Case Management: Making VACMS Work For You

1. Case Management:Making VACMS Work For You Monica Moore and Morningstar Misa VDSS Benefit Program Trainers Spring BPRO May 2019

2. This presentation is designed to teach you how to utilize VACMS to ensure successful case management and help organize your office. Agenda: • Case management • Reports • Scheduling • Documentation • DMIS • Finishing Touches • Handling Changes • Organization • Wrap Up/Q&A

3. Case Management What does case management mean to you?

4. Case Management “Case management is a collaborative process that assesses, plans, implements, coordinates, monitors and evaluates the options and services required to meet the client’s human services needs. It is characterized by advocacy, communication, and resource management and promotes quality and cost-effective interventions and outcomes.”

5. Skills Needed • Responsibility • Organization • Delegation • Time management • Commitment • Knowledge • Resourcefulness • Collaborating • Decision-making

6. Caseload Management Tools

7. Reports How can reports help you manage your caseload?

8. ReportsData Warehouse and FUSION Data Warehouse FUSION: • MMIS: • Monthly Renewals Due and Overdue • Locality Active Enrollment • Enrollee Eligibility Birth Date • System Cancellation Reports • VaCMS: • MA Applications Processing Report • Clients by Benefit Services • Dashboards (MA, SNAP, and TANF) • MA: • Application Metric Report • MA Management Reports: • Patient Pay Reports • SNAP: • Participation Report • APPTRACK Report in the Web Based System • Generic: • Performance Indicators Monthly Reports (PIMR)

9. Reports: VaCMS • TANF • TANF/VIEW Clock • Active TANF VIEW Cases with No Open VIEW Supplement • SNAP • Interims Due • Claims Data • SNAP ABAWD Statistics • SNAPET Registrant • Supporting Mass Change • APPTRACK • EAP • Pending By Component • Unpaid By Component • MA • Ex Parte Automated Run • Generic • Renewal Status • Pending Point in Time • DMIS • Case/Alpha Listing Utilize the VaCMS Caseload Management Reporting Tools Guide found on the Fusion Page

10. Reporting Tools Guide on FUSION Quick Links VaCMS Learn More

11. Scheduling What does scheduling mean to you?

12. Scheduling • Scheduling occurs daily, weekly, monthly, and sometimes even more infrequently • Different tasks may be required at different intervals • Daily should not only include interviews to be completed but scheduling other activities to allow for caseload management • Such as: reports, processing changes, handling infrequent tasks such as training, unit meetings and time off • Utilize the Benefit Programs Calendar sent out monthly and coordinate it with your other scheduling methods (Google or Outlook)

13. Scheduling: Daily • Daily scheduling should include things in addition to processing, such as pulling voicemail and returning calls and emails • Scheduling monthly and weekly tasks helps determine your daily schedule • In the morning, review your daily schedule and organize for the day • In the afternoon, see how far you’ve gotten in your daily schedule and shift the weekly schedule as needed • In the evening review the next day’s schedule to be prepared • Make sure to schedule breaks/lunch • Make a checklist if it is helpful

14. Scheduling: Monthly and Weekly Monthly Weekly • Set up interviews and regularly scheduled meetings • Look at tasks due not only in the next month but two months ahead • Take into account your leave and teammates’ leave • Eventually these will show annual trends to note for upcoming years • Review actions needed (processing deadlines, meetings, number of appointments and open spots • Review multiple times to see if scheduling needs to be adjusted • Schedule cutoff and system downtime as they occur • Note items such as expedites, PG Women, APPTRACK updates and renewal processing

15. Using the Scheduler in VaCMS

16. Documentation What story should your case tell?

17. Documentation Documentation supports the eligibility determination made by the eligibility worker. Documentation must be clear, concise and to the point. There must be enough information so that any third party reviewer can determine the reason, logic, and accuracy of the worker's decisions and actions. Examples of actions required to be documented: • Approval or denial of benefits including the denial reason • Changes reported by the client which result in an increase or decrease of benefits. • Discrepancies between information reported on the application and entered in VaCMS • The inclusion or exclusion of information and why • Change in household composition • Significant client contacts (concerns or complaints from the client)

18. Documentation in VaCMS • Does not have to only occur at the end of the case action • Such as: phone calls as they occur and any other client contact, communication between Eligibility and Service workers • Allows for anyone to pick up the case and know where you left off if you called out sick or they are completing the IR or renewal on your intake • Include things such as if an application was associated to a case, the action you are taking and any follow up needed • Helps to facilitate agency transfers to communicate to new eligibility or service workers • Avoid duplicate documentation (such as paper evaluations) • Documentation standards are listed per program and on the multi-program guide posted on the FUSION page

19. Documentation Guide on FUSION Quick Links VaCMS Learn More

20. DMIS Do you utilize your paperless case filing system?

21. DMIS as part of the case record Prevents loss of verifications Keeps work area clear and organized DMIS standards are on FUSION • Customers can upload documents through CommonHelp to review before sending a checklist • Uploading documents keeps paper files to a minimum • Allows for seamless transfer of cases between agencies • Workers may upload documents received from customers in electronic formats

22. Using Manually Generated Forms • Forms/correspondence created in VaCMS become a permanent part of Forms History • Prevents the need for forms to be scanned into DMIS

23. Finishing Touches What additional steps do you take to ensure your cases are complete?

24. Finishing Touches: Tasks/Reminders • System generated according to policy rules • Reminds you of important tasks that must be completed on cases at certain intervals • 60 Days Postpartum • Child turning 1, 6 or 18 years old • Should be checked daily and cleared out regularly • Can be used like a to-do list • Can be set up manually to remind yourself of future actions that need to occur based on reported changes or other information

25. Finishing Touches: Other Steps • Verify the correct information went over to other systems: • EPPIC • MMIS • Verify all correspondence has generated correctly: • Checklists and notices • Do you need to locally print and add additional information? • Do you need to suppress any correspondence? • Was the case overdue or will the case show on APPTRACK?

26. Handling Change How does case management change when you process case changes or experience change in your agency?

27. Reported Changes • Are customers truly aware of change reporting requirements? • Could be addressed during interview and/or on Notice of Action • Changes reported by other Agency staff • Such as CPS, Foster Care and Child Care • Certain changes can require additional follow up • Such as: decrease in income causing increase in benefit and requesting pay verification if needed • When reporting a change of address • Offering Voter Registration and asking about shelter expenses • Encourage clients to report changes through CommonHelp • Check the changes and renewals inbox in My Workspace daily

28. Adapting to Change • Be flexible and know that your day could change • If your daily schedule is leading to stress, look at adapting your weekly and/or monthly schedule • Benefit years tend to be cyclical; make note of busier months and less busy months to be prepared • Look for opportunities outside of the agency for training • Ask for refresher training when needed • Find reasons to celebrate your personal and team successes

29. Using Announcements in VaCMS • Workers with the proper security role may create announcements • These may be viewed on the Dashboard of workers agency-wide to facilitate agency communication

30. Organization What resources do you have to keep you organized?

31. Organization • Organization can mean organizing your time as well as your physical space • Reports help to organize your workflow • Scheduling helps to keep your time organized • Tasks/Reminders help organize important tasks • DMIS helps organize paperwork and files • Work organization into your schedule so you can refresh and clean up your space on a regular basis • Such as: always clean your work space at the end of each day and set up your work space for the next day’s activities • Organize for absence; helps for scheduled and unscheduled absences • Also assists your co-workers to follow your casework in your absence

32. Q&A/Wrap - Up You’ve made it! Don’t be afraid to ask Find a mentor Be sure to take time for yourself during the day Leave work at work