| The
2001-2002 Grand Jury reviewed the budget process of the Human Services
Agency (HSA) from the perspective of both the HSA budget division and
the County Manager's Office. The HSA is in the second year of implementing
an Outcome Based Management (OBM) budget process, which ". . . is
designed to challenge the county agencies to deliver services with the
best use of their resources."
The Grand Jury attempted,
without success, to follow the budget of HSA from the money source to
distribution to an individual client. The Grand Jury found there are more
than 175 funding sources directed to 125 programs. The Federal and state
governments supply the overwhelming majority of these funds, which the
County audits pursuant to Federal and state standards. County general
funds spent for HSA, such as General Assistance, are more closely scrutinized.
A goal of HSA is to
make information about its client support and finances more readily available
and more easily understood. At this time it is difficult to track the
services an individual client receives, the programs that provide those
services, and the sources of funding.
Issue:
1. Is the Human
Services Agency (HSA) on track to attain its goal to make the Outcome
Based Management (OBM) budget process understandable so that the public
can:
(1) gauge the
needs of, and the services available to, individual clients and
(2) interpret and evaluate the department's fiscal operations?
2. Could improvements
in HSA's computer systems produce:
(1) more complete
and readily understandable financial information, and
(2) a method to more easily track services to individual clients?
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| HSA,
with a budget of $141 million in FY 2000-2001, funded, managed, or staffed
more than 125 programs to provide services to 144,890 individuals. Examples
of the programs are: job training, alcohol and other drug treatment and
prevention, MediCal, General Assistance, food stamps, child welfare, cash
assistance program for immigrants, CalWorks, and housing assistance. The
goals of HSA are to promote individual self-sufficiency, increase family
strength and stability, and improve community health.
OBM is a process of
aligning program outcomes and resources to San Mateo County's "Visioning
Goals". Staff from HSA and community organizations work together
to determine the programs that are needed and then evaluate program performance.
HSA executive staff and operational teams prioritize programs and determine
what will be included in the budget. Federal and state funds, which comprise
the overwhelming majority of HSA's budget, are dedicated to particular
programs and cannot be shifted to other uses by HSA.
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| HSA
provides multiple services in satellite locations throughout the county
for the convenience of its clients. The 2001-2002 Grand Jury toured several
HSA office-training centers and interviewed personnel who provide services
to clients.
The Grand
Jury interviewed both HSA budget staff and the budget staff of the County
Manager's Office. In examining HSA's OBM budget the Grand Jury found it
difficult to follow the finances from the funding source to the individual
client or particular area of need. The OBM objectives show no apparent
link to budget line items, which is in contrast to the linkage between
desired outcomes and program budgets that the Grand Jury learned were
in use by Sunnyvale, California, Coral Springs, Florida and other municipalities.
The Grand Jury found that with the current computer system, determining
what benefits a client receives from each program is extraordinarily difficult.
It appears that only those programs funded by the county General Fund
are given the highest level of scrutiny by the county personnel.
One of
the goals listed in the "Process Overview of the County Budget Process"
is that the budget is to be a communication device to enable the layperson
to readily understand the process and changes to it. HSA employees are
encouraged to be able to quickly provide information about the budget
and specific budget changes. The Grand Jury found that it took several
weeks for HSA, the County Controller's office, and the County Manager's
Office to provide requested information in a format readily understandable
by a layperson.
The Grand
Jury interviewed the CALWORKS Information Network (CalWin) staff. CalWin
is a consortium of 18 California counties developing a new computer system
that will reportedly help improve customer service and case management.
It will either replace or be integrated into the two computer systems
currently used by HSA. It is an interactive system that will automatically
determine client eligibility and employability, as well as calculate and
issue benefits. The CalWin program, which is financed primarily by Federal
and state funds, is in the testing stage. HSA expects to complete implementation
by January 2004. The program appears planned from a management perspective
with minimal input from front line employees who will actually be using
the system. The Grand Jury is concerned that the program will not facilitate
an understanding of financial information nor allow one to determine client
benefits.
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