Department of Human Resources County of Madera 200 W. 4th Street, 4th Floor I Madera, California 93637

"The Grand Jury found that the organization and staffing of the Eligibility Unit is inadequate, both in number of staff and organizational structure." a. The new "Round Robin" process was implemented in early October and will require additional time to determine its ultimate success. b. The intake process has been distributed to all EWs with the implementation of the "Round Robin", thus the specialized skills and knowledge including fact gathering and personal observations for determining eligibility, so crucial during intake, has been diminished. c. The intake process for Cal FRESH will be less effective when the interview process is conducted over the telephone and may increase the potential for fraud. d. Although several highly-skilled and experienced EWs are able to cope with the caseload of approximately 450 cases per worker, many are unable to perform at this level. e. There is no central authority for processing aiiiEVS reports and no repercussions to EWs for failure to process these tasks in the required time. Response: The response of the County Director of Social Services to the above Findings is considered appropriate and is submitted as the Board of Supervisors response. (See Attachment #2)

'The Grand Jury found that high turnover of EWs is expensive and disruptive. a. The high rate of turnover in the Eligibility Worker Unit is a long-time problem, yet no apparent action to change the situation is in evidence. b. Wages for EWs are non-competitive with neighboring counties, contributing to the exceedingly high turnover rate. c. The moral of the EW workforce is lower than that of the other DSS employees and can be attributed to lack of top management involvement and support, lack of internal promotional opportunities, workload, low pay, inadequate and unsafe working conditions. Response: The response of the County Director of Social Services to the above Findings is considered appropriate and is submitted as the Board of Supervisors response. (See Attachment #2)

"The Grand Jury found that the automated C-IV Case Management and IEVS reporting systems are effective and efficient; however, they are sophisticated and complex systems requiring a lengthy training period." a. The required processing of IEVS reports by the EWs is not being uniformly accomplished in accordance with State and Federal regulations. Many EWs do not process their respective IVES reports in a timely basis and some reports are not processed at all. b. Many potential CaiWORKS 0/Ps and Cal FRESH 0/ls (meaning that the recipient may be receiving benefits for which he/she is not entitled) are reported via the IEVS reports, but are not diligently addressed by the EWs. c. The IEVS report processing, which is the basis for 0/P and 0/1 discovery, are viewed as non-priority issues by many EWs, their supervisors and DSS Management. d. The Director and senior management are not effectively communicating the importance of processing 0/Ps and Oils to the EWs and the Eligibility Unit as a whole. Response: The response of the County Director of Social Services to the above Findings is considered appropriate and is submitted as the Board of Supervisors response. (See Attachment #2)

"The Grand Jury found that the Collections Unit is a competent and well organized unit, however it is required to operate with out-dated policies and lack of attention and priority from top management." a. The outstanding balance of uncollectible O'Ps of CaiWORKS grants is currently $2.8 million and has steadily increased each year. b. The outstanding balance of uncollectible Oils of Cal FRESH food stamps is currently $1.5 million and has steadily increased each year. c. The process of requesting a Board Resolution to write off uncollectible amounts for cases ten or more years in arrears, although required for accounting purposes, does not provide current information to the Board of Supervisors (BoS) for good management decisions. d. Under the current reporting system the BaS is neither completely informed nor aware of the scope and growth of current outstanding balances of 0/Ps and 0/ls. e. The practice of allowing the recipient to set the monthly repayment amount is a poor business practice and unreasonable. Response: The response of the County Director of Social Services to the above Findings is considered appropriate and is submitted as the Board of Supervisors response. (See Attachment #2)

"The Grand Jury found that the problems associated with the Eligibility Unit have existed for the past decade. They have been formally documented but are not resolved." a. There is a documented response to the 2009 State Audit Report from the Director of DSS identifying the corrective action. b. There has been no improvement or change in the operation of DSS. Response: The response of the County Director of Social Services to the above Findings is considered appropriate and is submitted as the Board of Supervisors response. (See Attachment #2)

"The Grand Jury found that existing office space, parking, safety and security for the main Madera locations are both inefficient and inadequate for the current operation and future growth." Response: The response of the County Director of Social Services to the above Finding is considered appropriate and is submitted as the Board of Supervisors response. (See Attachment #2)

"The Grand Jury found that the Grand Jury investigation confirms the allegations of the complaint to be true and accurate. Response: The response of the County Director of Social Services to the above Finding is considered appropriate and is submitted as the Board o.f Supervisors response. (See Attachment #2)

Non-management employees are putting in voluntary unpaid time in order to insure completion of the work requirements. Response: Disagree with the Finding per California Penal Code § 93 3. 05 (a) (2). County employees are not defined as volunteers and have statutory rights regarding available forms of compensation (straight time, overtime, etc.) for all hours worked. The Director of Human Resources does not have oversight responsibility of the non management employee in the CAO -Purchasing Division; however, based on interactions with CAO management/supervisory staff regarding various and unrelated staffing/personnel issues, there is a very good general knowledge base of the regulations governing employee compensation issues. AC:ac Cc: Board of Supervisors BOARD OF SUPERVISORS MEMBERS OF THE BOARD COUNTY OF MADERA MANUEL NEVAREZ DAVID ROGERS MADERA COUNTY GOVERNMENT CENTER RICK FARINELLI 200 WEST FOURTH STREET/MADERA, CALIFORNIA 93637 MAX RODRIGUEZ (559) 675-7700 I FAX (559) 673-3302 I TDD (559) 675-8970 TOM WHEELER TANNA G. BOYD, Chief Clerk of the Board RECEIVED June 11, 2013 The Honorable D. Lynn Jones Presiding Judge Madera, County Superior Court 209 W. Yosemite Avenue Madera, CA 93637 Subject: Response to the 2012-13 Grand Jury Report entitled "Madera County Department of Social Services Finai Report". Honorable Judge Jones: Pursuant to California Penal Code 933.05, the Madera County Board of Supervisors submits this response to the findings and recommendations in the 2012-13 Madera county Grand Jury Report on "Madera County Department of Social Services Final Report". (See Attachment #1) The following are the Grand Jury's findings and recommendations and the Board of Supervisors' responses: Finding 1: "The Grand Jury found that the organization and staffing of the Eligibility Unit is inadequate, both in number of staff and organizational structure." a. The new "Round Robin" process was implemented in early October and will require additional time to determine its ultimate success. b. The intake process has been distributed to all EWs with the implementation of the "Round Robin", thus the specialized skills and knowledge including fact gathering and personal observations for determining eligibility, so crucial during intake, has been diminished. c. The intake process for Cal FRESH will be less effective when the interview process is conducted over the telephone and may increase the potential for fraud. d. Although several highly-skilled and experienced EWs are able to cope with the caseload of approximately 450 cases per worker, many are unable to perform at this level. e. There is no central authority for processing aiiiEVS reports and no repercussions to EWs for failure to process these tasks in the required time. Response: The response of the County Director of Social Services to the above Findings is considered appropriate and is submitted as the Board of Supervisors response. (See Attachment #2) Finding 2: 'The Grand Jury found that high turnover of EWs is expensive and disruptive. a. The high rate of turnover in the Eligibility Worker Unit is a long-time problem, yet no apparent action to change the situation is in evidence. b. Wages for EWs are non-competitive with neighboring counties, contributing to the exceedingly high turnover rate. c. The moral of the EW workforce is lower than that of the other DSS employees and can be attributed to lack of top management involvement and support, lack of internal promotional opportunities, workload, low pay, inadequate and unsafe working conditions. Response: The response of the County Director of Social Services to the above Findings is considered appropriate and is submitted as the Board of Supervisors response. (See Attachment #2) Finding 3: "The Grand Jury found that the automated C-IV Case Management and IEVS reporting systems are effective and efficient; however, they are sophisticated and complex systems requiring a lengthy training period." a. The required processing of IEVS reports by the EWs is not being uniformly accomplished in accordance with State and Federal regulations. Many EWs do not process their respective IVES reports in a timely basis and some reports are not processed at all. b. Many potential CaiWORKS 0/Ps and Cal FRESH 0/ls (meaning that the recipient may be receiving benefits for which he/she is not entitled) are reported via the IEVS reports, but are not diligently addressed by the EWs. c. The IEVS report processing, which is the basis for 0/P and 0/1 discovery, are viewed as non-priority issues by many EWs, their supervisors and DSS Management. d. The Director and senior management are not effectively communicating the importance of processing 0/Ps and Oils to the EWs and the Eligibility Unit as a whole. Response: The response of the County Director of Social Services to the above Findings is considered appropriate and is submitted as the Board of Supervisors response. (See Attachment #2) Finding 4: "The Grand Jury found that the Collections Unit is a competent and well organized unit, however it is required to operate with out-dated policies and lack of attention and priority from top management." a. The outstanding balance of uncollectible O'Ps of CaiWORKS grants is currently $2.8 million and has steadily increased each year. b. The outstanding balance of uncollectible Oils of Cal FRESH food stamps is currently $1.5 million and has steadily increased each year. c. The process of requesting a Board Resolution to write off uncollectible amounts for cases ten or more years in arrears, although required for accounting purposes, does not provide current information to the Board of Supervisors (BoS) for good management decisions. d. Under the current reporting system the BaS is neither completely informed nor aware of the scope and growth of current outstanding balances of 0/Ps and 0/ls. e. The practice of allowing the recipient to set the monthly repayment amount is a poor business practice and unreasonable. Response: The response of the County Director of Social Services to the above Findings is considered appropriate and is submitted as the Board of Supervisors response. (See Attachment #2) Finding 5: "The Grand Jury found that the problems associated with the Eligibility Unit have existed for the past decade. They have been formally documented but are not resolved." a. There is a documented response to the 2009 State Audit Report from the Director of DSS identifying the corrective action. b. There has been no improvement or change in the operation of DSS. Response: The response of the County Director of Social Services to the above Findings is considered appropriate and is submitted as the Board of Supervisors response. (See Attachment #2) Finding 6: "The Grand Jury found that existing office space, parking, safety and security for the main Madera locations are both inefficient and inadequate for the current operation and future growth." Response: The response of the County Director of Social Services to the above Finding is considered appropriate and is submitted as the Board of Supervisors response. (See Attachment #2) Finding 7: "The Grand Jury found that the Grand Jury investigation confirms the allegations of the complaint to be true and accurate. Response: The response of the County Director of Social Services to the above Finding is considered appropriate and is submitted as the Board o.f Supervisors response. (See Attachment #2)

The change of job classification for PCFs to "Extra Help" has caused the reduction in PCF benefits and rights which conflict with policies, ordinances and resolutions adopted by the BoS. Response: Partially Disagree with the Finding per California Penal Code§ 933.05(a) (2). In 2010, the State of California discontinued all payroll services for Paid-Call Firefighters and Paid-Call Driver Operators. As a result, Madera County assumed responsibility for the payroll services and was advised that doing so would help decrease administrative costs. In order to transition Paid-Call Firefighters and Paid-Call Driver Operators into the County's payroll system, job specifications and job code numbers were developed and the positions · pted into the County's Unclassified Service, which is an indicator that REC:EMfibents in t positions will never attain Civil Service status with the County. In a 1t10n, m mb nts that are hired into positions that were adopted into the County's Unclassifie Ser ice are coded in the payroll system as 'extra-help'. JUN 2 4 2013 . MADERA COUNTY GRAND JURY Response to Grand Jury Report-Fire Department June 14, 2013 Page2 The fact that these positions were defined as 'extra-help' should not have had any impact on the rights and benefits PCFs/Driver Operators received as a result ofBoS adopted policies, ordinances and resolutions. Finding # 11: A contentious work environment for PCFs regarding numerous forms of discrimination exists. Response: Disagree with the Finding per California Penal Code§ 933.05(a) (2). The Department of Human Resources has no evidence supporting that a contentious work environment exists regarding forms of discrimination, as defined by the Federal and State governments.