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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuman Services Board - Minutes - 9/27/2012BAYFIELD COUNTY HUMAN SERVICES BOARD MEETING Bayfield County EOC September 27, 2012 Board Members Present: Rusty Williams, Pat Carver, Lona Schmidt, Clarence Henkel, Dee Kittleson, Bill Bussey (arrived @ 2:02 p.m.), Deb Pyne Board Members Absent: Jim Crandall, Harold Maki Others Present: Elizabeth Skulan, Nikki Revak, Carrie Linder, Jeanine Spuhler, Anita Haukaas, Tootie Henkel Kenneth Jardine arrived @ 3:05 and Neil Schultz @ 3:15 Call to Order and Introductions R. Williams called the meeting to order at 2:01 p.m. Opportunity for Public Comment None Review of the August 23, 2012 Minutes Motion by C. Henkel, second by P. Carver to approve the minutes as presented. Motion carried. Presentation – Wisconsin Home Energy Assistance Program (WHEAP) J. Spuhler, Economic Support Manger, reported that WHEAP provides assistance for heating costs, electric costs and home energy crises. The amount of assistance payments varies depending on a variety of factors including household size, income and energy costs. Two hundred and fifty early applications were mailed out to households on fixed incomes; currently, 145 of those applications were returned completed and keyed into the system. On October 1, regular WHEAP applications will be accepted. Spuhler reviewed the 2012-2013 WHEAP checklist that assist households with the application process. Outreach sites will be scheduled at a future date to assist consumers with the program. The Lakes Clinic also assists individuals complete the application for their household. Spuhler reviewed Bayfield County WHEAP statistics for the 2010, 2011 and 2012 heating season. After hours heating crisis are handled by the sheriff’s department; if they are unable to assist the household, Spuhler is contacted. Monthly Section Reports Family Services –Anita Haukaas The CAUSeWAY program ends on September 30th. Ken Jepson is completing the outcome report. The board requested a program summary at a future meeting. The Kinship re-obligation / de-obligation report is complete. There are currently four youth on the waitlist. BAYFIELD COUNTY HUMAN SERVICES BOARD MEETING Bayfield County EOC September 27, 2012 2 To date, for the month of September, there have been nine juvenile law enforcement referrals. Family Services staff is working with Aging and Disability staff and Red Cliff Indian Child Welfare staff to find a placement for a high needs youth that will require daily medical attention. Family Services staff attended the Red Cliff Truancy Committee meeting. Red Cliff’s current truancy policy is being revised to comply with state policy. Haukaas and Social Worker Cheryl Hanson attended the Mental Health Crisis Conference in Wisconsin Dells last week. It was a very informative conference. Support Services – Nikki Revak Revak attended the Aging and Disability Resource Center of the North (ADRC-N) quarterly board meeting with Elizabeth Skulan on Monday, September 24th. Revak presented the 2013 ADRC-N Budget and reviewed the 2012 ADRC-N Budget and year to date expenditures. Revak also assisted the ADRC-N Coordinator to develop a budget for a Dementia Specialist grant request. Support staff assigned to the Northern Income Maintenance Consortium (NIMC) call center will being using the office vacated by Ken Jepson beginning October 8, 2012. Kelly Trepanier and Dag Bystrom are assisting with the office set-up. The state Human Services Reporting System (HSRS) is slowing being phased out by the state. Support staff has been briefed regarding the mental health, alcohol and other drug abuse and Birth-to-Three program software changes. A software upgrade from our computer provider will be installed in the near future to enhance the program software changes that have been enacted by the state. Wood County is the fiscal agent for the twelve county Northern Income Maintenance Consortium (NIMC). Revak assisted the Financial Manager in Wood County to create a revenue/expenditure spreadsheet tool for the NIMC that would be easy to use, read and gather pertinent information. The DHS management team hosted a Caramel Apple Ice Cream Sundae event for staff during morning break on 9/27/2012. It was scrumptious! Aging & Disability Services – Carrie Linder A Dementia Specialist grant for $70,000 was submitted by the Aging and Resource Disability Center of the North. The funding is for one year but may have the potential to be extended. Carrie reported that she is now participating as a member of the Dementia Network subcommittee. In her new role, she determined that both the Alzheimer’s hotline and the Mental Health Crisis line were appropriate resources for area professionals to access to help them identify techniques that can be employed to de-escalate undesirable behaviors exhibited by residents with dementia. In October, there will be a free training for nursing home staff offered by behavioral staff from Amery. This training will give nursing home staff strategies on how to successfully deal with patients suffering from dementia. BAYFIELD COUNTY HUMAN SERVICES BOARD MEETING Bayfield County EOC September 27, 2012 3 The 2013-2015 Aging Plan for Older Adults and the DOT Specialized Transportation application was presented to the Aging Advisory Committee on Monday, September 24th. The committee approved the plans. The plans have been forward on to the Greater Wisconsin Agency on Aging Resources for review. In the past two weeks, there have been eight intake referrals for elder abuse/wellness. Economic Support Services – Jeanine Spuhler Early applications for the Wisconsin Home Energy Assistance Program have been mailed to households on fixed incomes. Spuhler attended an Energy Assistance meeting in Ashland with area heating vendors on Wednesday, September 26th. Spuhler and Elizabeth Skulan met with representatives from Workforce Resource, the agency that will administer the W-2 program as of January 1, 2013. The meeting was to discuss preliminary plans for transitioning W-2 consumers. There are currently nine Bayfield county households participating in the W-2 program. Monthly Reports Skulan reviewed the financial report. At this point, Human Services is projected to be over budget by approximately $300,000 for 2012. The monthly training and waiting list reports were reviewed. The monthly reports were placed on file. 2013 Budget Update – Per direction from the County Administrator, an adjustment was made to the 2013 Human Services budget to reflect a zero increase in health insurance. Revak reviewed the line item changes. Elizabeth Skulan and Revak will present the Human Services budget to the Executive Committee at 4:30 on September 27th. Clark County Health Care Center Multi County Collaboration – Follow up Linder reported that the county board approved the agreement and appointed Human Services Board member Bill Bussey as the representative to the commission’s governing board. We can now place a Bayfield County resident at the facility should the need arise. Juvenile Assessment Information System (JAIS) Update – Skulan reported that Price County Health and Human Services will partner with Bayfield County to implement the JAIS tool. In partnering with another county, we were able to secure a discounted rate. Installation and training is expected to begin before the end of the year. A presentation will be provided to the board at a future date. Income Maintenance Allocation 2013 Skulan reviewed the letter to Secretary Smith from Senator Jauch, and other state officials, regarding support for the Wisconsin County Human Services Association recommendation to increase funding for the income maintenance services in the Northern and Western Consortium. Currently there are no requests for additional funding for Income Maintenance in the 2013 – 2014 State Budget. BAYFIELD COUNTY HUMAN SERVICES BOARD MEETING Bayfield County EOC September 27, 2012 4 Update Income Maintenance Regional Model – Standing agenda item on information relating to the January 1, 2012 implementation of regional services delivery of Income Maintenance Services. Spuhler stated that the Northern Income Maintenance Consortium (NIMC) continues to pilot the new workload management tool and that it is working well. The NIMC will also pilot a new scheduling tool in mid-November. Spuhler reviewed two statistical informational sheets on the call center comparing the statewide averages of that to the NIMC. Average handle time for the NIMC is decreasing more than the statewide averages. In September, the longest waiting call statewide was 50 minutes, the NIMC was 28 minutes. Considering how much the program is underfunded in our region, NIMC staff is doing well. Motion by C. Henkel, second by B. Bussey to send a memo to Bayfield County Economic Support staff commending them for the great job they are doing with the NIMC program. Motion carried. DHS Staffing Update Skulan reported that Denise Bailey resigned at the end of August. Skulan and Haukaas have filed a request with the county administrator to replace the position. 2011 Carry Over Skulan reviewed the memo to the county administrator requesting a carryover of 2011 excess funds to 2012 to be used toward payment for the JAIS tool and unanticipated personnel costs. Status of Family Care Program Report Skulan indicated that a copy of the “Report to the Joint Legislative Audit Committee on the Status of the Family Care Program” was included in the board packet for review. Long-term Care District Board – Standing agenda item, update from Dee Kittleson regarding activities and information from the long-term care district board. D. Kittleson handed out statistics on “NorthernBridges Participation by County” and “NorthernBridges’ Membership”. Skulan gave an overview of the civil rights lawsuit against the NorthernBridges and two other MCO’s by the families of developmentally disabled consumers. Other (Informational Items) A. 11th Annual Caregivers Conference – Friday, October 26, 2012 Future Meetings A. October 25, 2012 (start meeting at 3:00 p.m.) B. November/December meeting – December 4, beginning at 3:30 with potluck. C. January 24, 2012 Adjournment The meeting adjourned at 3:31 p.m. Submitted by Nikki Revak, Financial Manager