Corrective Action Plan: The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS), in coordination with the Ohio Department of Medicaid (ODM), the Department of Administrative Services (DAS), and our vendor teams will continue to work to address system design weaknesses by identifying and prioritizing ...
Corrective Action Plan: The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS), in coordination with the Ohio Department of Medicaid (ODM), the Department of Administrative Services (DAS), and our vendor teams will continue to work to address system design weaknesses by identifying and prioritizing system changes and updates that impact eligibility determinations and benefit amounts as well as alert volume and processing improvements. Weekly problem review meetings will continue to be held to identify reported system issues and track any needed updates through the normal prioritization and slotting process. These changes will be delivered according to the agreed upon release cadence based on business priority and impact. Upon delivery of such system changes, the team will monitor production to determine if the desired outcome was achieved. ODM and ODJFS continue to meet to analyze the alerts in Ohio Benefits and the group presents recommendations to our vendor team for overall system alert improvements; these recommendations were prioritized and corrected in our normal release cadence through calendar year 2022, with the most recent release occurring in February 2022. The next alert centered release is scheduled for April 2023. Comprehensive alert reduction efforts thus far have reduced the overall ~29 million backlog alerts and drove a ~22 million annual reduction in new arrival of alerts. A system release specific to IEVSs enhancements is planned for R4.6.1 (April 2023) which will streamline the process for county staff to process IEVS matches from the IRS Unearned Income interface. There will be both E-Verify enhancements and a change in the match logic which will result in a reduction in the volume of IRS records that are flagged as IEVS matches. Caseworker time spent on processing IRS IEVS matches is expected to reduce; remaining time spent on IRS IEVS matches is expected to have more value by allowing caseworkers to focus time on matches with an eligibility impact or potential for benefit recovery. Periodic and timely review of IEVS will be completed as follows: ? Each state Fraud Control Specialist is assigned designated county agencies to provide technical assistance and training, as well as to monitor certain reports to ensure compliance with state and federal regulations. The counties will be monitored monthly and those not showing improvement will be offered training and technical assistance as appropriate. When a Fraud Control Specialist notices a county agency falling short of a required threshold, contact is made with county officials and the offer of assistance will be made. Once the number of alerts becomes manageable by the county agency, a Continuous Improvement Plan (CIP) may be required of the county agency if the issue continues over a four-month period of continuous contact and assistance. This type of CIP may be initiated outside the scope of Fraud Control Triad Review. ? The Fraud Control Section will conduct follow-up on Continuous Improvement Plans (CIPs) as part of the Triad Review process. When the county agency responds with a CIP, it is reviewed for clarity, action, and desired outcomes. Once approved, the Fraud Control Section will issue a closure letter for the Triad Review; however, a CIP may remain open for a longer period of time if warranted. We are in the process of creating a procedure and a closure letter for CIPs alone. This procedure will be implemented by June 30, 2023. ? Supervisory Reviews are monitored as part of the Triad Review process. Currently, the question is posed to the county supervisor about conducting random supervisory reviews. We are in the process of creating a procedure within the Triad Review process to be provided a list of IEVS matches that were reviewed by the supervisor. This procedure will be communicated statewide through the Fraud Control Training Program and enforced and verified during the Triad Review process.To continue to support the county caseworker staff, the Ohio Benefits Program provides training materials and promotes ongoing learning about related business processes without requiring in-person training. For each major system release or system enhancement that impacts the end user, updated training materials are produced and disseminated. These materials may take the form of job aids that are posted to the project website, train-the-trainer sessions, and video conferences where system users can ask live questions about the system. In addition to system support and training, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) in coordination with the Ohio Department of Medicaid (ODM) continue to provide the following methods by which training and system guidance is provided to CDJFS employees: 1. New Worker Training (NWT): A 12-week, comprehensive Policy and Systems training for new users (or refresher training for existing users) in the Ohio Benefits Worker Portal (OBWP) has been developed. The courses cover Policy and Systems overview, TANF, SNAP, Cash and Case Maintenance, along with the primary Medicaid programs (MAGI & ABD). The training is comprised of multiple, self-guided, Web Based Training (WBT) modules and virtual Instructor Led Training (vILT) sessions that provides `hands on? instruction. 2. Monthly Statewide County Conference: Monthly statewide webinars to cover general OFA updates for SNAP and Cash. These meetings include OFA?s Policy and TA staff, Outcomes and Analysis, Data Reporting, Quality Control, Automated Systems Training and the OB-IMS Help Desk. All areas share information on both refresher topics and emerging policy as well as systems issues where additional training is needed. The meetings are facilitated by the Program & Policy Services area within the Policy section of OFA and provides input on issues needing additional training and guidance. AST provides copies of job aids and other training documents during these support meetings. Recording of statewide training sessions are made available for counties to access on demand. 3. Operational Support Webinars: Bi-weekly webinars are delivered jointly by ODJFS and ODM, to counties for systems-based information and instruction on emerging topics and training related issues. Topics for the webinar are identified through a coordinated effort with the OB-IMS Help Desk, the weekly PBI/Defect Closure meetings and On Demand System Inquiries (received via email), to review any issues or concerns discovered by the Help Desk during the previous week. Counties are also able to submit questions and request topics in advance of the webinars to be reviewed and covered as part of the webinar agenda. 4. Ohio Benefits System Release Webinars: These are delivered jointly by ODJFS and ODM to inform counties about updates and enhancements made in each Ohio Benefits system release. During these webinars, counties are provided information regarding proper systems operation based on the items included in the release and target items that no longer require a workaround by the county worker. 5. Job Aids Available on the Innerweb: Automated Systems Training (AST) routinely provides systems-related job aids for county use that target specific topics and pain points for the counties. On the average, one to two new job aids are either created or updated each week and the Innerweb training pages are routinely referenced during New Worker Training, Operational Support, and Ohio Benefits system release webinars. 6. Quarterly Regional County Operational Support Meetings: Both the Automated Systems Training (AST) and the OB-IMS Help Desk participate in these regionally based, quarterly meetings, along with ODM Operations, Systems, and Policy staff. They provide guidance and system instruction on emerging systems issues and/or where additional training is needed. The meetings are facilitated by the Program & Policy Services area within the Policy section of OFA and provides input on issues needing additional training and guidance. AST provides copies of job aids and other training documents during these support meetings. 7. Quarterly Work Activity Round Table Meetings: Automated Systems Training (AST) and the OB-IMS Help Desk participate in these regionally based, quarterly meetings to provide guidance and system instruction related to TANF Work Activities. The meetings are facilitated by the Outcomes & Analysis area within the Policy section of OFA and provides input on issues needing additional training and guidance. 8. On Demand Systems Inquiries: Automated Systems Training (AST) maintains an email box where counties can submit inquiries about correct data entry and system functionality within the OBWP. Timely responses are provided to these inquiries frequently providing Help Desk confirmed instructions in a timely manner. Many of these inquiries are shared at the meetings and communications channels listed above. 9. System Support for Targeted Policy Training: Automated Systems Training (AST) provides system related content to support targeted Policy training topics to provide a holistic view of the application of policies within OBWP. The targeted training is delivered via virtual meetings and/or WBT modules. Some topic examples include `Expedited SNAP,? `Delayed Processing? and `Early Denial.? Recording of statewide trainings are made available for counties to access later.Interagency Agreement An Interagency Agreement is entered into by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) and the Ohio Department of Administrative Services (DAS). This Agreement is entered into for the purpose of setting forth the roles and responsibilities, budget methodology and payment terms, data sharing restrictions, security protocols, and compliance requirements for the Ohio Benefits Program. DAS and ODJFS has completed extensive policy, program, and legal reviews and the final Agreement is in circulation to secure DAS and ODJFS Director?s signatures.