Report 2008-113 Recommendations and Responses in 2014-041
Report 2008-113: Victim Compensation and Government Claims Board: It Has Begun Improving the Victim Compensation Program, but More Remains to Be Done
| Department | Number of Years Reported As Not Fully Implemented | Total Recommendations to Department | Not Implemented After One Year | Not Implemented as of 2013-041 Response | Not Implemented as of Most Recent Response |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victim Compensation and Government Claims Board | 5 | 25 | 7 | 2 | 1 |
Recommendation To: Victim Compensation and Government Claims Board, California
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.
Response
The scheduled implementation of the final increment of the CaRES Modification Project has been delayed. Based on initial user acceptance testing earlier in 2014, the Board determined that the complexity of the improvements in this final phase required additional time for adequate system and user testing and subsequent training of all headquarter and Joint Powers staff across the State. This refinement of our testing processes and training schedule is important to the successful completion and operation of the system. We are developing these testing and training plans and will be able to report an estimated completion date by December 31, 2014.
- California State Auditor's Assessment of Status: Not Fully Implemented
- Completion Date: TBD
- Response Date: October 2014
Recommendation To: Victim Compensation and Government Claims Board, California
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.
Response
In 2013, the Restitution Fund reserve was stable enough to continue to pursue an aggressive outreach program that had been placed on hold from 2009. The Comprehensive Outreach Plan was updated with new statistics and implementation began. The strategies and tactics created were designed following extensive research that involved; demographics and crime statistics statewide, application data collected at CalVCP, input from Joint Power agencies, stakeholders, law enforcement and marketing professionals. Furthermore, the Plan also called for the development of a baseline account of the public awareness of the program in order to measure success in future years. The updated version provided 8 primary objectives:
1. Develop metrics, awareness surveys and statistical analysis to target and evaluate communications activities.
2. Provide outreach to underserved and vulnerable populations.
3. Educate and partner with California first responders
4. Strengthen partnerships with victim service programs
5. Provide members of the legislature with information on CalVCP
6. Conduct outreach for key awareness months
7. Provide digital Outreach
8. Enhance media relations
The baseline survey was conducted in February 2014 and all aspects of the Plan are being implemented including, media relations, advertising, public service announcements, community outreach, advocate and partner outreach as well as legislative outreach. All aspects of the audit recommendations are met and fulfilled.
- California State Auditor's Assessment of Status: Fully Implemented
- Completion Date: January 2014
- Response Date: October 2014