HomeMy WebLinkAbout20043474.tiff DEC-02-2004 THU 03:09 PN La Plata Cty Dpt Han Sys FAX NO. 9702472208 P. 02
December 2,2004
Eric M.Bost,Under Secretary
Food,Nutrition Consumer Services
U.S.Department of Agriculture
1400 Independence Ave. SW,Rm 240E
Washington,D.C.20250
Dear Under Secretary Bost:
The involvement of the federal government to assist Colorado in providing timely
public assistance benefits to needy citizens is deeply appreciated. The purpose of this
letter is to offer current,accurate information regarding the status of benefits processing
in Colorado.
First of all,the impact of the decision by the State of Colorado to implement the
Colorado Benefits Management System on September 1, 2004,is a matter of statewide
concern. Every large jurisdiction in Colorado is struggling to meet federal
guidelines for processing and re-certifying applications and reducing backlogs using
CBMS. This is true in spite of the counties' aggressive use of emergency case
processing,technical assistance available from the state,redirection of cases to the two
state case processing teams,and the dedication of additional county staff and resources to
the situation. The counties have spent significant funds to serve residents despite the
challenges that CBMS presents,and we have made progress, as the State indicates. That
progress should not cause us to lose sight of the technical problems that still exist,
however.
Second,as you assist in the resolution of inadequacies in Colorado's benefits
processing,we believe there arc a number of factors that would be helpful in your
understanding of our situation. The State of Colorado should provide detailed
information about identified deficits with CBMS and offer specific plans and timelines
for addressing those problems. It would be further enlightening if you review a complete
set of the many"workarounds"necessary to process cases through CBMS. The number
and complexity of the workarounds will provide ample illustration of the flaws in the
system.
Statewide statistics about the periodic volume of applications received,
applications successfully and timely processed, oases pending in various time categories,
and timely processing of re-determinations and vendor payments would also be helpful.
CBMS has a highly convoluted report feature that makes it difficult to simply and quickly
generate reliable statistics.
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/02-/3 _p r / (:(1 . SS //5 2004-3474
DEC-02-2004 THU 03: 10 PM La Plata Cty Dpt Han Sys FAX Na 9702472208 P. 03
Please keep in mind that total responsibility and control of the CBMS system is
with the State of Colorado,not the local jurisdictions. The local jurisdictions are
cooperating in the attempt to identify deficiencies in the CBMS system so that the State
can make timely corrections. "Workarounds"are not adequate,permanent solutions.
The CBMS system must be altered to permanently solve identified problems.
Please feel free to contact our association at any time for additional information.
(Pat Ratliff of Colorado Counties,Inc.,303-861-2818, would be happy to be of
assistance.) The Colorado counties and cities and counties would welcome the
opportunity to meet with you or otherwise partner to insure aid to the needy in our state.
Sincerely,
Patricia Carlson,on behalf of the
Colorado Social Services Directors Association
970-382-6120
Cc; Darlene L. Barnes, Regional Administrator,USDA/FNS Mountain Plains Region
Pat Ratliff;Colorado Counties,Inc.
David Long,CBMS Task Force
Marva Timmons,Executive Director,Colorado Department of Human Services
Karen Reinertson, Colorado Department of Health Care and Policy Financing
Wade Livingston,Esq.,Colorado Attorney General's Office
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