1. 1 DSHS | Community Services Division | ESA | Customer Service Contact Center September 2014 Toni Johnson Conroy December 5, 2014 Presented to Washington Coalition on Medicaid Outreach (WCOMO) Courtyard Marriott Tacoma 1515 Commerce Street, Tacoma, WA

2. 2 DSHS | Community Services Division | ESA | Customer Service Contact Center September 2014 EBT In fiscal year 2014, ESA issued more than $1.6 billion in basic food benefits to more than 595,000 Washington families. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) praises Washington’s EBT card monitoring system as “exemplary”. We have a 99.67 percent accuracy rate for the first 10 months of federal fiscal year 2014. Contrary to news reports earlier this year, the audit found no instances in which household members used an invalid Social Security number to obtain benefits. It also notes a significant decline in the number of replacement cards issued and no transactions at prohibited locations

3. 3 DSHS | Community Services Division | ESA | Customer Service Contact Center September 2014 News In 2014 Washington ranked second highest in the nation for services and supports DSHS provides to older adults, people with disabilities and family caregivers. The scorecard measures how successfully the states care for vulnerable and older adults by offering long-term services and support systems. The ranking was announced by the AARP in its 2014 scorecard.

4. 4 DSHS | Community Services Division | ESA | Customer Service Contact Center September 2014 News Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) secured a $3.9 million federal grant, to provide critical recovery support services to 450 people over five years. With these services DSHS can more fully support people with serious mental illness and co-occurring substance use disorders in their recovery goals. Grant Mental Health in the Spokane Regional Support Network, and Columbia River Mental Health in the Southwest Washington Regional Support Network, will implement the project, known as Washington Becoming Employed Starts Today (BEST).

5. 5 DSHS | Community Services Division | ESA | Customer Service Contact Center September 2014 News The state Department of Social and Health Services has received approval from Gov. Jay Inslee to spend up to $30 million to purchase mental health treatment services for some of the 200 patients involuntarily detained outside of certified evaluation and treatment facilities due to overcrowding. (8/2014)

6. 6 DSHS | Community Services Division | ESA | Customer Service Contact Center September 2014 DOMA Decision Because of the recent Supreme Court ruling, effective July 28th, there will be a change in the way we view same sex marriages for Basic Food benefits. Legally married couples now includes legally married same sex couples. Additionally, on June 30, 2014, the state of Washington converted existing same sex domestic partnerships to legal marriages so this rule change applies to those couples as well.

7. 7 DSHS | Community Services Division | ESA | Customer Service Contact Center September 2014 DOMA Decision Medicaid like the Basic Food program is no longer prevented from recognizing same- sex marriages for determining eligibility for these programs. Eligibility for Classic Medicaid is now identical for same-sex couple households and opposite-sex couple household.

8. 8 DSHS | Community Services Division | ESA | Customer Service Contact Center September 2014 Questions?Comments? Toni Johnson Conroy, MPA Community Relations Manager Customer Service Contact Center Community Services Division | ESA | DSHS 5712 Main Street SW, Suite 100, Office 161 Lakewood, WA 98499 509.638.9437 (C) Email: Toni.Conroy@dshs.wa.gov Toni.Conroy@dshs.wa.gov