DIRECTOR'S OFFICE/PLANNING AND ADMINISTRATION

PROGRAM MISSION: To provide leadership, policy guidance, planning and goal setting, and management oversight to the Department of Human Services to ensure that high quality, integrated human services are provided to Arlington County residents and businesses.

The Director's Office/Planning and Administration monitors conditions, assesses needs, conducts strategic and tactical planning, and works closely with state and other local human service agencies and community organizations to extend resources and achieve common goals. During FY 2006, the Director's Office will focus on the following strategic efforts:

• Leading and coordinating the departmental efforts in supportive housing, including managing consultant contracts to develop a Supportive Housing Plan, ensuring community discussion and consensus around the Plan, implementing development strategies to increase the number of affordable supportive housing units in the DHS pipeline, ensuring the selection of DHS clients to occupy supportive housing units that come on line during the year, planning and implementing planned supportive services to occupants, and coordinating design of renovations to Arlington Assisted Living Residence (aka Oak Springs) and securing funding for the project.

• Enhancing access to persons with limited English proficiency in compliance with federal language access requirements, through training of staff, provision of interpretation and translation services, and implementing language premium pay;

• Completing the implementation of the first phase of the long-awaited replacement of the outdated Client and Service Event (CASE) mainframe system and its four sub-systems, including standardizing client service entry;

• Developing and implementing revenue maximization plans to draw down increased federal funds through the state, including LPACAP and Medicaid monies;

• Streamlining budgeting and financial transactions with contract service providers, providing grants and technical assistance to non-profit human service organizations;

• Ensuring the completion of the renovation of the George Mason Center to house the Arlington Community Action Program (ACAP) and its Head Start Program;

• Enhancing the capacity of the department to respond to emergencies, particularly public health emergencies, and maintaining critical operations during emergencies;

• Continuing the implementation of policies and procedures to ensure compliance with privacy provisions mandated by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) and Department-wide records management standards.

Units within the Director's Office provide administrative services to support delivery of services and achievement of the Department's program mission. Five bureaus, which provide centralized and specialized administrative support for the Department's five program divisions, report to the Director and Deputy Director. Responding to the breadth of programs and services in the Department, the diversity of funding sources, and the complexity of administrative support needs, these units provide support within the Department that cannot be provided by the County's central support departments. Close coordination with these departments ensures that the Department complements, but does not duplicate services.

• The mission of the Human Resources Bureau (HRB) is to enable DHS employees to maintain the highest level of service to the community by providing accurate, timely and supportive Human Resources Services. HRB is responsible for management of the Department's workforce needs and departmental efforts to ensure compliance with all human resource policies and procedures. The Bureau provides coordination of and special expertise regarding the Department's recruitment, employee relations, organizational development, payroll, performance management, equal opportunity and affirmative action, staff training and development, and position classification activities. In FY 2006, attention will be given to providing and encouraging use of electronic sources for HR information, policies and procedures; providing training and support to first-line supervisors for development and/or enhancement of leadership competencies; and actively participating in the County's business process redesign for the human resource functions in the new Planned Reengineering for Information Services Management Project (PRISM).

• The mission of the Automation Services Bureau (ASB) isto enable DHS staff to provide information technology application, development, support and integration. Department staff rely on a wide and complex array of information systems, related to a multitude of federal, state, and local programs, funding sources, and regulatory mandates, to conduct day-to-day business and serve clients, as well as account for and report to numerous state agencies and other entities. The DHS Information Technology Strategic Plan looks to a flexible information technology architecture of multiple platforms and applications systems, with multiple connections directly to state systems, as well as through the Internet, which interface with a central DHS client data repository containing shared information needed to support the DHS objective of integrated service delivery. The Bureau has the responsibility of supporting, in coordination with the Department of Technology Services, the hardware and infrastructure necessary to host these systems, as well as supporting several major business applications systems critical to service delivery, tracking and reporting, and management. FY 2006 will see the completion of the first phase of the multi-year effort to replace the outdated Client and Service Event (CASE) mainframe system and its four sub-systems and achieve system interface among different systems. Other projects include multiple Web-interfaced applications to improve application performance, and expansion of Xtend, the community human services information network to share the benefits of the County's INET system with non-profit human service partners. LPACAP monies in FY 2006 will fund investments in infrastructure support and application systems enhancements. Reorganizations aimed at focusing ASB efforts to support the integrated client information architecture included transferring three desktop support positions to DTS and moving three analyst positions from DHS Divisions (Economic Independence, Behavioral Healthcare and Public Health) to ASB.

• The mission of the General Services Bureau (GSB) is to provide a safe, clean, healthy, and efficient working environment by managing DHS resources in the areas of facilities, vehicles, and related support resources. GSB assists in maintaining the buildings occupied by the Department, working closely with the Department of Environmental Services' (DES) Capital Projects and Engineering and General Services units. The Bureau supports Department programs by providing mail and delivery services, maintaining a central medical supply storage, managing the Department's vehicle fleet and reservation system, coordinating activities designed to ensure a safe and secure working environment, and managing closed files and permanently retained case records. At the Warren G. Stambaugh Human Services Center, GSB provides tenant facility management and liaison with the owner's building management, DES, and vendors for building systems maintenance, custodial services, parking garage management, electronic access and security services. In FY 2006 GSB will be involved in County efforts to inventory and develop systems for managing the wide array of client records throughout the Department, in accordance with federal and state mandates, as well as completing the renovation of the George Mason Center.

• The mission of the Financial Management Bureau (FMB) is to provide sound financial management for the Department of Human Services and to maintain good working relationships with internal and external customers. FMB performs centralized Departmental accounting and financial reporting functions: issuing certain client assistance payments; tracking Departmental revenues and expenses; developing and maintaining financial reports for program managers and grantor agencies; ensuring that the Department's fiscal procedures are in compliance with County, state and federal policies and practices; carrying out centralized Departmental billing and depositing functions; collecting grant revenue and fees from agencies, clients and other sources; and recouping assistance payments in accordance with state and federal mandates. The Bureau coordinates collection of overdue accounts with the Treasurer's Office, debt set off, and state and federal tax recovery programs. Bureau staff is involved in a number of revenue maximization efforts to draw down additional federal and state funds, including LPACAP and Medicaid reimbursements. In FY 2006 FMB will coordinate the replacement of mainframe financial systems as part of the larger CASE replacement project.

• The mission of the Management and Budget Bureau (MBB) is to ensure that the Department has sufficient resources to achieve organizational goals by coordinating the timely development and implementation of an annual budget. MBB also is responsible for coordinating the Department's performance measurement efforts, evaluating overall financial issues in the Department, and coordinating with the County Manager's Office on County Board reports and actions. In FY 2006 the new LPACAP administrative position first funded in FY 2005 will investigate ways to maximize LPACAP revenue.

SIGNIFICANT BUDGET HIGHLIGHTS:

• Proposed personnel expenditures increase due to normal merit increases and hiring at higher than budgeted salaries.

• Non-personnel decreases primarily due to elimination of FY 2005 one-time LPACAP funds in FY 2006 ($955,000), and elimination of administration costs previously supported with Title IV-E revenue ($26,079), partially offset by increased building rent expenses ($17,457), electricity ($40,144), and increased LPACAP funding in FY 2006, primarily for information technology projects and contingency ($506,862).

• Fees are budgeted in FY 2006 based on prior year collections for lost parking tags and ID cards ($2,110)

• Medicaid revenues decreased due to a more accurate distribution within DHS; total Departmental Medicaid revenues (Medicaid Waiver/State Plan Option) increase in FY 2006.

• State share revenue decreases reflect decreases in one-time LPACAP funding ($955,000) partially offset by increased ongoing LPACAP funding, and a reduction of Title IV-E revenues ($90,500).

• FTEs decrease by a net 0.5 FTE due to the reallocation to the Aging and Disability Services Division for an information technology end user support position (0.5 FTE), the transfer of 3.0 FTE technology desktop support positions to the Department of Technology Services, partially offset by the transfer in from other DHS divisions of 3.0 FTE information technology analyst positions.

PERFORMANCE MEASURES: