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will soon be leaving. Susan Gailfus will retire on January 3, 2022, after serving as an Eligibility <br />Specialist for over 28 years. Audrey Ganje resigned on November 24 and Massi Faizee will leave <br />us on November 30 to join Lutheran Immigration and Naturalization Service. Interviews have <br />been conducted for two of these positions as we ll as the replacement for Becky We lsh who now <br />occupies the Eli gibility Worker II position vacated upon the retirement of Jennifer Emery. <br />As of November 1, 2021 , 14,070 cases are be ing managed in SPAC ES. In preparation for the <br />changes anticipated to be a part of Social Service Redesign, each Eligibility Worker has taken on <br />the responsibility of managing both the Energy Assistance Program [LIHEAP] as we ll as the HCBS <br />(Home and Community Based Services coverage group) for those fami li es they already serve. <br />Doing so ha s resu lted in a recalculation of the HCBS case numbers. <br />EW staff continue their efforts related to Socia l Service Redesign with bi-weekly, virtual <br />meetings held with Zones across the state while the TANF Supervisor and Lead Worker continue <br />work with CFS (the office of Child re n and Family Services) and their "Peer to Peer" program; this <br />with the goal of reinvigorating TANF; a program that has all but lost its significance as a support <br />for single parent families. Yet to be received are the results of the survey distributed by NDDHS <br />to all households currently receiving TANF as we ll as those who did so since April 2021 . <br />Currently 21 Eligibility Staff are managing their work remotely whi le several others find <br />themselves both telecommuting and occasionally on -site. <br />Applications fi led for the 1915i program continue their gradual increase. While CMS (the <br />Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services) ha s yet to ru le on our efforts to expand utilization <br />by lowering the requisite mean-score from 50 to 25 points, local staff contin ue to actively search <br />out community service providers to enroll in the program. <br />The re -write of the General Assistance Po li cy has been completed and will be presented for <br />Board Action. The goal to standardize this program across all Zones has resulted in some <br />changes to our rules related to Indigent Burial. <br />In October 2021 , Eligibility Staff <br />1) were assigned 871 applications, 865 of which were filed through the Self-Servi ce Portal <br />[SSP] and the Federally Facilitated Marketplace [F FM] along with 908 applications for <br />se rvi ces extended through the Energy Program. In addition, some 2,89 1 Periodic reviews <br />were processed for a total of 4,670 filing. <br />2) managed a total of 12,761 Hea lth Care cases. Loca l staff currently support the access to <br />health care of more than 20,000 individuals in our community. <br />3) issued $861,155 in SNAP benefits to 5,095 families comprised of c. 12,298 individuals. <br />4) Authorized 2021 YTD benefits in Energy Assistance totaling $1,501,560 to some 3,100 <br />families. Unfortunately, details related to the monthly reimbursement to Cass County <br />Utility providers remains unavailable. <br />5) supported 173 families through the TANF, TANF Kinsh ip Care, and TANF Diversion/ <br />Transition Programs. Assistance in basic grants, Special Items of Need, and Supportive <br />Services that further efforts of participants in securing employment totaled $69,469.00 <br />5) re imbursed Cass County Child Care Providers $861,155.00 for the care of 1,096 children <br />living in the homes of some 700 fam ilies. Cass County manages nearly 38% of all Chi ld <br />Ca re Assistance Program cases in ND and authorizes nearly 40% of the Prog ram's Funds.