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SALT LAKE CITY — When the economy sours, the workload at the Department of Workforce Services goes up, up, up as more people seek public assistance, food stamps and health benefits.
The number of cases handled by the department's Eligibility Services Division has nearly tripled since 2007. At the same time, the department has saved more than $18 million in administrative costs while reducing the time it takes to determine whether applicants for various government programs qualify for public assistance.
"This is not just about cost reductions. This is cost reduction and improved services," executive director Kristen Cox said at a press conference Monday.
This is not just about cost reductions. This is cost reduction and improved services.
–Kristen Cox
The agency has literally dissected how eligibility services workers provide services to clients. Their work days were configured to "let them do the most important and critical things they should be doing in a day," Cox explained.
The best way to improve outcomes was to insulate workers from "bad stuff," such as unnecessary interruptions and ensure they have the information they need to determine whether applicants qualify for programs.
Cox uses the analogy of the blue light emitted by a welder. If one sees the blue light, the welder is on task. "They're doing what they're supposed to be doing."
- Telephone wait times
From 23 minutes to 9 minutes - Determine eligibility for food stamps
From 15 days to 11 days - Cost of determining services
From $57.66 to $50.41 each
Telephone wait times have been reduced from 23 minutes to nine minutes. It now takes 11 days for the agency to determine whether applicants are eligible for food stamps, down from 15 days.
The cost of making these determinations has dropped from $57.66 to $50.41 each.
New technology — moving the department off a mainframe computing system as one example — has helped save $4 million. Technology also enables applicants to manage their cases and applications online, she said.
Since FY2008, operational costs for the public assistance eligibility division have dropped from approximately $80 million in 2008 to an estimated $62 million in FY2012.
At the same time, the division is expected to reduce its staffing by 250 employees through attrition from 2008 levels. Staff salaries and benefits are its biggest expense.
"Now we're seeing the fruits of our labors, we'll be rolling it into our Workforce Development division and UI (unemployment insurance)," Cox said.
Email:mcortez@ksl.com
