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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuman Services Board - Minutes - 8/24/2017BAYFIELD COUNTY HUMAN SERVICES BOARD MEETING EOC August 24, 2017 Board Members Present: Larry Fickbohm, Kent Seldal, Jim Crandall, Lona Schmidt, Fred Strand Board Members Excused: Rachel Coughtry, Pat Carver, Rusty Williams Others Present: Elizabeth Skulan, Nikki Revak, Carrie Linder, Jeanine Spuhler, Cheryl Hanson, Ann Marie Mackin (left after her presentation) Call to Order and Introductions Crandall called the meeting to order at 4:35 p.m. Review of the July 27, 2017 Meeting Minutes Motion by Schmidt seconded by Strand, to approve the minutes as presented. Motion passed unanimously. Public Comment – Limited to 3 minutes per person None Program Presentation – Spousal Impoverishment, Aging and Disability Services Section Ann Marie Mackin, Aging and Disability Services Specialist, provided an overview of Wisconsin Medicaid Spousal Impoverishment Protection. Spousal impoverishment protection affects legally married couples when one spouse (institutionalized spouse) is in a nursing home setting or takes part in a community waiver program and the other spouse (community spouse) is not residing in a nursing home or other medical institution for 30 days or more. There are special rules for including and allocating assets between the spouses. The amount of total combined assets at the time of institutionalization determines the assets that may be retained. The purpose of spousal impoverishment protection is to prevent the community spouse from being impoverished by the institutionalized spouse. Option counseling with a local Aging and Disabilities Resource Center can assist with planning for Spousal Impoverishment Protection. Couples with complex financial matters are advised to seek legal counsel from Elder Law attorneys who are well versed with Medicaid Law. Every state has different Medicaid programs and rules. Monthly Section Reports Family Services – Cheryl Hanson Hanson introduced herself as the new Family Services Manager. Hanson stated she was very happy to take on the new role. Staffing changes: • Leah Thaldorf submitted her resignation as Indian Child Welfare Director in Red Cliff. Thaldorf took a new position with Douglas County. • Social Worker Crystal Clark-Gregoire has returned to work at Bayfield County as the new Mental Health Coordinator. • Social Worker Melissa Huempfner has been assigned Child Protection Services duties. BAYFIELD COUNTY HUMAN SERVICES BOARD MEETING Bayfield EOC August 24, 2017 K:Agendas & Minutes/DHS Board/Minutes/2017-8-24 BCDHS Board minutes 2 • Due to the new assignment of duties, the position now advertised is a Juvenile Justice Social Worker position. Attended a Uniform Foster Care Rate Setter meeting in Wisconsin Dells with Revak. Bayfield County was rated #2 statewide in in Rate Setting timeliness of 100% for July 2017 data. Nine counties statewide rated less than 49% timeliness. When asked by the board what Hanson did not know about the job when she started, Hanson replied that she has ten times as much email but ten times fewer phone messages. Hanson is learning a lot about child protection and safety standards. She relies on experienced staff and their expertise while learning her new job duties. Hanson also stated that she is networking with managers in other counties that have similar positions. Aging & Disability Services – Carrie Linder Fun fact: Do you know that the Japanese grow square or cube shaped watermelons? The cube shape takes up less storage space but costs more money. Bayfield County Clerk of Courts Kay Cederberg asked Linder to speak at the Estate Planning Presentation on Thursday, August 31, 2017. Attorney Ryan Long will present information regarding Marital Property and Spousal Impoverishment. Linder will provide an overview of the Aging and Disabilities Resource Center and Elder Abuse via financial exploitation. In collaboration with the Public Health Department, Healthy Aging-Evidence-Based Programs will be offered in September. Last week, Linder met with doctors from Essentia Clinic to provide information regarding “Living Well with Chronic Conditions”. To date, five referrals were made since the presentation. Presentations will also be presented to medical staff at St. Luke’s Chequamegon Clinic and Northlakes Clinic. After receiving criticism regarding the Barnes congregate meal site, meal participants were sent a survey on topics related to the senior meals provided in Barnes. Thirty-seven surveys were completed and reviewed. The feedback was varied. Seven responders stated that they were upset with the meal site coordinator. The remaining 30 responders thought things went well at the site and did not have issues with the meal site coordinator. Linder then held a listening session at the meal site. Supervisor Crandall attended the session. Crandall stated that Linder did a very good job at the listening session and she focused on resolution of the issues and moving forward. Crandall will randomly attend the meal site and solicit feedback from the participants. Support Services – Nikki Revak Worked on and completed 2016 Wisconsin Medicaid Cost Report and completed the WIMCR 2015 audit with Public Consulting Group. Worked on and completed (on time) the 2018 DHS Budget with Skulan. Worked on the 2017 Budget projections and entered the figures in New World as part of the 2018 Budget instructions. Worked with the auditors. Assisted at the Wellness Salad luncheon; had a record attendance at the luncheon. BAYFIELD COUNTY HUMAN SERVICES BOARD MEETING Bayfield EOC August 24, 2017 K:Agendas & Minutes/DHS Board/Minutes/2017-8-24 BCDHS Board minutes 3 Economic Support Services – Jeanine Spuhler On August 8th and 9th Alannah Braker and Tracy Newhouse from the Wisconsin Department of Administration (DOA) conducted a Wisconsin Home Energy Assistance Program audit. Starting with the 2017 – 2018 WHEAP season, DOA has changed application requirements. Any household that has not completed an in person and/or phone interview in the last two heating seasons, will be required to do so. Staff are developing a plan for the 2017/2018 heating season to comply with the new requirements. Spuhler attended the national Midwest Partners Education & Training Conference in Green Bay with Tammy Fisher. Very informative conference. They participated in a tour of Lambeau Field and had the opportunity to walked through the tunnel that the Packers use to get on and off the field! Spuhler was on vacation the following week. Conducted a second mentoring meeting with Kelsey Latimer, the new WIC director. Participated in a Northern Income Maintenance Consortium manager meeting. Discussions included targeting additional performance monitoring. Monthly Reports Monthly reports reviewed and placed on file. Skulan and Revak reported that the 2017 budget deficit is expected to be the same as reported last month, approximately $450,000. It was noted that the Red Cliff Tribe has depleted their Kinship funds and have made some kinship referrals to Bayfield County. DHS currently has a waitlist for Kinship. DHS suggested that the Tribe petition the state directly for additional Kinship funds. Red Cliff may decide to license some of their Kinship families as foster homes. Should that occur, Bayfield County will be required to assume payment for the cases. There would also be a workload increase due to required monthly face to face visits. All foster homes must meet state foster care licensure criteria to be eligible for payment through Bayfield County. Also, Mental Health placements include individuals that DHS has not previously worked with. Missing from the training log: September 12 and 13th, Madison, Children’s Long Term Services Eligibility Streamline, Kristen Opperman. New Dining Center Approval Form – Request to move Port Wing Congregate Meal Site from South Shore School to Bear Paw Café A formal request was made to the state and DHS is moving forward on the new site. The community is happy. Elderly Nutrition Program Revitalization Mini-Grant Award DHS received the revitalization award for $7,500. This will allow for additional outreach, wages for a part-time position through December 31, 2017 and the opportunity to introduce local foods to the site. BAYFIELD COUNTY HUMAN SERVICES BOARD MEETING Bayfield EOC August 24, 2017 K:Agendas & Minutes/DHS Board/Minutes/2017-8-24 BCDHS Board minutes 4 Discussion and possible action – Addition of a regular part-time Meal Site Facilitator for the South Shore Senior Nutrition Site The Elderly Nutrition Program Revitalization Mini-Grant Award will compensate a regular part-time Meal Site Facilitator for up to ten hours per week through December 31, 2017. Beginning January 1, 2018, the position will be reduced to three hours per week. The South Shore Senior Nutrition Site will serve one meal per week, year-round, on Tuesday’s from 2 – 4. The suggested donation base will be $2.50 per meal, the same as in Washburn and Barnes. It was noted that the Iron River and Benoit senior meal sites suggest a $4 donation. Linder has requested a meal price and menu from the Bear Paw Café. The site is expected to begin serving meals September 12, 2017. Motion by Seldal second by Fickbohm to approve the addition of a regular part-time Meal Site Facilitator for the South Shore Senior Nutrition Site. Motion passed unanimously. Discussion and possible action 2018 DHS Budget Skulan summarized the DHS 2018 proposed budget. The budget totals approximately $6.5 million and was developed in accordance with instructions from the County Administrator. An increase of $10,000 county levy is included, primarily to address the change in location for the senior congregate meal site in Port Wing. A one-time request of $67,000 is included in the Capital Improvements Fund to replace the DHS financial software. Revenues are estimated at $4.7 million, 72% of the budget, and $1.8 million or 28% of the budget is county levy. Skulan noted that if the increase in need and corresponding expenditures in 2017 are not an anomaly, a similar pattern of spending will result in another year of deficit spending in 2018. Motion by Schmidt, second by Fickbohm, to approve the 2018 DHS Budget as presented. Motion passed unanimously. Wisconsin Home Energy Assistance Program (WHEAP) – Onsite audit conducted August 8 and 9, 2017 Skulan reported that during the exit interview with DOA, improvements could be made in: time reporting; claims invoicing; additional interactive interviews; increased outreach efforts; and proactive methods to address households that perpetually apply for crisis funding. Spuhler and her staff were complimented on program integrity efforts and their superior program knowledge. When complete, a written summary including the DOA findings will be provided. The summary will require a written response including a plan of action and anticipated timeline to address findings. Both the summary and response will be shared at a future meeting. Arrowhead Juvenile Correctional Facility 2018 Contract Skulan reported that DHS contracts with Arrowhead for less than 72 hour secured detentions of delinquent youth. Law enforcement is in favor of this contract as transport to the facility is less time consuming that transport to Wausau or Eau Claire. Skulan reported that DHS was unaware the contract should have been reported to the Department of Justice who is required to conduct an BAYFIELD COUNTY HUMAN SERVICES BOARD MEETING Bayfield EOC August 24, 2017 K:Agendas & Minutes/DHS Board/Minutes/2017-8-24 BCDHS Board minutes 5 onsite annual visit of the facility. This has now been corrected. The contract requires approval annually by the County Board. Comprehensive Community Services (CCS) Program Expansion Update Ashland, Bayfield and Douglas county submitted an application to expand the CCS region to Douglas County. A letter was received from Patrick Cork requiring additional program information from Douglas County. That information has been submitted and DHS is waiting for the next response. Human Services Board Member, Cable Area Skulan reported that Jim Crandall has identified a potential candidate for a DHS community board member. An application will be provided to the candidate and Crandall will follow up with her. The Department of Human Services Board may entertain a motion to move in and out of Executive Session pursuant to Wisconsin Statutes 19.85(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 Fickbohm at 5:52 p.m. to go in to closed session. Roll call vote. Motion passed unanimously. Motion by Seldal second by Schmidt at 5:55 p.m. to go out of closed session. Roll call vote. Motion approved unanimously. Discussion and possible action(s) Approve July 27, 2017 meeting minutes Motion by Strand second by Schmidt, to approve the July 27, 2017 Executive Minutes as presented. Motion approved unanimously. Other (Informational Items) A. Thank you to Ann Marie Mackin from Community Link Inc. B. Waldron, Amanda (August 2, 2017) Brookings Now from www.brookings.edu/blog/brookings-now C. Other Future Meetings A. September 28, 2017 B. October 26, 2017 C. December 5, 2017 (November and December meeting beginning with holiday potluck) 4:00 p.m. Adjournment at 5:57 p.m., Submitted by Financial Manager Nikki Revak