Title
Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) recommending the Board:
1) Approve and authorize the Chair to sign non-financial Second Amended and Restated Joint Exercise of Powers Agreement (FENIX # to be determined) (Agreement) with CalSAWS Consortium, a California Joint Powers Authority, that amends and restates the Joint Exercise of Powers Agreement dated December 1998 (FENIX 1027) and any and all amendments thereto, with no change to the perpetual term that began December 1998;
2) Authorize the Chair to execute further documents relating to the Agreement, including amendments that do not increase the maximum dollar amount or change the term, and contingent upon approval by County Counsel and Risk Management; and
3) Authorize the HHSA Director or the Chief Fiscal Officer to execute any required fiscal and programmatic reports.
FUNDING: This is a non-financial MOU.
Body
DISCUSSION / BACKGROUND:
In December 2016, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Food and Nutrition Services agencies of the United States Department of Agriculture directed California to move to a single statewide automated welfare system (CalSAWS) by 2023 in order to receive federal funds. With all 58 counties participating in the single statewide automated welfare system, Consortium C-IV (C-IV) is now changing its name to CalSAWS Joint Powers Authority (JPA). As part of a transition from the current C-IV platform to the new CalSAWS platform, there are two agreements that must be executed. This non-financial Agreement allows the County to be a participating member in the JPA; to accommodate the change to the updated and revised CalSAWS system, the CalSAWS JPA requires participating counties to sign the Second Amended and Restated JPA Agreement to participate the CalSAWS JPA. In addition, a second document allows the CalSAWS JPA will operate under a financial share-of-cost Memorandum of Understanding with each member county (see File ID 19-0547).
In 1979, the California Legislature passed Assembly Bill (AB) 8 requiring the Department of Social Services to implement a centralized welfare system in all counties, which resulted in four Consortiums being developed to meet this mandate. El Dorado County was one of thirty-five counties that shared in the use of the Interim Statewide Automated Welfare System (ISAWS) for the determination of welfare eligibility, to issue benefits and to manage welfare-to-work services.
In 2002, the California State Legislature adopted language in AB444 to add Section 10823.1 to the Welfare and Institutions Code, thereby establishing legislative intent for ISAWS counties’ migration to another consortium system. Because the ISAWS Consortium project was scheduled to terminate in 2010, all ISAWS Consortium Counties were required to join the California Statewide Automated Welfare System Consortium IV (Consortium C-IV). The ISAWS Consortium voted to disband and Consortium C-IV assumed the role and duties of the ISAWS Consortium prior to the termination of the project.
The State provided a lengthy document outlining the history of the transition from ISAWS to C-IV and now to CalSAWS, and is included as Attachment C to this board item.
The CalSAWS Leadership Team met for over a year as the governance documents were developed. The team sanctioned the formation of an attorney work group made up of several county counsels to review the draft governance documents and provide input to the documents and process prior to the documents being sent to all 58 county counsels for review and comment. County counsel representatives from all 58 counties have reviewed and approved these documents.
ALTERNATIVES:
The Board could decline to approve this participation Agreement for the CalSAWS JPA; however, to continue to provide services for Medi-Cal, California Work Opportunity & Responsibility to Kids/Temporary Aid to Needy Families (CalWORKs/TANF), CalFresh/Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants (CAPI), Foster Care, Refugee Cash Assistance (RCA), Kinship Guardianship Assistance Program (KinGAP), California Food Assistance Program (CFAP), General Assistance/General Relief (GA/GR), Adoption Assistance, and other subprograms, the County must participate in CalSAWS. Therefore, declining to approve and authorize this Agreement would prohibit the County from providing said services.
PRIOR BOARD ACTION:
1) 07-15-2003 / Item 5 / ISAWS Consortium MOU and Bylaws
2) 04-17-2007 / File ID 07-596 / Human Services with CA Statewide Automated Welfare
3) 06-10-2008 / File ID 08-0807 / DHS A1 CA Statewide Automated Welfare Systems
4) 03-24-2009 / File ID 09-0315 / DHS C-IV MOU 905-M0810 A2
5) 04-27-2010 / File ID 10-0372 / DHS C-IV 417-M1011
6) 05-25-2010 / File ID 10-0540 / DHS C-IV Scanner Purchase
7) 05-23-2017 / File ID 17-0526 / HHSA CalACES JPA Agmt & MOU
OTHER DEPARTMENT / AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
Approved by County Counsel, Information Technologies, Risk Management, and Human Resources.
CAO RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the Board approve this item.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
The CalSAWS Second Amended and Restated Joint Exercise of Powers Agreement is a non-financial agreement.
CLERK OF THE BOARD FOLLOW UP ACTIONS
1) Clerk of the Board to obtain signature of Chair on three (3) originals of the Agreement.
2) Clerk of the Board to send all partially signed documents to HHSA Contracts Unit at 3057 Briw Road.
STRATEGIC PLAN COMPONENT:
N/A
CONTACT
Don Semon, Director