10816-10824

WELFARE AND INSTITUTIONS CODE
SECTION 10816-10824




10816.  The system shall have the following goals:
   (a) Prompt and accurate verification of eligibility.
   (b) Accurate computation and timely disbursal of benefits for such
public assistance programs.
   (c) Equitable, timely, and consistent treatment of recipients
within each program.
   (d) Reduction of administrative complexity.
   (e) Strict enforcement of management and fiscal controls.
   (f) Collection of management information.



10817.  The department shall seek advice and assistance from the
State Department of Health Services and counties in the planning and
implementation of the system so that efficient, effective, and
equitable administration of public assistance programs can be
maintained.



10818.  The department shall submit to the Joint Legislative Budget
Committee by August 1, 1984, a detailed work plan for the
implementation of the statewide automated welfare system. The work
plan shall include at least the following:
   (a) A detailed description of the functions to be performed by the
system.
   (b) The sequence of the functions to be assumed by the system, and
the dates on which the functions would be assumed.
   (c) The long-range design goals for California's welfare computer
systems.
   (d) The cost of the equipment and the administrative costs of
implementing the system.
   (e) The impact of such a system on the administration of such
public assistance programs.
   (f) Mechanisms by which the savings resulting from computer
systems development can be recouped through reduced welfare
administrative costs.
   (g) A detailed description of how the data will be collected,
stored, and disseminated to protect the privacy of individuals to
ensure the confidentiality of such data.
   (h) Recommendations for necessary legislative changes to implement
the system.
   The department shall provide to the counties no later than July
15, 1984, copies of the draft of the detailed work plan. The counties
may submit no later than August 15, 1984, to the Joint Legislative
Budget Committee their comments and recommendations on the detailed
work plan.



10819.  The department may test the system in several counties prior
to actual statewide implementation. Criteria in selecting county
test sites may include high dollar error rates for overpayments and
payments to ineligibles, high administrative unit costs, size of
county, and scope of data-processing activities.
   The department may delay implementation of the system in counties
where not cost effective. If the implementation is delayed in such
counties, the counties shall make available their data on a timely
basis so that a statewide file on public assistance recipients can be
maintained.



10820.  To ensure statewide uniformity in program administration,
the department shall do the following:
   (a) Develop and publish an exclusive manual of standards
procedures for use by county welfare departments in their daily
administration of public assistance programs.
   (b) Provide a comprehensive training package for the use of the
uniform standards manual.
   (c) Develop standard forms to use with the statewide automated
welfare system.


10822.  The department shall provide an annual report to the
Legislature on March 1, 1985, and March 1 of each year thereafter, on
the progress in implementing the system.
   Such a report shall contain at least the following information:
   (a) The functions assumed by the system.
   (b) The effectiveness of the system as measured by dollar error
rates.
   (c) The costs and savings of the system.
   (d) The fiscal impact of the system on the administration of such
public assistance programs.
   (e) The impact of the system on fraud detection, and reduction in
duplicate payments.
   (f) The responsiveness of the system in meeting recipient's needs.
   (g) Recommendations for further legislative action.
   (h) Any revisions in the long-range plan that will affect the
objectives to be accomplished in the following year.



10823.  Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to reduce or
otherwise impair the authority of the State Department of Health
Services under Sections 10740 and 14100.1 as the single state agency
responsible for administration of the medical assistance program.
However, the State Department of Social Services shall develop and
implement a statewide automated welfare system for the public
assistance programs as provided in Section 10815. The department, in
developing this system, shall recognize and utilize to the extent
feasible, the centralized Medi-Cal eligibility system now maintained
by the State Department of Health Services, and shall ensure that the
fully implemented system shall meet those Medi-Cal program
requirements deemed necessary by the State Department of Health
Services. Both departments shall coordinate their efforts to ensure
the mutual benefits of the statewide automated welfare system.



10823.  (a) (1) The Office of Systems Integration shall implement a
statewide automated welfare system for the following public
assistance programs:
   (A) The CalWORKs program.
   (B) The Food Stamp Program.
   (C) The Medi-Cal program.
   (D) The foster care program.
   (E) The refugee program.
   (F) County medical services programs.
   (2) Statewide implementation of the statewide automated welfare
system for the programs listed in paragraph (1) shall be achieved
through no more than four county consortia, including the Interim
Statewide Automated Welfare System Consortium, and the Los Angeles
Eligibility, Automated Determination, Evaluation, and Reporting
System.
   (3) Notwithstanding paragraph (2), the Office of Systems
Integration shall migrate the 35 counties that currently use the
Interim Statewide Automated Welfare System into the C-IV system
within the following timeline:
   (A) Complete Migration System Test and begin User Acceptance
Testing on or before June 30, 2009.
   (B) Complete implementation in at least five counties by February
28, 2010.
   (C) Complete implementation in at least 14 additional counties on
or before May 31, 2010.
   (D) Complete implementation in all 35 counties on or before August
31, 2010.
   (E) Decommission the Interim Statewide Automated Welfare System on
or before January 31, 2011.
   (b) Nothing in subdivision (a) transfers program policy
responsibilities related to the public assistance programs specified
in subdivision (a) from the State Department of Social Services or
the State Department of Health Services to the Office of Systems
Integration.
   (c) On February 1 of each year, the Office of Systems Integration
shall provide an annual report to the appropriate committees of the
Legislature on the statewide automated welfare system implemented
under this section. The report shall address the progress of state
and consortia activities and any significant schedule, budget, or
functionality changes in the project.
   (d) Notwithstanding any other law, the Statewide Automated Welfare
System consortia shall have the authority to expend within approved
annual state budgets for each system as follows:
   (1) Make changes within any line item, provided that the change
does not create additional project costs in the current or in a
future budget year.
   (2) Make a change of up to one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000)
or 10 percent of the total for the line item from which the funds
are derived, whichever is greater, between line items with notice to
the Office of Systems Integration, provided that the change does not
create additional project costs in the current or in a future budget
year.
   (3) Make requests to the Office of Systems Integration for changes
between line items of greater than one hundred thousand dollars
($100,000) or 10 percent of the total for the line item from which
the funds are derived, which do not increase the total cost in the
current or a future budget year. The Office of Systems Integration
shall take action to approve or deny the request within 10 days.



10823.5.  The State Department of Social Services shall pay the
county share of Merced County's Merced Automated Global Information
Control (MAGIC) application maintenance costs until September 30,
1998, or until Merced County has converted its caseload to one of the
Statewide Automated Welfare System (SAWS) consortia systems,
whichever occurs first. Merced County shall be the first county
implemented under the SAWS consortium system approved for Merced
County. Beginning October 1, 1998, Merced County shall pay the county
share of MAGIC application maintenance costs based on its percentage
share of the total caseload for the consortium approved for Merced
County on October 1, 1998. The caseload percentage share shall be
adjusted each fiscal year to reflect changes in caseload throughout
the consortium. Caseload for the purposes of this section shall be
defined as actual average annual duplicated case counts for the most
current full fiscal year for the programs included in the consortia
system. Beginning October 1, 1998, and until Merced County has
converted its caseload to the SAWS consortium approved for Merced
County, the department shall pay the difference between the total
county share of MAGIC application maintenance costs and the Merced
County caseload percentage share of MAGIC application costs.



10824.  (a) The counties not participating in the Interim Statewide
Automated Welfare System Consortium or the Los Angeles Eligibility,
Automated Determination, Evaluation, and Reporting Consortium shall
collectively pay 5 percent of the total application development costs
of the Statewide Automated Welfare System consortium to which they
belong. The proportion of the 5 percent of total application
development costs paid by a participating county shall be the same
proportion that the county's caseload bears to the total consortium
caseload for the fiscal year in which the contract for application
development is executed. "Caseload" for purposes of this section,
means the actual average annual duplicated case counts for the
programs included in each consortia's application. A county subject
to this section may pay its proportion of application development
costs during development of its consortium's system, or, by agreement
with the department, may pay its proportion after its consortium's
system in production, but within four years after the start of
production in a county.
   (b) The department shall pay the county share of all other
Statewide Automated Welfare System development and implementation
costs approved by the Department of Finance and the federal funding
agencies for the counties participating in each consortium, except
the Los Angeles Eligibility, Automated Determination, Evaluation, and
Reporting Consortium.
   (c) The department shall pay the county share of maintenance and
operations costs for the first 12 months of production of the
Statewide Automated Welfare System for the counties participating in
each consortium, except the Los Angeles Eligibility, Automated
Determination, Evaluation, and Reporting Consortium.
   (d) For purposes of this section, "production" means the first
conversion of a county case to the Statewide Automated Welfare System
application used by the county's consortium, or the first processing
of an intake case using the county's Statewide Automated Welfare
System consortium application, whichever occurs first.
   (e) The department shall pay all Statewide Automated Welfare
System maintenance and operations costs for specified counties as
defined in this subdivision. A county qualified for Statewide
Automated Welfare System maintenance and operations funding is
defined as one having an average monthly, duplicated continuing case
count below 3,700 cases for the CalWORKs, nonassistance food stamp,
public assistance food stamps, Medi-Cal, foster care, refugee, and
county medical services programs. The department shall make its
determination based on actual case counts for the most current full
fiscal year. The department shall provide funding for the county
share-of-costs for those counties that annually meet this definition
until June 30, 2001.
   (f) Beginning October 1, 1998, the original 14 Interim Statewide
Automated System counties shall pay the county share of Statewide
Automated Welfare System maintenance and operations costs at the
county administrative cost sharing ratios otherwise provided by law.
Counties described in subdivision (e) shall not be subject to this
requirement.
   (g) The department shall pay the county share of Napa County's
Interim Statewide Automated Welfare System's application maintenance
costs through September 30, 1998. Beginning October 1, 1998, Napa
County shall pay the county share of the Interim Statewide Welfare
System application maintenance costs at the county administrative
cost sharing ratios otherwise provided by law.
   (h) (1) The county shall secure the prior approval of the
department for any use of Statewide Automated Welfare System
equipment, software or resources for activities and program
administration not eligible for federal financial participation.
   (2) The county shall allocate Statewide Automated Welfare System
costs to the respective programs eligible for federal financial
participation in accordance with the cost allocation requirements of
each program.
   (3) The county shall allocate as Statewide Automated Welfare
System costs only for activities and program administration eligible
for federal financial participation.
   (i) If a county uses Statewide Automated Welfare System equipment,
software, or resources for activities and program administration not
eligible for federal financial participation, and fails to comply
with provisions specified in subdivision (h), the county shall be
liable to the department for any disallowance due to that use by the
county of Statewide Automated Welfare System equipment, software, or
resources. In the event of such a loss, the department may recover
the loss by reducing funds otherwise due the county as state
participation in programs administered by the county under the
supervision of the department.
   (j) The department shall fund each county's share of the Central
Data Base for the Medi-Cal Eligibility Data System until the end of
the 12th month after Statewide Automated Welfare System production
begins, as defined in subdivision (d).