Vision To provide community-based, client centered, and technology supported client services that support capacities of self-sufficiency for protection of the most vulnerable through integrated partnerships with internal and external programs, with local and statewide oversight, accountability and monitoring provided through minimally-sized staffing while seeking to standardize program operations, simplify program policies and deploy flexibility in implementation of federal and state rules and regulations.

Core Services n Comprehensive Eligibility Determination –Process of determining an assistance groups technical, asset and income eligibility and calculating benefits. < Food Stamps: –average monthly caseload statewide: 423,007 < Cash Assistance –average monthly caseload statewide: 61,702 < Medicaid –average monthly clients statewide: 1,246,881

Core Services n Special Assistance Payments –Cash assistance programs for the aged, blind, or disabled who can no longer live alone and who need placement in an alternative setting < Optional State Supplementation –average ;monthly caseload statewide: 9,375 n Refugee Assistance (RAP) –Cash and medical assistance for eligible refugees. < average monthly caseload statewide: 2,334

Major Initiatives n Competency Based Pay Plan Bonus Rollout –Effort to attain a competently certified statewide workforce –Employee bonus pay component based totally upon performance –Has component of professional training and continuous development –Objective: To achieve improved client services, improved program performance, increase retention and recruitment of quality staff, produce better trained professional staff n Community Based Care/Privatization Expansion –Effort to privatize eligibility services and provide through community based resources –Department will assume more contract oversight and monitoring roles –Objective: To deliver eligibility services via a community based model and reduce staffing requirements

Major Initiatives n Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Reauthorization –Effort to encourage federal reauthorization of TANF program and funding –TANF provides approximately $1-billion of Social Services funding for the State of Florida –Objective: To encourage state flexibilities in TANF program requirements, maintain and even enhance state funding level n Technology Enhancements –Efforts to automate more program requirements and enhance technology applications –Web-enabled FLORIDA System technology will allow provider access to authorized information and client interactive eligibility services –Objective: To increase program integrity and efficiency, reduce exposure to state sanctions and penalties for program errors, reduce requirement for manual tasks and error prone activities and reduce staffing requirements