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SB-1147 CalFresh: customer service standards: performance goals.(2013-2014)

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Amended  IN  Senate  March 27, 2014

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2013–2014 REGULAR SESSION

Senate Bill
No. 1147

Introduced by Senator DeSaulnier
(Coauthors: Assembly Members Ammiano, Gordon, and Ting)

February 20, 2014

An act to add Section 18920 to the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to CalFresh.


LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


SB 1147, as amended, DeSaulnier. CalFresh: customer service standards: performance goals.
Existing federal law provides for the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), known in California as CalFresh, formerly the Food Stamp Program, under which supplemental nutrition assistance benefits allocated to the state by the federal government are distributed to eligible individuals by each county. Existing law requires the State Department of Social Services to establish and maintain a plan, known as the County Administrative Cost Control Plan, whereby costs for county administration of CalFresh are effectively controlled within the amounts annually appropriated for that administration, and whereby standards and performance criteria are established and are required to be adhered to by counties.
This bill would require the department, in collaboration with key stakeholders, to establish statewide customer service standards and performance goals with regard to CalFresh, revise and the standards and goals to reflect changes in CalFresh performance over time, measure the progress made toward the execution of the standards and goals on an annual basis, and make the standards and goals publicly available for the purpose of informing the Legislature and the public. The bill would also require the department to develop a dynamic data management tool that includes specified data, including, but not limited to, data regarding CalFresh applications received through multiple channels. This bill would require data from the data management tool to be made publicly available on an ongoing basis and updated at least on a quarterly basis within 30 60 days following the end of each quarter, and authorizes would require the department to use the data from the tool to measure the progress made towards the standards and goals established pursuant to these provisions. The bill would make related findings and declarations.
Vote: MAJORITY   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: YES   Local Program: NO  

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:


SECTION 1.

 The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
(a) Hunger and food insecurity continue to be a struggle faced by too many Californians. In 2011 and 2012, at least four million low-income adults in California experienced food insecurity.
(b) Reduced hunger and improved access to nutritious foods are fundamental goals of CalFresh, the state’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) through which low-income Californians receive federally funded nutrition benefits.
(c) Low CalFresh participation results in less nutrition assistance for eligible individuals, less economic activity, and less sales tax revenue for the state and local governments.
(d) California continues to struggle with low CalFresh participation. In the 2009–10 fiscal year, just over half one-half of eligible CalFresh households participated in the program.
(e) The state and counties have made significant fiscal and policy investments in CalFresh and in the food security, health, and well-being of participants.
(f) A number of other states have taken action to improve their SNAP performance and customer service by making data-driven policy decisions and setting statewide service expectations.
(g) Other California public benefit programs and entities, including Medi-Cal and the California Health Benefit Exchange, have increased data transparency and established standards and goals.
(h) It is the intent of the Legislature, in an effort to improve CalFresh participation and access, to establish statewide CalFresh customer service standards and performance goals and to periodically monitor progress toward meeting those goals.

SEC. 2.

 Section 18920 is added to the Welfare and Institutions Code, to read:

18920.
 (a) The department, in collaboration with key stakeholders, shall establish statewide customer service standards and performance goals with regard to CalFresh. The
(b) The department shall revise the standards and goals to reflect changes in CalFresh performance over time and shall measure the progress made toward the execution of the standards and goals on an annual basis and shall make basis.
(c) The department shall make the standards and goals publicly available for the purpose of informing the Legislature and the public. The
(d) When developing the customer service standards and performance goals, the department and key stakeholders shall take into consideration what is achievable under current funding and, if applicable, the cost impact of improved program efficiency and the need for additional resource investment.
(e) The department may shall, when appropriate, use the data made available in the dynamic data management tool developed pursuant to subdivision (b) (f) to measure the progress made toward achieving the established standards and goals.

(b)

(f) (1) The department shall, in collaboration with key stakeholders, develop a dynamic data management tool that is dynamic in that it presents data showing change, activity, or progress over time, and the data can be extracted for further analysis. If feasible and appropriate, the department may expand upon existing technology for this purpose, including, but not limited to, expansion of the CalFresh data dashboard. The data management tool shall include data presented on a statewide and county-by-county basis to be derived by the department from the Medi-Cal Eligibility Data System (MEDS), the Statewide Automated Welfare System, or any other appropriate information management systems. The data management tool shall include, but not be limited to, all of the following:
(A) Data regarding multiprogram enrollment, which may include, but is not limited to, dual eligibility and dual participation among CalFresh and Medi-Cal recipients.
(B) Data regarding CalFresh applications received through multiple channels, including, but not limited to, which may include in-person, online, and by phone telephone.
(C) Data regarding CalFresh application and recertification outcomes, which may include, but is not limited to, disposition and processing times.
(D) Data regarding CalFresh reapplication, which may include, but is not limited to, rate of return within 30, 60, and 90 days.
(2) Data from the data management tool shall be made publicly available on an ongoing basis and updated at least on a quarterly basis within 30 60 days following the end of each quarter, for the purpose of informing the Legislature and the public about CalFresh enrollment, benefit retention, customer service, and performance.
(3) The department shall, in collaboration with key stakeholders, identify necessary revisions to the data management tool as necessary to fulfill the standards and goals established pursuant to subdivision (a).