Work Support Strategies in North Carolina April 22, 2013 Dottie Rosenbaum Center on Budget and Policy Priorities

WSS NATIONAL TEAM PROJECT MANAGEMENT/ EVALUATION TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FUNDERS

WHAT IS WSS? Improve families’ wellbeing by increasing enrollment in the full package of work supports Help states deliver benefits more effectively and efficiently Share lessons learned to inform state and federal policies

Plan for Presentation 1. A Brief Summary of WSS from National Perspective 2. NC WSS Project and Accomplishments So Far and the Road Ahead

A BRIEF SUMMARY OF WSS

WSS Aims to Integrate and Modernize Delivery of… Medicaid/ CHIP SNAP (Food and Nutrition Services) CCDBC (child care subsidies) Others identified by the states (such as TANF and energy assistance)

Families and Workers: Caught in a Cycle Families’ need for help Not enough workers Long lines, can’t process Miss work, lose benefits

Responsive Government Is A Widely Shared Value State and County elected officials of both parties  Hear from constituents about problems  Want to modernize service delivery, reduce complaints, end antiquated bureaucracy.  Want to reduce duplication and improve efficiency.

Improvements Benefit Children and Families Getting families the whole work supports package will help them move up on the job. Keeping children on health insurance without gaps will improve outcomes. Understanding families’ needs all at once will help them solve their problems more quickly.

Two Phase Design PART 1: PLANNING AND PILOTING One year (2011) Nine states $250,000 grant Leveraged resources Extensive technical assistance, peer- to-peer Data-driven assessment Culminated in state action plan Year 1 Evaluation Reports Available

Two Phase Design PART 2: IMPLEMENTATION Three years (2012–2015) Six states $1-1.5 million each Leveraged resources Extensive technical assistance, peer- to-peer Implementation and impact evaluations Information sharing with federal officials

The States Colorado Idaho Illinois North Carolina Rhode Island South Carolina

State Activities Business processes Policy Technology & information systems Data analysis and use Communications & Project Management

NORTH CAROLINA AT THE HALFWAY POINT

North Carolina Key Activities 1. Formalize and strengthen county and state partnerships. 2. Develop organizational culture that supports new service delivery system. 3. Build infrastructure to support new service delivery system. 4. Communicate the vision for a new service delivery system. 5. Increase capacity for data collection and analysis. 6. Reduce burdensome policies and procedures. 7. Perform staff development and readiness activities.

North Carolina WSS Vision “Families will tell their story once, and receive the services they need”

Knitting Together Multi-Agency and State-County Teams No Quick Fixes Multi-pronged Strategies Formal Committees and Structures Communication Culture and Reflexes At all levels

Aligning Technology to Support Vision Technology is a major tool NCFAST Cross-program sharing of data Case management Document imaging But not the only tool. Also Need Process and Policy Coordination

Providing Tools to Help Counties Navigate and Make Decisions Practice Model Communication Toolkit Technical Assistance  Hands-on  Other resources Sharing best practices across counties Data Toolkit Video And lots and lots of meetings like this one!

Data for Decision-Making and for Knowing What Works Cross-program enrollment Efficiency improvements Family well-being Move ahead with existing data while investing in building better data and staff capacity to use the data.

Making Sure Staff Have Needed Support In addition to the other tools, retool support for staff Staff Development plans Training and skills Readiness for change

Why WSS Matters in North Carolina You can: Make a difference millions of families lives Show how a big, state with 100 counties can accomplish positive changes Address families’ issues holistically Show that government can be efficient and effective