Report 2008-113 Recommendations

To ensure that it maximizes its use of CaRES, the board should address the structural and operational flaws that prevent identification of erroneous information and implement edit checks and other system controls sufficient to identify errors.

To ensure that the board appropriately carries out its outreach efforts, it should define the specific procedures to accomplish its action strategies for outreach and establish quantitative measures to evaluate the effectiveness of its outreach efforts.

The board should establish a complementary set of goals designed to measure its success in maximizing assistance to victims and their families. These goals should include, but not be limited to, one that focuses on the correlation of compensation payments to program support costs and one that establishes a target fund balance needed to avoid financial shortfalls. As it monitors the goals it has created, the board should ensure that its cost structure is not overly inflexible and that it is carrying out its support activities in the most cost-effective manner possible.

To demonstrate that it makes appropriate eligibility decisions on applications, the board should ensure that it correctly considers reports from other entities, such as law enforcement, and that it sufficiently documents the basis for its decisions.

To ensure that it complies with state regulations for notifying applicants, the board should modify its process for when it notifies applicants of decisions, or it should seek regulatory change.

To ensure that the board has accurate information to measure its success in meeting statutory deadlines for processing applications, it should correct the problems with the “accepted date” data field in CaRES.

To improve its processing time for making decisions on applications and for paying bills, the board should identify the primary problems leading to delays and take action to resolve them. Additionally, it should consistently document its reasons for any delays in processing applications or bills.

To ensure that the board processes appeals of denied applications within a reasonable time, it should establish written procedures and time frames.

To improve its success at obtaining requested information from verifying entities, the board should develop specific procedures for staff to use when following up with verifying entities, including appropriate time frames for following up as well as the number of attempts the staff should complete.

To improve its success at obtaining requested information from verifying entities, the board should continue its outreach efforts to communicate with verifying entities the importance of responding promptly to its requests for information.

To ensure that the board complies with state law requiring the program to pay only amounts not covered by other reimbursement sources, the board should ensure that staff consistently verify and document their efforts to ensure that there are no other reimbursable sources.

The board should consistently maintain documentation of its formal approval of applications and bills.

To ensure that it maximizes its use of CaRES, the board should develop goals, objectives, and benchmarks related to the functions it carries out under CaRES that will allow it to measure its progress in providing prompt, high quality service.

To ensure that it maximizes its use of CaRES, the board should continue identifying and correcting problems with the system as they arise.

To ensure that it maximizes its use of CaRES, the board should seek input from and work with relevant parties, such as assistance centers and JP units, to resolve issues with the transition.

To ensure that it maximizes its use of CaRES, the board should develop and maintain system documentation sufficient to allow the board to address modifications and questions about the system more efficiently and effectively.

To increase the number of applicants who work through assistance centers, the board should emphasize the advantages of doing so whenever possible.

To ensure that the board effectively manages the program workload and can report useful workload data, it should develop written procedures for its management of workload.

To ensure that the board effectively manages the program workload and can report useful workload data, it should implement the reporting function in CaRES as soon as possible.

To ensure that the board effectively manages the program workload and can report useful workload data, it should establish benchmarks and performance measures to evaluate whether it is effectively managing its workload.

To ensure that the board effectively manages the program workload and can report useful workload data, it should review the applications and bills converted to CaRES from VOX that are showing excessively lengthy processing periods and determine whether problems with the data exist or whether the board has significant time processing problems.

To ensure that the board appropriately carries out its outreach efforts, it should establish a comprehensive outreach plan that prioritizes its efforts and appropriately focuses on those in need of program services. As part of its planning efforts, the board should seek input from key stakeholders such as assistance centers, JP units, and other advocacy groups and associations to gain insight regarding underserved and vulnerable populations.

To ensure that the board appropriately carries out its outreach efforts, it should consider demographic and crime statistics information when developing outreach strategies.

To ensure that the board appropriately carries out its outreach efforts, it should use information from applicants regarding how they heard about the program as part of its overall efforts to measure outreach effectiveness.

To ensure that the board appropriately carries out its outreach efforts, it should specifically budget for and report actual outreach expenses.