How California Department of Social Services Replaced 22 Aging Applications

How California Department of Social Services Replaced 22 Aging Applications

Problem: Unconnected, Inefficient Legacy Systems

The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) manages some of the largest state-based welfare and social services programs in the country. The State Hearings Division (CDSS SHD) ensures due process for individuals who wish to appeal administrative decisions on benefits regarding 22 different public social service programs, with federal mandates imposing strict deadlines on how quickly requests must be adjudicated. CDSS SHD handles an average of 100,000 appeals cases annually. This large undertaking was being hampered by the variety of outdated, isolated systems supporting each individual benefit programs—including database architecture that dated back to the 1970s.

Solution: VIP Expertise and Tyler Technologies

As experts in aligning strategy with execution, VIP recognized that they needed both a flexible case management platform and a technology partner who understands the intricacies of delivering solutions to government. VIP selected entellitrak®, the low-code application development platform from Tyler Technologies, to power the statewide Appeals Case Management System (ACMS).

VIP recognized that Tyler Technologies had experience supporting other agencies with their appeals processes. They also saw the value in the fully configurable entellitrak platform. entellitrak offers completely integrated, fully-featured modules for different aspects of case management including document management and analytics. This highly integrated approach empowers users to create, access, deliver, and use the information in the system in a more efficient way.

A commercial off the shelf (COTS) solution, entellitrak will improve operations for the SHD administrative law judges and support staff in Sacramento, as well as in regional offices throughout the state. It will modernize case intake, scheduling, reporting, hearing, decision writing, and decision dissemination for CDSS SHD.

Results: A Single Workflow, Statewide

ACMS provides a single case management system that combines intake, automated scheduling, adjudication, and reporting functions for responsible agencies across the state of California, including:
– California Department of Social Services
– All 58 counties throughout CA
– Department of Health Care Services (Administers Med-Cal, California’s Medicaid program)
– Covered California, the state’s ACA health insurance marketplace

With modern technology and integrated workflows, ACMS reduces the average life cycle of an Appeal Case from receipt of the Hearing Request to release of the decision. It provides a user portal, allowing individuals to request hearings or check the status of their existing cases. Its efile capabilities streamline the submission of documents associated with cases—a significant component of the solution, which may handle more than 500,000 documents per year.