APRIL 2008
HR Manual for HHSC (download PDF)

<CHAPTERS 1 - 16>
<INTRODUCTION and APPENDIX>

NOVEMBER 2007
Organizing and Moblizing Against Privatization - The Fight to Save Health & Human Services in Texas <DOWNLOAD PDF>

<download petition>

Call your rep. in the US Congress today. Tell them: Vote to override the SCHIP veto! We need funding to care for Texas kids. < ADDITIONAL DETAILS >

October 4, 2007 CWA Information Sheet on CHIP vote < DOWNLOAD PDF >

September 21 HHSC hearing:
HHSC puts failed plan on life support, releases “transition plan” - TSEU calls for end to privatization plans, focus on services, hiring of staff

HHSC released its draft “Health and Human Services Eligibility System Transition Plan” at a September 21 public hearing in Austin. The 31-page document outlines how HHSC plans to continue its attempts to make the call center/privatization plan work. Newspapers in San Antonio, Austin, Houston, and Dallas covered the hearing. See the press clips in the Member's Only portion or the website.

Some highlights of the transition plan

• HHSC remains committed to TIERS and will continue to add new cases in TIERS.
• HHSC remains committed to privatization.
• HHSC plans to expand the use of “centralized staff units” operating out of Austin.
• HHSC plans to negotiate several smaller contracts to replace the large Accenture/TAAcontract.

TSEU testimony: forget privatization, add more staff, freeze TIERS

TSEU members Jerry Wald and Sheila Badzioch of Houston presented TSEU testimony at the hearing, and they also presented written testimony from TSEU members Alma Ramirez of McAllen, Georgia Couch of Greenville, and Joan Barasch, Lideiva Delgadillo, and Gwen Balderrama of San Antonio.
The TSEU testimony emphasized the seriousness of the situation and the need for HHSC to focus on rebuilding face-to-face eligibility, primarily by adding staff and improving training and support. We also called on HHSC to freeze input or conversion of cases into TIERS until the audit by the State Auditor is complete and a final decision has been made on a long-term solution.
TSEU’s testimony echoed a letter we sent to Commissioner Hawkins in August calling for immediate steps to add staff, improve support, and freeze TIERS implementation.

How we got here

Despite the costly, nearly total melt-down of the Accenture/ Call Center plan and a strong message from the Texas Legislature that they need to change direction, HHSC administrators have made it clear that they will try to resuscitate the failed call center/privatization plan.
This year the Texas Legislature passed HB 3575, which mandates strict legislative oversight of changes to the eligibility system, and also passed appropriations riders that authorize HHSC to add 1000 or more new staff positions. Many legislators felt strongly that the call center/privatization experiment was a disaster that should not be repeated.
Up to 2005 Texas received millions of dollars annually in federal enhanced funding awarded to the states with the best rates of accuracy and timeliness of services. Our performance crumbled during the call center plan rollout as the plan foundered. HHSC’s policies drove thousands of experienced eligibility workers out of the system and allowed thousands of positions to go unfilled. This year our performance is far short of federal requirements and we will face federal penalties if we do not improve quickly.

HHSC Transition Plan
<DETAILS (download PDF)>

TSEU Testimony
<DETAILS (download DOC)>

These are highlights of what happened in
the 2007 session of the Texas Legislature, emphasizing issues that directly affect Health and Human Services and their employees.

VICTORY: Increased State Eligibility Staffing PASSED, up to 1000 new employees possible
The Budget returned FTEs to 2004 levels, approx. 10,500 employees, PLUS allows HHSC to increase Integrated Eligibility FTEs by 10% over allocated FTEs, roughly 1,050 additional staff.

VICTORY. Oversight of Integrated Eligibility & TIERS development
HB 3575 by Rep. Patrick Rose (D-Dripping Springs) creates goals for the enhanced Integrated Eligibility System & a Legislative Oversight Committee to monitor the Commission through the process of reaching these goals. It is somewhat vague, but does include regular public hearings. This bill does not mandate a complete cancellation of the call center project or a real solution to the TIERS development mess, but forces HHSC to demonstrate progress & answer in public questions on its performance and plans.

VICTORY. CHIP eligibility barriers removed
HB 109 By Rep. Sylvester Turner (D-Houston) extends the period of eligibility for those enrolled in the CHIP program to 12 months and eliminates the 90-day waiting period for CHIP applicants.