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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuman Services Board - Minutes - 8/27/2015BAYFIELD COUNTY HUMAN SERVICES BOARD MEETING EOC Room, Courthouse Annex August 27, 2015 Board Members Present: Lona Schmidt, John Bennett, Pat Carver, Rusty Williams, Deb Pyne, Kathy Wendling, Fred Strand, Jim Crandall, Kent Seldal Board Members Excused: Others Present: Elizabeth Skulan, Nikki Revak, Jeanine Spuhler, Anita Haukaas, Carrie Linder Call to Order and Introductions Williams called the meeting to order at 4:02 p.m. Introductions were made. Review of the July 23, 2015 Meeting Minutes Motion by Strand, second by Carver, to approve the minutes as presented. Motion passed unanimously. Public Comment – Limited to 3 minutes per person None Program Presentation – Economic Support, Jeanine Spuhler Spuhler gave an overview of the “Medicare Savings Programs”. There are four tiers to the Medicare Savings Programs: Qualified Medicare Beneficiary (QMB); Specified Low Income Medicare Beneficiary (SLMB); Specified Low Income Medicare Beneficiary Plus (SLMB+) and; Qualified Disabled and Working Individual (QDWI). These programs are for those who receive Medicare benefits and who have limited countable income and assets. Not all of an individual’s income and assets are counted in determining eligibility for enrollment in the Medicare Savings Programs. When Medicaid starts paying the Medicare costs, Social Security payments increase and a notice is sent from the Socials Security Administration. Sometimes the increase in income affects other program eligibility. Eligibility renewals are determined annually. If an individual is found ineligible, payment deductions are deducted from the individuals Social Security checks until all funds are recouped. Monthly Section Reports Family Services – Anita Haukaas Rachael Obiden accepted the position of AODA (Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse) Coordinator. Obiden’s first day was July 13, 2015. Obiden will also process Emergency Detentions for the Mental Health Coordinator when needed. Samantha Hedican was hired as a parent mentor and case manager for the Treatment Family Court program. Hedican will work 15 hours per week. Hedican will also assist families who are working with DHS in the child welfare or child protective services programs. BAYFIELD COUNTY HUMAN SERVICES BOARD MEETING EOC Room, Courthouse Annex August 27, 2015 2 Other items of note: A Family Medical Leave is anticipated for one worker in the near future; new social workers are doing well; Compass training for Family Services staff is complete as the JAIS (Juvenile Assistance Information Systems) program will end in November; staffing with Indian Child Welfare has been set for September 3, currently Bayfield County DHS has nine tribal children in out of home placements; 22 individuals are enrolled in the Comprehensive Community Services Program; 24 individuals are enrolled in the Community Support Program; there have been 33 juvenile justice referrals to date this year - compared to 35 at this time last year; Becky Kruit made a presentation on mandated reporter requirement to staff of the Early Childhood program in Red Cliff; and a grant in the amount of $2,500 from the Wisconsin Department of Justice has been written and submitted – the funding would pay for the registration fees, travel, lodging, and meals (not wages) for two staff people to attend the First Witness Training in Duluth, MN. Support Services – Nikki Revak The 2016 Budget is complete and has been submitted to the County Administrator; on time and with a zero percent increase. Skulan and Revak reviewed the budget with the County Administrator. Thank you to the Management Team for completing their portion of the budget. Developing the annual budget together is a team effort that takes a number of weeks to complete. Support staff is in the process of pulling information for the Auditors for the program compliance portion of the audit. Britt has been assigned the task of scanning Child Care attendance reports for the entire NIMC (Northern Income Maintenance Consortium). Some providers misunderstood some of the requirements but with a few adjustments, things are going as well as can be expected. Reception staff is currently working on a database for the physical DHS inventory. Economic Support Services – Jeanine Spuhler Staff is already getting inquiries for energy assistance. The Wisconsin Heating and Energy Assistance Program (WHEAP) season begins October 1, 2015. WHEAP appointments will be scheduled after October 1, 2015. Early applications will be sent out in a few weeks. Outreach sites have been set up for Drummond, Cable and Iron River. The NIMC (Northern Income Maintenance Consortium) was chosen to pilot On-Demand FoodShare Interviews beginning 2016. Spuhler is on the planning workgroup to develop the process to implement this significant change in assisting consumers in the NIMC. Aging & Disability Services – Carrie Linder The Bayfield County Birth-to-Three Program is moving forward to adopt the evidence based “Primary Approach to Teaming in Natural Environments” model. The model has been recommended by the State Department of Health Services as best practice. Adopting the model will change how Bayfield County DHS structures the Birth to Three Program. A BAYFIELD COUNTY HUMAN SERVICES BOARD MEETING EOC Room, Courthouse Annex August 27, 2015 3 consultant, from Wausau, trained Birth to Three staff and coordinators on using the new model. The search continues to find a qualified Speech and Language Pathologist for the Birth- to Three Program. Kristin Opperman, Youth Services Coordinator, is doing a great job. Megan Collins was able to come back and provide some additional support to Opperman. Surveys for the three year Aging Plan proposal are being tallied; approximately 80 surveys have been received to date. Listening session for the Aging Plan were held in Bayfield, Washburn, Cable, Iron River, Barnes and Benoit. Feedback was thought provoking and has initiated interesting conversations. The surveys consistently highlight three concerns: upkeep on homes, available housing programs, and home remodeling. The 55+ Health Expo and Senior Stroll was held on August 19, 2015. Bayfield County DHS Aging and Disability Staff attended and staffed a booth at the Expo. Information regarding Aging Programs and resources was also on display at the Bayfield County Fair from August 6th through the 9th. Monthly Reports The monthly reports were reviewed and placed on file. Social Work Aide Positions – Proposed Job Descriptions, Level, Wage Skulan reported that two new Social Work Aide positions are included in the proposed 2016 DHS Budget. The Family Services position is a .50 FTE that would begin the first of the year. The Aging and Disability position would be 1.0 full FTE that would start the first of July. Skulan worked with the managers on qualification and job duties for the job description and with the County Administrator for the appropriate position level/wage. The new positions will be used to address capacity issues as well as to improve recruitment and retention of social workers. It is hoped that individuals with an appropriate Human Services degree working as a social work aide might then decide to work towards becoming a certified social worker. The documentation and collateral contacts requirements reduce opportunities for social workers to work directly with families. A social worker aide would be able to assist with those types of duties allowing social workers more time to work directly with families. 2016 DHS Proposed Budget Update Skulan reviewed the narrative. DHS followed directive from the County Administrator to submit a 0% budget increase. The budget contains: staff wage and fringe increases; funds for an additional 1.0 FTE social work aide position during the year; modest increases in the senior nutrition programs and increases in revenue for Mental Health costs. Skulan requested approval for the 2016 Budget. Motion by Schmidt, second by Pyne, to approve the 2016 Budget as presented. Motion passed unanimously. BAYFIELD COUNTY HUMAN SERVICES BOARD MEETING EOC Room, Courthouse Annex August 27, 2015 4 2014 DHS Annual Report – Draft Skulan reviewed the draft 2014 DHS Annual Report. Motion by Crandall, second by Carver, to approve the 2014 Annual Report with two corrections 1.) conduct a spell check on the document for the word “sheriff” and 2.) correct the word “including” to “include” on page 22, paragraph 2. Motion passed unanimously. Northland Counseling Crisis Bed Skulan reported she participated in a phone conference with the Ashland, Iron, and Sawyer Counties and the Department of Children and Families (DCF) regarding the licensure of Northland Counseling for the period of October 2010 to present. DCF is very clear that they will not reinstate the licensure back to October of 2010. DCF stated that the criteria was not met for fingerprinting of the “family” in the Foster Home, as Northland Counseling’s Crisis Stabilization Bed for youth licensure was for a Level 5 Treatment Foster home. However, the Department of Health Services is researching possibilities that might exist to determine to license the facility in some other way so that MA funds will need to be reimbursed by the counties. If it is determined that counties will need to pay back the MA funds, Bayfield DHS is estimating the payment between $70,000 and $100,000. Red Cliff AODA Contract 2015 Skulan reported that DHS is still waiting for a unit rate for outpatient therapy provided to individuals through Red Cliff to complete the 2015 contract. Invoices from March 2015 to present are being held until a unit rate is provided. Payments for those months will be made based on the rate for actual units serviced. Skulan has previously tried to contact Clinic Administrator Patricia Deragon-Navarro via phone calls, voice mail messages, and emails. She has now issued the attached letter. To date, there has been no response. If not response is forthcoming, a letter will be issued to the new Tribal Chair Brian Bainbridge. Appointment to the Woodland Enhanced Community Services Board – Kathy Wendling Linder reported that Bill Bussey has tendered his resignation as the Bayfield County appointee to the Woodland Enhanced Community Services Board. Kathy Wendling is interested in serving on the board. Motion by Strand, second by Carver, to approve Resolution 4-2015, the appointment of Kathy Wendling as the Bayfield County representative to the Woodland Enhanced Community Services Board. Motion passed unanimously. Birth To Three Program Updates Skulan and Linder reported that although Wisconsin’s overall Determination Status for FFY 2013 is “Needs Assistance”, Bayfield County’s status is “Meets Requirements”. Good job, Carrie and Staff! Bayfield County was also notified that a correction for a finding of non-compliance issued in October of 2014 was verified by the State. BAYFIELD COUNTY HUMAN SERVICES BOARD MEETING EOC Room, Courthouse Annex August 27, 2015 5 The Department of Human Services Board may entertain a motion to move in and out of Executive Session pursuant to S19.85(1)(c); considering employment, promotion, compensation or performance evaluation data of any public employee over which the governmental body has jurisdiction or exercises responsibility. Motion by Schmidt, second by Pyne at 5:13 p.m. to move into Executive Session. Roll call vote. Motion passed unanimously. Motion by Crandall, second by Bennett, at 5:22 p.m., to move out of Executive Session. Roll call vote. Motion passed unanimously. Discussion and possible action(s) regarding Executive Session. None Other (Informational Items) A. Skulan’s comments regarding the proposed Wisconsin County Associations Human Services Resolutions B. Notice of Nicole Gurnoe new Red Cliff CCS committee member C. Letter from Attorney General Brad D. Schimel to Leanna Samardich, Price County Assistant Corporation Counsel D. Copy of email Wisconsin Public Radio – Aging Issues in Wisconsin - Carrie Linder interview Future Meetings A. September 24, 2015 B. October 28, 2015 C. November/December Meeting – Tuesday December 1, 2015 beginning with Holiday potluck at 3:30 Adjournment The meeting adjourned at 5.24 p.m. Submitted by Nikki Revak, Financial Manager