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Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) recommending the Board adopt and authorize the Chair to sign Resolution 154-2022 amending the Authorized Personnel Allocation Resolution 199-2022 to:
1) Add one (1.0) Full Time Equivalent (FTE) Office Assistant I/II allocation in the Health and Human Services Agency; and
2) Add one (1.0) FTE Social Worker III allocation in the Health and Human Services Agency.
FUNDING: 100% AB 135 Adult Protective Services (APS) Expansion Funding.
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DISCUSSION / BACKGROUND
Assembly Bill 135 (AB 135), also known as Adult Protective Services (APS) Expansion, was signed into law on July 16, 2021, as part of the Budget Act of 2021. The goal of AB 135 is to enable the program to provide longer term case management, expand multidisciplinary teams, as well as make changes to the Welfare and Institutions Code (WIC) to expand the definition of who APS serves to include individuals 60 and older under the definition of “elder” (changed from 65 and older). AB 135 provides El Dorado County with $490,215 of State General Funds (SGF) as an annual allocation beginning January 1, 2022, which allows APS to expand its staffing to meet the ongoing and increasing demands and caseload related to the APS Expansion.
The continued growth of APS due to the AB 135 expansion will require the addition of 1.0 FTE Social Worker III and 1.0 FTE Office Assistant II in APS to help meet additional demand for services and management of the daily operation and workflow. Through AB 135, given that eligible clients are now aged 60 and older as opposed to what was an eligible age of 65 and older, and given that services are intended to be lengthened and expanded, it is anticipated that phone contacts to APS may likely increase or expand. It is also anticipated that, due to these program changes, enhanced staff coordination will be critical to the program's continued effectiveness while serving an expanded eligible population. Given that only 1 in 14 APS referrals ...
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