Washington State House of Representatives Office of Program Research	BILL ANALYSIS
Children & Family Services Committee

SSB 6536

Brief Description:  Requiring DSHS to expand caseload capacity.

Sponsors:  Senate Committee on Human Services & Corrections (originally sponsored by Senators Hargrove, Long and Costa).

Brief Summary of Substitute Bill

$Prohibits administration costs, for any Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) administration or the agency as a whole, from exceeding 12 percent of the total agency budget.

$Requires supervisors, managers, trainers and other qualified professional staff to carry a caseload in addition to their other duties.

Hearing Date:  2/25/02

Staff:  Deborah Frazier (786‑7152).

Background:

The DSHS provides human services to 1.3 million people each year.  This figure represents approximately 20 percent of the state's residents.

The DSHS provides state operated services through 18,000 employees and also contracts with thousands of providers.  The agency was created in 1970, with the goals of making services easier for citizens to find and use, and to reduce administrative costs.   The single agency approach was adopted because the majority of people who use these services have multiple needs and require services from more than one program.

Services are provided through seven administrations:

$Aging and Adult Services provides care to low‑income seniors and adults with functional disabilities.

$The Children's Administration addresses child abuse and neglect, foster care, adoption, and the licensing of providers of children's out of home care.

$Economic Services oversees cash and food assistance, child support services, child care, and  services to assist low‑income adults to obtain employment.

$The Health and Rehabilitation Services Administration serves people with physical

  and/or mental disabilities, mental illnesses, or substance abuse problems.  The administration also oversees secure residential treatment services for sexual predators.

$The Juvenile Rehabilitation Administration provides juvenile offenders with rehabilitation and transition services.

$Management Services provides internal support services to all DSHS programs, including personnel, facilities management, purchasing and research and data analysis.

$Medical Assistance manages health care programs for low‑income people, including Medicaid.

The agency estimates that 96 percent of its employees provide services directly to clients.

Summary of Bill:

Administration costs, for any DSHS administration or the agency as a whole, are prohibited from exceeding 12 percent of the total agency budget.

Supervisors, managers, trainers and other qualified professional staff are required to carry a caseload in addition to their other duties.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Requested on 2/19/02.

Effective Date:  Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.