OTSEGO COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES 2013 ANNUAL REPORT

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1 OTSEGO COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES 2013 ANNUAL REPORT MEADOWS OFFICE COMPLEX COUNTY OFFICE BUILDING Physical Address Physical Address 140 County Hwy 33W Cooperstown, NY Main Street Cooperstown, NY Temporary Assistance Adoption SNAP Foster Care Employment Child Protective Services Medicaid Child Support HEAP Preventive Services Day Care Subsidy Juvenile Justice Protective Services Adults Attorney Office Resource & Recovery Fiscal Administration The mission of the Otsego County Department of Social Services is to assist and protect vulnerable individuals in our community by promoting safety, healthy families, and enhanced economic stability. We provide services with compassion, respect, integrity, and positive attitudes while encouraging personal responsibility and individual choice. We work collaboratively with community partners to achieve the goals of lifelong safety and self-sufficiency for county residents.

2 Child Protective Services (CPS) Child Protective Services (CPS) is a program that is mandated by the State of New York and locally administered by the Otsego County Department of Social Services. Cross training of staff has continued in 2013 and there continues to be CPS workers in three out of the four units, including the foster care and county wide preventive units. CPS staff consists of seven and a half workers. CPS staff is responsible for the investigation of all reports that are received from the New York State Central Register for Child Abuse and Maltreatment (SCR) that includes court ordered investigations. In 2013 there were 916 reports assigned by the SCR to the Otsego County CPS unit for investigation. This is an average of 76 reports a month. The number of reports decreased by 9.5% compared to 2012 statistics. The CPS unit serves as a member of the Otsego County Multidisciplinary Team that is ranked a New York State Office of Children and Family Services Tier One team. New York State mandates that certain types of investigations be handled using the Multidisciplinary Team approach. To assist with these investigations, the Child Advocacy Center (CAC) is used as a child friendly environment to conduct interviews. 100 children in 68 families were interviewed at the CAC during CPS assisted law enforcement with 25 referrals for investigation of sexual abuse or severe abuse of children by individuals who are not in the parental role as part of the Multidisciplinary Team approach. During 2013 a rotation was used to assign CAC cases which included specially trained Senior Caseworkers and Caseworkers. Two Senior Caseworkers recently went to a three day intensive training called Advanced Forensic Interviewing in Santa Fe, New Mexico funded by a CAC grant. The Otsego County Services unit has been working on innovative strategies to meet the ever increasing needs for investigation of reports of Child Abuse and Maltreatment in Otsego County. Caseworkers from other units are continuing to be assigned investigations to help assure that the needs of the children and families are being met in a timely manner. The cross- training method has helped this process as more caseworkers can accept CPS investigations. All Caseworkers, Senior Caseworkers and Supervisors attended Safety/ Risk Refresher Training in early Any new Caseworker, who was not employed at the time, obtained the same training during their required Common Core training. 2

3 School-Based Preventive The School-Based Preventive Program has been a collaboration between the Otsego County Department of Social Services and area school districts for many years. The program was set up to have a Caseworker located within the school to allow children and families early and efficient access to the department s child welfare services. Caseworkers provide services that assist families to reduce the risk of child abuse and maltreatment and the risk of becoming involved in the Juvenile Delinquent (JD) or Persons in Need of Supervision (PINS) programs. Keeping families safe and intact is the primary goal of the services. School-Based Preventive Services primarily provides preventive services to the residents of the school district that they are assigned to. These caseworkers maintain a caseload of no more than 12 cases on an on-going basis and up to 15 cases on a short-term basis. Should their caseload be under its maximum, the caseworker may serve families outside of their district and/or be assigned a role in a Child Protective Investigation. School-based caseworkers are located at their school four (4) days a week and available one (1) day a week at the County Office Building in Cooperstown. School-based caseworkers attend school meetings and are members on school committees that work together to meet the unique needs of families in that district. These Caseworkers also provide services to families on a short-term basis that may prevent the need to open a case because the situation is resolved expeditiously through the early intervention process. In 2013, the School-Based Preventive Program had 8 caseworkers located in various school districts throughout Otsego County. The School-Based Preventive unit received a total of 70 new referrals in Referrals for this program mainly came from the schools, the Child Protective Services unit and/or the Probation Department. Referrals also came from medical staff in area hospitals, mental health providers, other service providers or self-referrals. Of those referrals received 37% were received from the schools, 37% were received from Child Protective Services; 12% were received from Otsego County Probation Department and 10% were received from other sources. County Wide Preventive Services County Wide Preventive Services Caseworkers receive referrals for families who live in a district that is not involved in the School-Base Program. Their cases are located throughout Otsego County. These caseworkers meet with a family to discuss the Preventive Services program and assess what services would be helpful to the family to prevent abuse and neglect, JD or PINS and foster care placement. Cases for families can be either voluntary or court ordered. Referrals are received from hospitals, courts, self referrals, concerned citizens, police, probation officers, caseworkers and mental health providers. In 2013, the Otsego County Department of Social Services County Wide Preventive Unit received 29 Preventive Services referrals. 3

4 Family Drug Treatment Court The Otsego County Family Treatment Court Program has been in existence since October 31, Since that time, one hundred fifty three individuals have been assessed to enter the program. Of this group, fifty individuals were determined to be ineligible for the program, twenty four individuals declined to join the program despite having been determined to be eligible, thirty four individuals failed to successfully complete the program and forty five individuals successfully completed and graduated from the program. In 2013, this program worked with eleven participants with three successful graduates, one withdrawal from the program, one individual not eligible to join and one participant having been removed due to non-compliance. The Otsego County Family Treatment Court Program proudly reports the birth of six drug free babies since the start of the program in In 2013, there were two Otsego County Department of Social Services Caseworkers who worked specifically with the Otsego County Family Treatment Court Program. These Caseworkers worked intensively with participants and their families by assisting with the arrangement of needed services, meeting with service providers, and staffing each case biweekly. Also present during staffing were attorneys for participants, attorneys for participant s children and the staff of the Otsego County Family Treatment Court program. Drug screens were given biweekly when Family Treatment Court meets, on a random basis during the week as determined by Family Treatment Court, as well as at appointments at Otsego Addiction Recovery Services (formerly known as the Chemical Dependency Clinic) to monitor each participant s progress. The goals of the participants were to learn to provide a safe environment for themselves and their families as well as develop necessary skills to help them to remain substance free. To be referred to this program a parent(s) must have had a neglect petition filed in Otsego County Family Court, completed an evaluation from a Chemical Dependency Counselor with recommendations of further treatment and participated in an Intake evaluation to be deemed suitable for the program. Once accepted the participant signed a contract agreeing to cooperate with the program. There are three phases to the Family Treatment Court Program that clients need to successfully complete in order to graduate. 4

5 Juvenile Justice Program PINS/JD Children Placed In Care in 2013 CASE TYPE LEVEL OF CARE PINS JD Secure Detention *1 day only 0 1* Non-Secure Detention 1 1 Foster Care 6 2 Diagnostic 3 2 Residential 2 3 Rehabilitation Program 2 1 The Juvenile Justice Program and Preventive Services Unit worked together to provide services for families who had a child or children that exhibited behaviors which required supervision by the Probation and/or Social Services Department. There were twenty-five Persons In Need of Supervision (PINS) cases going into 2013 and thirty -eight Persons In Need of Supervision (PINS) Intakes during There were four Juvenile Delinquent (JD) cases going into 2013 and thirty-nine Juvenile Delinquent (JD) intakes in the year Also, in 2013, there was one child placed in secure detention for only one day. There were six PINS cases and two JD cases in which the children were placed in Foster Care. There was one PINS case and one JD case in which children were placed in Non-Secure Detention. There were three PINS cases and two JD cases that were placed in a Diagnostic placement. There were two PINS and three JD cases in which children were placed in a Residential placement. There were two PINS cases and one JD case in which children were placed in a Rehabilitation program. All families of the children placed worked with a Department of Social Services caseworker. (See chart above) Preventive Services Caseworkers that work with the Juvenile Justice Program are shared between the County Wide Preventive Services Unit and the School Based School Unit, depending on where a child/family resides. There are monthly meetings called Juvenile Review Panel (JRP) where service providers can coordinate and re-evaluate the child/ family needs. 5

6 Attorney s Office The Department of Social Services Attorney s Office consists of two full-time attorneys and one full-time legal secretary. The Attorney s Office is responsible for prosecuting petitions filed in Family Court by DSS. These include child abuse and neglect cases, where the department seeks the aid of the court in providing services to parents alleged to be abusing and/or neglecting their children. There were 26 such cases filed in The attorneys also present to the court child and spousal support petitions seeking reimbursement for Public Assistance and/or Medicaid from legally responsible adults. Although not filed by the Department of Social Services, Juvenile Delinquency (JD) and Person in Need of Supervision (PINS) cases are also prosecuted in Family Court by the DSS Attorneys while acting in their capacity of Assistant County Attorneys. In many cases, the DSS is directed by the Family Court to provide support services to these families to assist in resolving the problems that led to the petition being filed. There were 17 JD and 9 PINS petitions filed in This does not include any cases that were settled by the Probation Department pursuant to its duties, without referral to Family Court. DSS Attorneys also represent Adult Protective Services when court action is needed to protect the safety of an adult. This generally occurs in Supreme Court when a guardianship petition has been filed upon allegations that a person is unable to manage their own affairs and needs a guardian to be appointed. There were 6 guardianship cases in Finally, all appeals to higher courts involving DSS are handled by the Attorney s Office. There were 4 such appeals argued and decided in The Attorney s Office was affirmed on all 4 appeals. Foster Care During 2013 a youth in Otsego County DSS Foster Care participated in the National Youth in Transition Database Survey and was chosen as the winner of a raffle for a $50 cash prize. This youth s name was drawn from all of the children who completed the surveys. The National Youth in Transition Database tracks children before they leave foster care and after they leave foster care to learn which areas of independent living skills are being taught and which areas of independent living skills need improvement. In 2013 the Otsego County DSS Department of Social Services completed 9 adoptions to provide children with permanency. One of the children was a planned adoption. The mother made a decision before the child was born that she would not be able to safely meet the needs of the new born baby. She met with a prospective foster/adoptive parent before she gave birth, allowed the prospective foster/adoptive mother to attend pre-natal visits with her and chose to use the prospective foster/adoptive mother s name for the child. The adoption was open so that the biological mother may have visits with the child. 6

7 Protective Services for Adults (PSA) Protective Services for Adults (PSA) is a program to assist vulnerable adults. To be eligible, there must be a mental and/or physical impairment that causes them to be unable to provide for their own basic needs or to protect themselves from harm. Also, there is no one else willing and able to help responsibly. PSA had an average of 72 ongoing monthly cases in This caseload consisted of protective services, guardianships and financial management. Financial management is a large part of the PSA caseload. 61 financial management cases were maintained through out There were 6 guardianship cases in In addition to the ongoing caseload, there were 177 referrals in These referrals required caseworkers to investigate to determine emergent and non-emergent needs, as well as assess for possible ongoing PSA services. The PSA unit continued to participate in a monthly free food program from April through October which allowed staff to distribute free food to over 50 households throughout Otsego County. PSA also participated in a smaller weekly free food program that assisted about 20 households on rotation each month. During 2013, PSA had one intern. This intern assisted clients with homemaking services, transportation for shopping and helped in the distribution of food from free food programs while shadowing caseworkers and community services staff. Transportation The Transportation unit is utilized by all units in the Department of Social Services. In 2013 DSS began the year with a fleet of twenty (20) four-door passenger sedans. The department purchased one (1) Jeep Patriot 4x4 and three (3) Ford Fusion sedans to add to the fleet. By year s end the fleet had a total of 22 vehicles. The Transportation Coordinator oversaw 9 motor vehicle operators (drivers) who provided transportation for foster care youth and preventive services clients to court ordered visitations, appointments, court, etc. The unit made 1685 trips and traveled 153,697 miles. 2% of these transports were PSA, 32% were Preventive Services and 66% were Foster Care related. 7

8 TEMPORARY ASSISTANCE / SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS The Temporary Assistance (TA) / Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Medicaid/SNAP units processed 3089 applications for benefits in This was a 5.5% decrease from However, the SNAP caseload continued to grow as it has been made more accessible due to program changes and electronic applications / recertifications through Overall SNAP cases increased by approximately 3% from NEW for 2013 Beginning January 16, 2013 Otsego County began receiving SNAP Recertification Applications and SNAP Change Reports electronically through myworkspace. These changes affected both clerical and examiner staff. In March the Social Security Administration expanded their online services so adults could establish their own online accounts to access information about their benefits, earnings, and retirement estimates. SSA/SSI recipients can now access benefit verification letters thus eliminating the need for DSS to request verification from the Social Security Administration. Effective May 1, 2013 districts must provide photographic Common Benefit Identification Cards (CBIC) to any head of household of a Non-TA SNAP case upon request of the cardholder. Finger imaging is no longer a requirement for SNAP benefits. In October the department received clarification on SNAP policies regarding unique circumstances faced by homelessness including homeless youth. A photo ID is not needed to apply for SNAP. A permanent address is not needed to apply for SNAP and homeless households are specifically exempt from the requirement to verify residency. There is no age requirement in order to apply for SNAP. An individual must apply as a household if they live with and customarily purchase and prepare food together. Effective November 1, 2013 SNAP Maximum Allotment Mass Rebudgeting/Reauthorization took place. The SNAP benefit standards that were set by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 expired therefore reducing SNAP benefits. Monthly household benefit reductions ranged from -$11.00 to -$ In December, State minimum wage increased to $8.00 resulting in additional income for some households receiving TA and/or SNAP benefits and increased the incentive to enter the workforce. 8

9 HOUSING The Housing Caseworker is responsible for working with the Otsego County homeless population through independent living plans, performing pre-move/post-move inspections for security deposit agreements, performing furniture assessments, and assistance for moving expenses. The Housing Caseworker works with Opportunities for Otsego (OFO) and the Salvation Army in arranging temporary and/or permanent housing for the homeless and transient populations. The department continues to contract with OFO to provide homeless services at their Opportunity House in Oneonta at a cost of $75.00 per individual per night stay. Homeless clients who stay in the shelter work with an OFO case manager who assists them with finding permanent housing as well as job search assistance and resource referrals. The Housing Caseworker continues to keep statistics regarding where clients are housed, how long and the cost of temporary housing so that supervisors have quick access to assess concerns regarding temporary housing. In 2013, the Housing unit received 455 referrals; 282 of the referrals received shelter and 173 were pending evictions. Cash security deposits paid from 200% Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds included 11 deposits totaling $7,775. Cash deposits paid from Safety Net (SN) included 3 deposits totaling $1,931. HEAP The Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) consists of regular benefits, emergency benefits and heating equipment repair/replacement. For the HEAP season, income eligibility guidelines decreased. Regular benefit amounts increased. Regular benefits had a base of $600 for deliverable fuels, $500 for all other fuel types, $400 for natural gas/psc electric heat and municipal electric heat. Emergency benefits were $600 for deliverable fuels and $500 for all other fuel types. DSS continued to contract with Opportunities for Otsego (OFO) and the Office for the Aging (OFA) to process HEAP applications. OFO took applications for non TA/SNAP households whose head of household was under age 60. OFO processed 1121 applications for benefits, and denied 219 applications primarily due to the applicants failure to provide necessary documentation or their income was above eligibility guidelines. OFA took applications for non TA/SNAP households whose head of household was age 60 or older. OFA processed 963 applications and denied 98 applications. A grand total of 7056 regular benefits were processed totaling $3,230,166. An additional 2 supplemental regular benefits were processed totaling $1,250. 1,472 emergency benefits were processed totaling $806,440. These numbers include the benefits paid to PA and SNAP households as well. The HEAP Cooling Assistance Component (CAC) opened 4/1/13. This program provided for the purchase and installation of air conditioners and fans for HEAP eligible households with a documented medical condition that was exacerbated by extreme heat. This agency authorized the installation of 4 air conditioners. 9

10 Rate EMPLOYMENT & TRAINING The employment staff assist clients in setting and reaching employment goals or assist in obtaining other resources to reduce or eliminate the need for DSS assistance and increase self-sufficiency. One of the employment unit s primary tasks is diverting employable individuals applying for Temporary Assistance (TA) to self sufficiency by providing support with job seeking, referrals to other resources such as: Unemployment Insurance Benefits, employment agencies, and current job openings. The unit also assists those that are potentially employable to seek and maintain treatment to become employable, and if the client is diagnosed with a long term disability, other resources such as SSI, SSD, and Workman s Compensation as an alternative to TA. All applicants of TA must meet with an Employment & Training Assistant (ETA) and complete the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) fourteen page assessment tool. Based on the client s assessment, the participant and ETA create an individualized Employment Development Plan. Work activities such as job searching, GED classes, and work experience can be assigned, as well as participation in treatment programs the client is responsible for cooperation with in order to become employable again. When a TA client is not compliant with their assigned activities a sanction may be issued. When a sanction is imposed, the household s grant may decrease by the non-compliant client s share of the grant. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefit would either remain the same or increase slightly. In 2013, OTDA temporarily suspended all SNAP sanctions. Federal law requires that each State meet a specific Federal participation rate for the TANF/ Family Assistance (FA) population. The Federal rate for TANF assistance is 50%. The formula to determine the rate is based on all FA cases regardless of the client s employability determination. In the program year, Oct 2012-Sept 2013 the FA combined family rate was 28.4%. Even though this was an increase of 63% from the previous program year, we did not meet the 50% rate. During that same period, an average of 48% of the FA adult population was exempt from employment activities due to medical impairments. For single individuals and childless couple cases on Safety Net Assistance (SNA) the participation rate remained steady as compared to the previous program year by averaging 47.7%, but did not meet the rate of 50%. For SNA an average of 71% of recipients were exempt from employment activities due to medical impairments. Engagement/Particpation rates TANF/SNA MOE T h i s g r a p h s h o w s t h e participation and engagement rate for each month for FA households and the SNA participation rate Engagement rate TANF/SNA MOE Rate SNA/NON MOE Months 10

11 DAY CARE SUBSIDY DAY CARE SUBSIDY The Child Care Subsidy unit assists households in need of childcare due to employment and offers eligible households assistance with childcare costs. Documentation of income, work schedule, and residential address are some of the items needed to determine eligibility and meet program requirements. Applications can be received in person or through the mail. Approved households must recertify every six months and may do so by mail. In 2013, the maximum gross income limit for a family of four was $47,100.00, an increase of $ per year from In 2013 the average number of children served per month was 197. The average number of families served per month during 2013 was 123. A family fee, also known as the parent share, must be paid by all eligible non TA subsidy families. The formula for determining the parent share is based on the household size and gross household income. In 2013 a change was made to the Child and Family Service Plan regarding the parent fee. Otsego County increased the percentage in the parent fee formula from 15% to 30%. This change increased the amount the parent would be responsible for and was necessary in order to serve more families. Schoharie County Community Action Program continues to be the child care resource and referral agency for Otsego County participants. Catholic Charities of Delaware and Otsego County manages the legally exempt enrollment process for our families. In 2013 the Child Care Tracking and Attendance Program (CCTA) enhanced some of the notices to provide the parent/caretaker more case detail. On approval notices, the income that is used when subsidy is approved is indicated and compared to the income eligibility guidelines as well as how the parent fee is calculated. When a Provider is selected by a parent/caretaker the provider is educated on submitting attendance for care electronically. If a provider indicates that they are interested, a verification code is issued allowing the provider access to the program. The cost of Day Care continues to be a sizeable expense for many families. The Child Care Block Grant funding remains an essential part of helping adults to remain employed. 11

12 Medicaid The Medicaid unit handles determination and authorization for Medicaid coverage that includes Medicaid (MA), Family Health Plus (FHP), SSI and Chronic Care. Medicaid in 2013 was a transitional year in preparation for scheduled implementation of the Affordable Care Act of 2010 (ACA) that effected many changes to begin January 1, In 2013, The Medicaid unit processed 2727 applications. As of December 2013, Otsego County had 6527 cases covering 9918 residents. Medicaid cases require recertification every 12 months, except for SSI cases, and continuous undercare actions on all cases as recipients report changes to their residency, income and resources, etc. Two Senior Examiners were assigned as intake workers at Bassett Healthcare and A.O. Fox Hospitals. They continued to be responsible for the intake of applications at these sites to facilitate the application process prior to discharge, to assist those that have incurred medical expenses at the hospital as well as applicants in need of other services. A priority is the intake and processing of chronic care applications for those that were in need of nursing home placement. They worked closely with hospital discharge planners and our local placement office to ensure timely processing. The Bassett Senior Examiner also handled all presumptive eligibility applications to ensure a timely determination was processed for pregnant women. The Senior Examiner at A.O. Fox Hospital also determined and maintained cases for those that were in need of Long Term Home Health Care (LTHHC) services and worked closely with the local placement office. These Senior Examiners were on-site at the hospitals 3 days a week and at the Meadows Office Complex the other 2 days. Facilitated Enrollers continued to assist residents in Otsego County in applying for FHP, MA and Child Health Plus (CHP) in community-based settings. Mothers & Babies Perinatal Network provided this service at Opportunities for Otsego in Oneonta. Fidelis and Excellus had enrollers that met with applicants at various locations convenient to the applicant. The applications were then submitted to either DSS for processing of MA/FHP determinations or to a CHP insurance plan depending on which programs the applicant was eligible for. The New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) began overseeing certain portions of Medicaid services. NYSDOH now contracts with Medical Answering Services, LLC that began scheduling and providing Medicaid Transportation services on September 1, Clients are responsible to call this service, 5 days in advance of the need, at when medical transportation is needed for scheduled medical, dental or counseling appointments. NYSDOH also took control of processing Family Planning Benefit (FPB) and newly incarcerated individuals applications. Local agencies were in the practice of forwarding FPB applications to the local district to process. Now the state implemented DOH processing of the applications, and once determined, reassign the case to the District of Fiscal Responsibility (DFR) to maintain. Applications for newly incarcerated individuals were processed by a contracted county (Clinton) and then reassigned to the DFR. 12

13 Welfare Fraud Investigation The Department contracts with the Otsego County District Attorney s Office for three parttime Welfare Fraud Investigators to conduct special investigations. In 2013 the unit received 424 referrals for investigation. Of those, 112 complaints were investigated which resulted in a savings to the County of $37,795. The 312 others were Front End Detection and Eligiblity Verification Reviews that are both processes required at the time of application for or recertification of assistance. A projected savings of $75,744 was determined for cost avoidance from these FEDS/EVRS investigations. Additional savings were seen through Disqualification Consent Agreements, various assistance repayments totaling $30,567, and court ordered restitutions totaling $47,386. In 2013 the unit made five (5) arrests, obtained nine (9) signed Disqualification Consent Agreements and imposed 14 sanctions for a total of 204 months of benefits. Initiative Description Number Completed Estimated Savings Front End Detection system (FEDS) Eligibility Verification Reviews (EVR) Field investigations at application and at recertification 316 $75,744 Fraud Investigations Investigating complaints of suspected fraud and abuse 121completed 15 positive $37,795 Intentional Program Violation (IPV) Disqualification sanctions or repayments Arrests 14 5 $30,567 INCOME MAINTENANCE FAIR HEARINGS Individuals applying for or receiving Temporary Assistance, Food Stamps, Medicaid, HEAP and Child Care Subsidy have the right to request a review, called a Fair Hearing, on any action taken on their case. As the Department receives notice that an individual or household has requested a Fair Hearing, the case action and determination in question is thoroughly reviewed by the case supervisor. In 2013, there were 67 requests made for Fair Hearings. Of those, 15 cases were actually heard by the Law Judge and the Department s decisions were upheld on 10 of those cases. The Department was not upheld on 4 cases. In one case, the client s request for a fair hearing was deemed to be not a hearable issue by the Law Judge because it was requested more than 60 days following the date of the action taken by the Department. 30 of the 67 requests were withdrawn by the clients. In 22 cases the client did not show up for their scheduled hearing. 13

14 Resource and Recovery Resources: If and when a client has an active Third Party Health Insurance policy (TPH), the Resource and Recovery unit enters this policy into the EMedNY system. This informs providers to bill this insurance policy prior to billing Medicaid. According to the NYS DOH Office of Medicaid Management Cost Avoidance Report for 2013, savings not paid by Medicaid due to TPH was $1,346,797. Recoveries: According to Social Services Law, recoveries must be pursued from the estate of an individual in receipt of Medicaid at the age of 55 years or older. No recovery is made if there is a surviving spouse or dependent or disabled child. Affidavit of Claims are filed in Surrogate s Court against the estate for the amount of Medicaid expended. If no estate is or will be administered, assets are recovered by Affidavit which most frequently include nursing home personal accounts and small bank accounts. In 2013 $464,161 was recovered as follows: $218,539 Mortgage Liens $201,688 Estates $ 32,652 Lawsuits $ 8,040 Burial Repayments $ 2,060 Burial Overpayments $ 1,182 Temporary Assistance Liens Burials: When a deceased individual has no legally responsible relative or no one willing or able to pay for funeral expenses, the funeral director will request Otsego County Department of Social Services to assist in paying for the funeral expenses. The rates and services allowable are based on Otsego County Board Resolution No. 85 of On rare occasions a Burial Lien is filed. When a death occurs and there is a surviving spouse, the spouse is financially responsible to pay all funeral expenses. If the spouse does not have the means to pay, the funeral director may contact Otsego County Department of Social Services requesting an Indigent Burial. If the spouse owns real property, a burial lien is filed in the Otsego County Clerk s Office specifically for the amount of the funeral expenses. Indigent Burials Cremations Traditional Burial $76, $80,516 14

15 STAFF DEVELOPMENT The Staff Development Coordinator (SDC) strives to build and maintain a continuous learning culture at the Department of Social Services. Through collaboration, leadership, facilitation, and performance feedback, staff development helps employees identify challenges and define needed results. Special projects are coordinated to help connect program area goals to achieving agency outcomes. The Department hosted these major trainings in 2013: Safety & Risk Refresher, Permanency Hearing Reports, Code Enforcement Training, Child Case Recording System Training, The Five Exemplary Leadership Practices, Advanced Medical Issues in CPS, Working with Emotional Intelligence, Lead Standing Up, and Domestic Violence for CPS. By hosting trainings DSS was able to send many more staff at a much lower cost than sending staff to out of county trainings. This ensured staff had the most current information and expertise to assist the individuals and families we serve while being conscientious of budgetary constraints. Trainings were provided through state sponsored and local in-house classroom trainings, teleconferences, webinars and computer based trainings. The SDC ensured that all staff were appropriately oriented to County and Department policies/procedures, and that staff attended all necessary training, created trainings, supervised the Internship and Continuing Education Programs, wrote policies and procedures, and created and maintained the Employee Evaluation Program to ensure compliance with County policy. The SDC also was part of the Department s Management Team and served as the DSS representative on the Otsego Committee on Child Abuse and Neglect (OCCAN) committee. During 2013, the Department supported training for a total of 156 staff members on payroll, who attended 3, hours of state sponsored and hours of locally sponsored training programs for a total of 4, total training hours. Many of these trainings were required by the Federal and State Governments and this Department. A listing of all the trainings that Department staff attended during 2013 is maintained on the Statewide Training Automated Registration System. 15

16 Child Support The Child Support Unit assists custodial parents seeking child support services in obtaining court ordered child support for their children. The program assists in establishing paternity, establishing and enforcing financial and medical support orders, and provides services in a timely and professional manner focusing on children. The child support program for Otsego County collected over 5.1 million dollars on behalf of custodial parents/guardians for the year This amount represents dollars collected on private cases and also on behalf of children receiving public assistance, Medicaid and foster care services based on referrals from the various units within the department. The New York State Child Support Processing Center in Albany provides a centralized location for services to custodial and non-custodial parents including payment processing and the child support helpline. Payments are received at the Processing Center from noncustodial parents or their employers and then posted to the appropriate account. Payments are accepted as well at the local county office for cases that are active through the Otsego County Child Support Unit and the County will provide the information to the Processing Center. The Processing Center also provides a helpline so that individuals can call toll-free for answers to general questions. If the question is complex or requires a decision on the part of the Support Investigator, the helpline will make a referral to the local child support unit and ask that they contact the individual directly. The Processing Center assists the local district as well with questions regarding missing or misapplied payments, bank issues or payment images. They also forward correspondence and reports to the local district. 16

17 ACCOUNTING The Accounting unit is responsible for all fiscal transactions made by the department as well as budget preparation and oversight, filing claims for Federal and State reimbursements, payments to contractors and payroll. For 2013 expenditures were $23,423,256.17, excluding the intergovernmental transfer (IGT). Total revenues, State and Federal reimbursements and repayments, totaled $12,035, The local cost to the County was $11,387, The Accounting unit, along with other government agencies continues to move forward with automating financial transactions. Currently Social Security benefits received on behalf of DSS clients are received electronically and payments to some vendors are also made electronically. Social Security benefits are received by direct deposit into a DSS bank account for adult Representative Payee (Rep-Payee) clients, and children in foster care. Rep-Payee clients are Otsego County residents that require assistance managing their money on a monthly basis. The needs of the client are determined by a caseworker, and then the Accounting unit generates payments for rent, utilities, groceries, etc. The funds received for minors in foster care are retained by the department to offset the cost of providing for the children s needs. Adoption subsidy payments are also processed electronically. Adoption subsidies are required monthly payments provided to some adoptive parents of children who were formerly in the custody of the Commissioner of Social Services. The adoptive parent chooses either a debit card or direct deposit into their own account. This process allows for payments to be received more quickly and reduces mailing costs for the department. Future plans to automate additional fiscal transactions are in discussion Department Budget $25,000,000 $23,423,256 $20,000,000 $15,000,000 $10,000,000 $12,035,495 $11,387,761 $5,000,000 $- Expenses Revenue Local Cost 17

18 DEPARTMENT PERSONNEL Fish Award Victoria Keller has been thinking outside the bowl. Pre-purchase Forever stamps to save on future postage costs for our self addressed stamped return envelopes. Thank you Victoria! 2013 RETIREMENTS Linda Spencer, Caseworker: January 2013 with 10+ years of dedicated service Sheryl Hren, Caseworker: March 2013 with 14+ years of dedicated service Karen Palmer, Social Welfare Examiner: July 2013 with 27 years of dedicated service DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH STEPS CHALLENGE On March 15, 2013, the Otsego County Department of Health initiated a step challenge for all Otsego County employees. The challenge began on the first day of Spring and ended on the first day of summer, comprising a total of 13 weeks. Second place went to Ardath Johnson from DSS with a 169% increase over baseline. Third place went to Cindy Macomber from DSS with a 97% increase over baseline. Cindy Macomber 18 Ardath Johnson