The state division handling food stamps received a series of attaboys on Wednesday for substantially improving its benefits-issued accuracy rate.
The plaudits from the Workforce Services and Community and Economic Development Interim Committee came after Mike Richardson, director of the Service Delivery Support Division of the Department of Workforce Services, listed statistics reflecting the turnaround.
In fiscal 1997, the division's error rate was 7.64 percent, based on federal standards, but that climbed to 14.43 percent by fiscal 2000, putting Utah 53rd among food stamp agencies.
However, the implementation of various initiatives has brought the rate down to 4.62 percent for fiscal 2003.
"We do know that right now we're in the top 10 in the country," Richardson said. "We're actually tied for seventh. We like that a lot better than 53rd."
The troubles stemmed from the July 1997 move to consolidate five agencies into the new department, with resulting changes in staff location and reporting lines, confusion, loss of accountability, high staff turnover and little training for new staff or support for existing staffers, he said.
But the poor 2000 figure caused the U.S. Department of Agriculture to impose a sanction of $2 million. The state department reinvested the money in program improvements, which included the development and implementation of standards, clear accountability, partnerships with regional players, better training, simplified policies, a document imaging system that replaced paper files, a Web-based data-collection function that replaced manual work and incentives for staffers achieving a specific accuracy rate.
Richardson said the division still wants to improve in accessibility, because Utah ranks 49th in the percentage of eligible families that actually receive benefits. "We're concerned about that," he said, adding that more than 50,000 Utah families use food stamp benefits.
"That's wonderful," the committee's co-chairman, Sen. Scott Jenkins, R-Plain City, told Richardson about the error-rate improvement.
"You're to be commended in the turnaround, and I'm happy to be involved in that as your subappropriations chair for several years. I'm going to admit, I'm amazed. You guys have done a tremendous job. If anybody ever talks to me about the inefficiency of government, I say, 'Yes, let me tell you a story, because this is one that is really neat.' "
The committee also heard of a turnaround in the department's adjudication and appeals division, which handles cases whenever a person or employer appeals rulings regarding unemployment insurance benefits.
Tani Downing, director of the division, showed statistics that indicated substantial improvement in the division's handling of appeals, including increases in the number of board hearings that occur. That has occurred despite the number of appeals skyrocketing since 1997.
Utah was ranked in the 40s among states in several performance categories in October 2001, but by last December was in the top 10 in many of them, she said.
E-mail: bwallace@desnews.com