Special Notice / Hearing: None__
Vote Required: Majority
To: Honorable Board of Supervisors
From: Nicole Pollack, Director, Human Services Agency
Subject: Memorandum of Understanding between the California Automated Consortium Eligibility System for CalACES and the Welfare Client Data System Consortium Counties
RECOMMENDATION:
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Adopt a resolution authorizing the President of the Board of Supervisors to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding between the California Automated Consortium Eligibility System and the Welfare Client Data System Consortium.
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BACKGROUND:
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Food and Nutrition Services agencies of the United States Department of Agriculture directed the State of California to migrate to a single Statewide Automated Welfare System (“CalSAWS”) by 2023. The impetus of this directive was to reduce the financial cost to the State of managing and maintaining three different systems currently used by counties and to standardize the eligibility, benefit determination, enrollment and case management functions of the State’s major health and human services programs. The three social services computer systems used by the 58 California counties are:
• Los Angeles Eligibility, Automated Determination, Evaluation and Reporting (“LEADER”) is used only by Los Angeles County.
• Consortium IV (“C-IV”) is used by 39 counties.
• Welfare Client Data System (“WCDS”) Consortium is used in 18 counties, including San Mateo County.
The first step in establishing CalSAWS was Assembly Bill ABX1 16 (2011), which required the C-IV consortium and LEADER to combine into a jointly designed system referred to as CalACES. CalACES formed on September 1, 2017, through a Joint Powers Agreement (JPA), and is comprised of forty (40) California counties.
The remaining eighteen (18) California counties, including San Mateo County, participate in the Welfare Client Data System (“WCDS”) consortium for the purpose of managing and maintaining the CalWORKs Information Network (“CalWIN”). In the near future, the 18 WCDS counties will join the 40 CalACES counties to continue the development of CalSAWS for use by all 58 counties.
In preparation of the single system migration, representatives from CalACES, WCDS, and the California Welfare Directors Association (“CWDA”) formed the CalSAWS Leadership Team to collaborate on a CalSAWS governance structure and to identify issues requiring the procurement and implementation of certain shared computer services needed for all counties to eventually integrate into a single CalSAWS. The CalSAWS Leadership Team recommended that CalACES assume the legal responsibility for the procurement and execution of contracts with vendors for these shared services on behalf of CalACES and the WCDS counties for implementation by all 58 counties.
DISCUSSION:
This Memorandum of Understanding (“MOU”) has been developed between CalACES and WCDS and its approval allows CalACES to procure and manage shared service contracts related to the CalSAWS development on behalf of the WCDS consortium, which includes the County of San Mateo.
The MOU shall commence on the date the board of CalACES approves it, which will occur after all WCDS Counties have approved it. The MOU will remain in effect until the formation of CalSAWS.
The MOU and resolution have been reviewed and approved by County Counsel as to form.
Approval of this MOU will contribute to the Shared Vision 2025 outcome of a Collaborative Community by establishing partnerships between California counties to enable the migration to a single statewide automated welfare system (CalSAWS) by 2023.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no cost associated with this MOU.