Annual Report, 1997/98
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Ministry of Human Resources Annual Report, 1997/98 |
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Field Service and Program Operations
Field Services delivers income support programs and services through 138 district offices and a number of visiting offices in nine regions throughout the province. Income support programs are delivered under the authority of the BC Benefits (income Assistance) Act, the BC Benefits (Youth Works) Act, the BC Benefits (Child Care) Act, the BC Benefits (Appeals) Act, the Disability Programs Act, the Financial Administration Act, and the corresponding regulations for each.
Each of the nine regions is managed by a regional executive officer (REO) who is responsible for the overall accountability and successful delivery of the BC Benefits program in the region. The REO provides leadership and direction in the management of staff, contracted services, financial and physical resources, and in the resolution of operational priorities and issues. The REO reports directly to the Assistant Deputy Minister of Field Services and Program Operations.
Program Operations supports the work of Field Services through the Labour Market Attachment Branch, the Health Services Branch, the Prevention, Compliance and Enforcement Branch, and the Emergency Social Services Branch. Each branch has its own distinct mandate and reports to the Executive Director of Program Operations.
The Labour Market Attachment Branch provides information and advice to the ministry’s executive on matters pertaining to the implementation of the Labour Market Development Agreement, and is responsible for the development of new programming to support ministry clients returning to the labour market.
The Health Services Branch provides eligible clients with Ministry of Health medical coverage, optical and dental services, and essential medical equipment and supplies. The branch has responsibility for reviewing applications and approving benefits for both permanent and temporary disability designations.
The Prevention, Compliance and Enforcement Branch works in partnership with other ministry staff in pursuing a balance between prevention and enforcement to ensure compliance with the BC Benefits legislation.
The Emergency Social Services Branch is part of the Provincial Emergency Program and coordinates the work of over 5,500 volunteers in 120 communities across British Columbia. In the event of a disaster, ESS provides emergency goods and services for those people affected. It is also responsible for developing plans to ensure continuity of ministry operations throughout and following a disaster.
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The Labour Market Attachment Branch is responsible for overseeing the implementation of the Labour Market Development Agreement (LMDA) by the Ministry of Human Resources with the goal of maximizing client participation in the labour market and ministry cost savings.
The branch also provides support to other ministries and organizations in development and implementation of initiatives related to labour market attachment for BC Benefits clients.
Objective: To support the ministry executive and field services with the implementation of the LMDA.
Strategy: The branch provides information and advice to the ministry executive on matters pertaining to the LMDA and ensures issues raised by the field are dealt with in an efficient manner.
Results: The ministry was an active participant in the implementation of the LMDA during 1997-98. This included the review of 58,000 client files and the referral of 25,000 clients to Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC) programs and services. The clients who were referred to HRDC received approximately $66 million in federally funded programs and services. The provision of these services was expected to result in significant savings to the provincial income assistance account in 1998-99.
Objective: To ensure the needs of ministry clients are reflected during the implementation of the LMDA.
Strategy: The branch is the ministry’s official liaison to the LMDA Secretariat. The LMDA Secretariat ensures Management Committee directions are implemented, oversees the activities of working groups, undertakes issues management and coordinates Management Committee meetings. Branch staff also represent the ministry on all LMDA working groups and a number of individual working committees.
Results: The needs of ministry clients are always at the forefront during the decision-making process.
Objective: To monitor and track the impact of the LMDA on the BC Benefits caseload.
Strategy: The branch has worked with other branches within the ministry and with HRDC to develop reporting and tracking mechanisms to monitor the results of all activities related to LMDA.
Results: The ministry is able to track the activity and financial savings resulting from LMDA activities. It was anticipated that the federal expenditures on programs and services for income assistance recipients will result in provincial income assistance savings.
Objective: To assist in the development and implementation of projects related to labour market attachment for BC Benefits clients.
Strategy: The branch was involved in the development of the ‘Jobs First’ initiative, implemented the Workplace-Based Training Liaison Project and also provided advice as requested to other ministries and organizations.
Results: The development of new labour market attachment programs for BC Benefits clients, the implementation of initiatives to maximize the referral of clients to employment programs, and the modification of current initiatives to better address client needs will result in clients finding employment more quickly and staying attached to the labour market for greater lengths of time. This will result in increased cost savings in income assistance.
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The Health Services Branch provides access for eligible recipients and their families to Ministry of Health medical coverage through the Medical Services Plan program, optical and dental services, essential medical equipment and supplies, and other medically necessary services to eligible persons in need. It also reviews applications and approves benefits for the permanent disability designation under the Disability Benefits Program Act (Disability Benefits Level II) and for a temporary designation under the BC Benefits Act (Disability Benefits Level I).
Objective: To consult, develop and implement a new, broader response to the needs of clients with short-term disabilities who were being denied benefits due to the short-term nature of their disability.
Strategy: Working with advocacy and community groups, a more responsive benefit program was developed, Disability Benefits Level I, for applicants with short-term disabilities. Changes in the application process allow for approval of benefits in this temporary category.
Results: Since its inception, 9,700 clients have been approved for this benefit level and were able to receive a higher BC Benefit rate as a result.
Objective: To develop effective community training on the role of the Health Services Branch within the context of the income support programs within the community.
Strategy: Field training for ministry staff around the province was implemented using experienced training organizations to present health-related materials.
Results: Eleven sessions were held in nine regions of the ministry, with 275 ministry staff attending.
Objective: To improve client services through the integration of improved technology and by a reorganization of human resource support at the Health Services Branch.
Strategy: The branch decided to move from a program model of service delivery to a case management model, incorporating improved computer technology to support provision of individualized benefits.
Results: New model planning, development and training were completed during 1997-98 and the new model was ready for implementation as of April 1, 1998.
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Prevention, Compliance and Enforcement
The Prevention, Compliance and Enforcement (PCE) Branch is dedicated to working in partnership with other ministry staff in pursuing a balance between prevention and enforcement to ensure a high level of compliance with the
BC Benefits Acts and the Disability Benefits Program Act and Regulations.The PCE Branch was established in 1994 to combat fraud and abuse, and to increase public confidence in the BC Benefits support programs. The branch has three distinct components:
- Prevention Program
- Compliance Program
- Enforcement Program
Staff Complement (FTEs)
The PCE Branch consists of a total staff complement of 147.67 FTEs: 29.01 for headquarters (including the Special Investigation Unit in New Westminster) and 118.66 for the PCE regional units throughout the province.
Prevention
Objective: To prevent and deter fraud and abuse, in a proactive manner, by introducing activities and controls designed to ensure that an individual or group is unable to follow through on any intention to commit fraud because of the checks and balances built into the eligibility determination process.
The Prevention Program consists of three elements:
- The Early Detection and Prevention (EDP) Program;
- Information Sharing (Data Matching); and
- Prevention of Unwarranted Expenditures Related to Federal Programs.
Strategy: The EDP program is committed to the detection and prevention of fraud, by conducting pre-eligibility reviews for selected categories of high-risk clients during the application process. The verification process ensures that assistance is only paid to eligible applicants. The EDP program was introduced in 1996 and has since expanded to include 79 verification officers working out of 40 district offices.
Results: This program resulted in $16.1 million in savings for the ministry in this fiscal year.
Strategy: Data matching is the process of comparing the names of recipients receiving ministry assistance against clients’ names held by federal or provincial governments, ministries or agencies.
The objectives of data matching are to identify all persons who:
- are claiming duplicate benefits for which they are not entitled;
- are not declaring other sources of income; or
- are eligible for benefits from other federal or provincial benefit programs.
Regular monthly data matches are conducted with Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba Social Services agencies. Other matches under development will identify ministry clients who are also receiving student loans.
EDP Data Matching Warrant disentitlement Fraud Disqualification Total
Compliance
Objective: To maintain public confidence in the BC Benefits program by ensuring that scarce ministry resources are directed to individuals and families who are truly in need.
Compliance work is carried out by 27 eligibility officers (EOs) who review specific aspects of the BC Benefits support programs that are susceptible to fraud and error.
Strategy: The EOs reviewed 4,686 cases of persons with disabilities with known CPP contributions who were not receiving CPP income and assisted these persons to make application for federal benefits.
Results: The ministry adjusted the level of benefits for clients who qualified for federal CPP benefits, which resulted in savings for the ministry of $10,025,000.
Strategy: PCE employed 18 university co-op students to carry out residency and identification checks on primarily employable clients living in the Lower Mainland and Victoria. The students visited 6,838 clients which resulted in 1,755 (26 per cent) case closures or ongoing reductions in benefits and 625 referrals for further investigation.
Results: Savings to the ministry are projected at $5.7 million.
CPP - Phase 3 and 4 Summer Compliance Program Other Initiatives Total
Enforcement
Objective: To reduce the incidence of fraud over time by proactively investigating and prosecuting offenders.
Strategy: The enforcement component of the PCE Branch consists of 40 Ministry Investigators (MIs) and 31 Assistant Ministry Investigators (AMIs). Investigations are priorized by the type of offence and the dollar amount of the fraud.
Results: Out of l2,474 cases investigated this fiscal year, 310 investigations were completed where the fraud amount was in excess of $10,000. Examples of investigations follow.
Benefits stopped Repayment Compensation Total
Total PCE Savings, 1997-98
Prevention Compliance Enforcement Total
Fraud Referrals by Type, 1998
Duplicate assistance False identification False address Total Undeclared income Undeclared assets Total Dependent status Common-law Lost/stolen cheques Miscellaneous Assisted–Out of province Total
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Emergency Social Services (ESS) provides shelter, food, clothing, registration and inquiry, and personal services to those forced from their homes by natural or man-made emergencies such as fires, earthquakes and floods. More than 5,000 ESS volunteers provide these services in more than 120 communities across British Columbia. The ESS branch supports the volunteers both directly and indirectly through public and private sector partnerships. The ESS branch is also responsible for business continuity planning to ensure ministry operations can continue following a disaster.
Although there were no large single incidents involving ESS during 1997-98, about 2,450 persons were assisted by ESS volunteers in 248 separate events - primarily house and apartment fires and localized floods. The largest event was an evacuation of 220 persons in Esquimalt as a result of a Russian trawler burning in dry dock. ESS volunteers from three separate municipalities responded with coordination assistance from the ESS branch of the ministry. Due to toxic smoke generated by the fire, this event came close to causing a major evacuation of the whole harbour area.
Objective: To monitor the effectiveness of the Provincial Emergency Social Services Response Plan
Strategy: In January 1998, the Province ran the Thunderbird III exercise - based on simulated ash fall over the Fraser Valley following a volcanic eruption of Mount Baker - as a test of the overall provincial emergency response plan. The provincial ESS response plan was tested as part of this exercise. This proved to be a very difficult scenario involving road closures, major flooding, communications and hydro failures, roof collapses and the inability to operate equipment.
Results: The provincial ESS response plan worked very well and important lessons were learned. The Provincial ESS Support Team, which is a partnership of government and non-government agencies, provides provincial level support for major disasters. As part of Thunderbird III, the ministry also formed a regional ESS support team which provided a strong communication linkage between the province and affected municipal ESS teams. This approach worked well and may be considered in future plans. The addition of regional Mobile Support Teams (i.e., highly trained ESS volunteers willing to provide ESS support to any B.C. community in need) also proved invaluable in assisting a community overwhelmed by a disaster.
Objective: To ensure ESS volunteers are trained and ready to respond to disasters in their own communities.
Strategy: ESS works in partnership with the Justice Institute to provide ESS training to volunteers throughout the province. During 1997-98, a ‘Train the Trainer’ Program was developed and 22 volunteer regional trainers were equipped with the necessary skills and training packages to provide instruction to community volunteers.
Results: In the first year, 53 training sessions were conducted throughout BC by volunteer regional trainers and all sessions were rated positively by volunteers who participated.
Objective: To provide emergency communications links for ESS volunteers throughout the province, enabling them to relay critical information about emergency situations.
Strategy: Municipal ESS teams are linked to the provincial ESS operations centre through an emergency communication system known as the digital amateur radio system or packet radio. To facilitate access to the ESS packet radio, surplus government computer equipment has been made available to communities (with assistance from the Westcoast Amateur Radio Club).
Results: More than 100 computers have been provided on a no-cost lease basis to help connect more than 50 communities to the ESS emergency communications system.
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