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Approve a Joint Exercise of Powers Agreement for the California Statewide Automated Welfare System Consortium (CalSAWS JPA) to manage the design, development, implementation, and ongoing maintenance and operations of a new single statewide automated welfare system; Approve the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the CalSAWS Consortium and Solano County to provide administrative support for the fulfillment of the Consortium’s purpose effective June 28, 2019; and Authorize the County Administrator to execute the agreements and other governance documents
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Published Notice Required? Yes _____ No __X__
Public Hearing Required? Yes _____ No __X__
DEPARTMENTAL RECOMMENDATION:
The Department of Health and Social Services (H&SS) recommends that the Board approve a Joint Exercise of Powers Agreement for the California Statewide Automated Welfare System Consortium (CalSAWS JPA) to manage the design, development, implementation, and ongoing maintenance and operations of a new single statewide automated welfare system; Approve the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the CalSAWS Consortium and Solano County to provide administrative support for the fulfillment of the Consortium’s purpose effective June 28, 2019; and Authorize the County Administrator to execute the agreements and other governance documents.
SUMMARY:
In California, there are currently three State Automated Welfare Systems (SAWS) that support the delivery of public assistance programs and other health and human services programs. SAWS automate program enrollment, eligibility determination, benefits issuance, reporting and other case management functions. For the State of California to continue receiving federal funding for the SAWS, and to comply with State and Federal technology architecture standards, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service require that California implement a single statewide SAWS system by the end of 2023.
In moving toward that goal, all 58 California counties are asked to approve a Memorandum of Understanding and the Second Amended and Restated Joint Exercise of Powers Agreement for CalSAWS to exercise power over the design, development, implementation, migration, and ongoing operation and maintenance of the CalSAWS system, pursuant to the CalSAWS JPA Agreement and MOU.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
Each CalSAWS JPA member county will have proportionate shares of cost for CalSAWS Design, Development & Implementation (DD&I) and JPA administration in FY2019/20, though the majority of the cost will be paid by state and federal funds.
Statewide, the estimated total FY2019/20 counties’ cost for CalSAWS JPA administration is $743,283 of which $3,909 is Solano County’s total estimated share. The estimated total FY2019/20 statewide counties’ cost for CalSAWS DD&I is $4,293,339 of which $39,499 is Solano County’s estimated share. The County costs will be drawn from County General Fund and are included in the Department’s FY2019/20 Requested Budget.
The CalSAWS Consortium counties have mutually agreed to share the maintenance and operations cost, apportioned based on caseload size. Based on this methodology, the County’s current share of CalSAWS expenses is 0.92%.
DISCUSSION:
Currently, there are three separate SAWS in California, managed by two separate consortia of counties.
• The Welfare Client Data Systems (WCDS) Consortium maintains and operates the California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids Information Network (CalWIN) system supporting 18 counties including Solano County;
• The California Automated Consortium Eligibility System (CalACES Consortium) maintains and operates the Los Angeles Eligibility, Automated Determination, Evaluation and Reporting Replacement System supporting Los Angeles County and the Consortium IV system supporting 39 counties.
On September 11, 2018, the Board approved a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the WCDS Consortium and CalACES to form the CalSAWS Consortium, which now combines all 58 California counties.
SAWS support the delivery of services to applicants and beneficiaries of federal, state and local health and public assistance programs such as Medi-Cal, California Work Opportunity & Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs)/Welfare-to-Work, CalFresh, Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants, Foster Care, Refugee Cash Assistance, Kinship Guardianship Assistance Program, California Food Assistance Program, General Assistance, Adoption Assistance, and others. SAWS provide automation support for program enrollment, eligibility determination, benefit issuance, reporting, and other case management functions.
To accomplish the transition to a single system, California requested and received funding to conduct a planning effort to determine the level of effort and cost to move to a single system by 2023. The California counties formed a CalSAWS Leadership Team to finalize a formal JPA governance structure by June 2019. This Leadership Team, in conjunction with State agencies, provided guidance, oversight and decision-making to the CalACES and WCDS Consortia Executive Directors throughout the planning effort. The effort resulted in the attached CalSAWS JPA and MOU.
On November 7, 2018, the WCDS provided draft versions to member counties of the CalSAWS JPA Agreement, MOU, and the CalSAWS Bylaws Fourth Amendment for comment. The Consortium then held CalSAWS Governance Educational Sessions in November and December 2018 during which CalACES’ Legal Counsel explained the changes in the JPA Agreement, MOU Document and Bylaws, giving member counties the opportunity to ask questions and comment on the updated language. The Governance documents have been finalized and were presented and approved at the CalACES JPA Board and General Membership Meeting on January 25, 2019. All 58 County Counsels have reviewed and approved these documents. The Bylaws do not require approval by the County Board of Supervisors and will be adopted by the new JPA Board at its first official meeting of the CalSAWS Consortium.
H&SS’s recommendation to approve the Joint Exercise of Powers Agreement will enable the 58 member counties to exercise powers over the design, development, implementation, migration, and ongoing operation and maintenance of the current SAWS and the interface with CalSAWS. The CalSAWS JPA also has proposed draft Bylaws that it will consider adopting for the conduct of its government business once the CalSAWS JPA is effective on June 28, 2019.
H&SS’s recommendation to approve a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with each member county is to delineate the areas of understanding and agreement between the parties regarding the various vendor agreements and other areas of mutual interest in fulfillment of the CalSAWS Consortium’s mission, vision and objectives.
The CalSAWS Board of Directors, CalSAWS Executive Director, and WCDS Executive Director shall govern and manage multiple technology projects and parallel operations including maintenance and operations of the current three SAWS, and the CalSAWS DD&I Project, until all the 58 member counties have migrated to the single system.
ALTERNATIVES:
The Board may choose not to approve the MOU and JPA agreement with the CalSAWS Consortium. This is not recommended as the State, and thus the 58 counties within the State, have been directed by the Federal Government to migrate to a single statewide automated welfare system and these governance structure documents are necessary to be in compliance.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
County Counsel has reviewed and approved governance structure documents to include the Memorandum of Understanding, final Joint Exercise of Powers Agreement and draft Bylaws related to the CalSAWS Consortium.
CAO RECOMMENDATION:
APPROVE DEPARTMENTAL RECOMMENDATION