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Emeraency Financial Assistance Programs <br />(Charts and tables incorporated iay reference) <br />• Managed increased demand for public assistance programs, particularly in Food <br />Stamps and Medicaid. See the following information on client statistics. Also <br />provided assistance to Medicare recipients during transition to Medicare D <br />prescription drug plan. <br />• The number of Food Stamp cases have increased 103°k from 2000-01 to 2005- <br />06. <br />• The number of Medicaid cases have increased 53°I° from 2000-01 to 2005-06. <br />Chair Jacobs asked far the staff to identify by employer who has food stamp <br />recipients. Nancy Coston answered that this information would be very difficult to <br />acquire. Same service industry jobs only offer a certain amount of hours to employees. <br />Major Accomplishments of 2005-2006: <br />Medicaid Caseload Increase <br />Major Accomplishments of 2005-2006: <br />Food Stamp Caseload Increase <br />• Continued to maximize revenues available to the county to provide needed <br />services. Overall costs to county for all services except Medicaid was <br />$4,608,019 in fiscal year 2005-2006 as compared to $4,977,667 in fiscal year <br />2004-2005, a decrease of 8°~. <br />• Continued to advocate far additional relief for families waiting to receive childcare <br />subsidies. Received sufficient state reallocations to assure that all existing cases <br />could continue to receive subsidy. <br />• Increased services to meet growing demand for various in-home services to <br />support elderly and disabled adults. Expanded in-home as well as Community <br />Alternatives Program. {CAP) <br />• Decreased "backlog" of number of children in foster care by helping children <br />reach a permanent plan. Last year 15 children were reunified with their parents, <br />custody of 27 children was given to relatives, and 22 children were adopted. <br />Work First Changes and <br />Plan Development <br />Gwen Price made reference to a packet in the chart entitled New Policy <br />Requirements Effective October 1, 2006. She said that this is a tool used to get more <br />information about changes as they affect Work First. This came about from the Debt <br />Reduction Act signed in February. This act impacts the population that DSS serves as <br />well as the department. She then explained the caseload reduction credit. She said that <br />the fear with this change is that the caseload credit now will be too low and there will be <br />state sanctions because they have to meet participation rates. They are challenged to <br />find work-eligible activities. She said that one of the things that the State has identified <br />to help work eligible activities is to set up pilot projects, and she would like the Board's <br />permission to explore pilot projects. If they were approved for a pilot project, they would <br />come back to the Board of County Commissioners. The ultimate goal would be to meet <br />the participation rates. <br />Nancy Coston said that the letters will came quickly on these pilot projects and <br />the State wants them to submit a skeleton proposal so that they can get the money back <br />