The department, which employs more than 4,200 staffers, oversees and administers programs serving the state’s most vulnerable residents. In a budget change proposal (BCP) submitted following the January release of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposed 2023-2024 Fiscal Year budget, CDSS seeks $852,000, $328,000 of it from the General Fund, to convert to permanent five full-time positions “previously approved for the implementation and ongoing support of the Statewide Automated Welfare System consolidation.”
Of those jobs, three are at the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) and one each is at CDSS and the Office of Systems Integration (OSI). Collectively, they “will continue to direct, govern, and oversee the planning and implementation of the CalSAWS” and provide “critical ongoing support” as technologies evolve and new capabilities are evaluated. Among the takeaways:
- Federal requirements from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) require the state to stand up a single SAWS by Dec. 31 to continue receiving federal financing for the project’s development, implementation, maintenance and enhancements. There are now two distinct SAWS managed by one “CalSAWS Consortium governance structure,” with a 40-county CalSAWS supporting Los Angeles County and “39 former Consortium IV (C-IV) system counties”; and the California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids Information Network (CalWIN) system supporting 18 counties. Those 18 counties will move over to CalSAWS in “a series of conversion waves” to form one CalSAWS with all 58 counties. County eligibility workers use the system to determine residents’ eligibility for “health coverage, access to food, cash assistance and supportive services”; and it plays a “critical role in developing automated processes for seamless application of policies and procedures.”
- Regarding roles: OSI is charged with CalSAWS project management and oversight, under direction of the California Health and Human Services Agency (CHSS). DHCS and CDSS, the project sponsors, work with OSI to ensure standards and best practices are followed. Their goal is ensuring consistency in policy application and customer experience.
- Ultimately, the goal of CalSAWS is to meet CHHS’ collaborative goal of “leveraging assets to improve utilization of resources, influencing project and program conceptualization, planning and design towards shared business service and delivery.” The resources sought are needed permanently to also “fully engage with CalSAWS leadership in various stakeholder workgroups, including CalSAWS Joint Powers of Authority (JPA) Board Meetings and the CalSAWS Stakeholder Advocates workgroup,” and the three partner entities need enough staff to oversee the system’s final implementation and support and ensure “critical programs, functionality, data access and policy implementation are maintained.”
- During the last two years, staff have implemented 22 automation policy changes; eight “legislatively mandated policy changes” are still pending implementation; and at least 29 initiatives are planned for automation in the future. DHCS priority initiatives include unwinding COVID-19 public health emergency protections implemented at the start of the pandemic to meet official requirements, and the so-called “adult expansion” allowing “full-scope Medi-Cal coverage regardless of immigration status” for people ages 26-49.
- In a justification for the BCP, CDSS indicates CalSAWS will continue “agile developmental operations, or DevOps,” once all 58 counties join the system in October, and that DevOps will continue during maintenance. Other staff activities as the project goes forward will include identifying and assessing system gaps after implementation and supporting new interface connection tasks, daily operational tasks, changes to the mainframe network and data release management. An ongoing collaboration, CDSS said, “facilitates cross-departmental program discussions that allow stakeholders, SAWS, and the state to develop consumer-facing portals that holistically meet the needs of individuals accessing multiple social service programs.”
- DHCS’ positions will consist of one Staff Services Manager (SSM) I, one Associate Governmental Program Analyst (AGPA) in the Medi-Cal Eligibility Division, and one Information Technology Specialist (ITS) I in the Business Operations and Technology Services Division of the Medi-Cal Development Unit. Among their responsibilities, these staffers will have oversight of Medi-Cal eligibility policy functionality in CalSAWS, including serving as state sponsor representatives for Medi-Cal, offering guidance on policy and technical assistance on activities related to migration. CDSS’ position, a temporary ITS I in the Information Systems Division to be made permanent, represents the department in “highly technical meetings and initiatives” and offers technical expertise on the project. OSI’s requested position is also a temporary ITS I to be made permanent, a position in the SAWS Consortium Management Unit. A key responsibility for the individual is working with state program sponsors on creating a prioritization process for “problems and issues of considerable consequence and importance,” and working with project sponsor departments to handle “critical, complex and sensitive consortia management issues” — a critical liaison support role needed after implementation.
