THEN and NOW Lessons Learned with Process Change and Management
Evaluation in the State of Pennsylvania August 2014
Slide 2
Changes in Pennsylvania: Increasing cross-county work
Increasing workload Statewide system access How to monitor and
report? Sampling and reporting Corrective Action Planning
Pennsylvania Overview
Slide 3
6 Regional Areas 88 county assistance offices (CAOs) Total # of
SNAP households: 894,383 Pennsylvania Overview
Slide 4
Deputy Secretary For OIM Bureau of OperationsBureau of Program
Evaluation Division of Corrective Action Division of Quality
Control Area Managers County Assistance Offices Division of Program
Implementation DPW Overview
Slide 5
Division of Corrective Action (DCA) has 3 office locations:
Harrisburg- Headquarters (HQ) Pittsburgh- field office
Philadelphia- field office ME team meets monthly: Discuss review
suggestions Review changes Answer questions Background
Slide 6
HQ Process 1 Target letter received 2 Meeting scheduled with
all ME staff 3 Prior to meeting, HQ staff: Edit worksheets Edit
process and procedures documents 4 After meeting, HQ staff: Adjust
documents Assemble ME packet for internal approval Forward ME
packet to FNS
Slide 7
Examiner review duties: Generate entry letter Conduct entrance
conference Complete case review assessment (including worksheets)
Complete interviews (local staff, Community Advocates, Blind Calls)
Data enter cases into Rushmore Case Review System Generate report
Examiner Process
Slide 8
Prior to 2011: Conducted by 5 examiners 48 county assistance
offices (CAO) Manually compiled sample list Traveled monthly to
conduct on-site visits over 5 days Examiner returned to office to
reconcile errors, complete worksheets and logs and generate report
Report contained sentence format explanations of each error cited
ME Review THEN
Slide 9
FNS mandated targets comprised of: Customer Service/Program
Access EBT Recipient Claims Intentional Program Violation LEP
Nutrition Education Employment and Training Recipient Integrity
Corrective Action Assessment
Slide 10
Challenges StaffingBudgetTimingCommunication
Slide 11
Challenges Statewide case processing Statewide Customer Service
Centers Work with other divisions Staffing Adjustment to desk
review- training on electronic case review access Mandate to
electronically image all case record information. Budget Provide a
report to county office in less than 60 days. Implement corrective
action Design new tools and processes Timing Information Memo
Presentations Follow-up Communication
Slide 12
Since 2011: Conducted by 2 examiners 24 county assistance
offices (CAO) and districts annually Sample list extracted from
Access database Desk review since 2010 (review electronic case
record) Telephone entrance and exit conference Telephone interviews
Examiner completes review in DCA field offices, complete
worksheets, reconcile errors by data entry into Rushmore database
and generates report Report is Word document format and includes
charts outlining errors ME Review NOW
Slide 13
E&T EBT Security Nutrition Education Recipient Integrity
Team
Slide 14
ME Review NOW In October 1, 2012 PA changed the county
assistance office selection process and review 4 offices from each
Area per FFY. Review criteria include: Review number of SNAP
households Rank offices Drop offices Select offices Division of
Statistical Analysis provides the number of active households
Slide 15
October 1, 2012 ME re-reviews were established. The re-review
still involves the same basic review process steps as an ME review.
Re-Review process: One examiner completes re-reviews Top 4 error
elements from previous FFY ME review Sample size is 35% of original
sample Re-review will determine effectiveness of corrective action
activities Entry/sample letter Comparison report Rebuttal No CAP
required if accuracy improved Final report issued, if rebuttal
submitted ME Re-Review NOW
Slide 16
Reports include: Comparison chart Recommendations ME Re-Reviews
Re-Review Reports:
Slide 17
The ME process started to incorporate more automation: In 2005,
the Rushmore Case Review System was designed to: Capture all ME
case review results Uniformity of review Statistical information
Automation- NOW
Slide 18
In 2009, an Access database was created to extract sample
cases. Data display follows target letter mandates. Automation -
NOW
Slide 19
Questionnaires Exported to an Interview Database. Automation -
NOW
Slide 20
Corrective Action Plan Database: Access database created 2
years ago Includes all benefit programs corrective action
activities by county office Database provides one central location
to explain internal changes implemented as a result of the ME
review Automation - NOW
Slide 21
Goals of future ME reviews include: Re-evaluate CAP submission
request Incorporate travel to county offices to view signage and
client waiting areas Develop macros-based reports to further reduce
manual processes Enhance recommendations due to office observations
of internal process/procedures Incorporate previous Corrective
Assessment Action review criteria Reinstate ME review procedures
and areas of concerns in Area Management meetings Resume EBT
Security and E&T reviews FUTURE
Slide 22
Allison Miles Director of Corrective Action
[email protected]@pa.gov Amira Milikin ME Coordinator
[email protected]@pa.gov CONTACT INFORMATION
