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CASS COUNTY HUMAN SERVICE ZONE BOARD MEETING <br />April 4, 2022 <br />MINUTES <br />With quorum present, Chair Bollinger called the meeting to order at 1 :00 p.m. <br />Present: <br />Absent: <br />Presenter: <br />Commissioner Duane Breitling; Commissioner Rick Steen (via Teams); Carey Fry; <br />Brian Hagen; Julie Haugen; Michelle Kommer; Dan Madler (via Teams); Ga il <br />Bollinger <br />Gail Bollinger, Zone Director; Heather Collins, Executive Staff Officer; Jill Lane, <br />Economic Assistance Supervisor; Sha ina Huovinen, Economic Assistance <br />Supervisor; Diane Jorgenson, Economic Assistance Supervisor <br />I. Approval of Minutes <br />Commissioner Breitling made a motion to approve the March 7, 2022, Board minutes. <br />Ms. Haugen seconded it. Motion carried. <br />II. Featured Program: Economic Assistance <br />Jill Lane, Shaina Huovi nen, and Diane Jorgenson, Economic Assistance Supervisors <br />shared an overview of the programs available through Economic Assistance. Between the <br />three supervisors present today, there are over 63 years of experience delivering services <br />to Cass County residents. <br />Application packets were provided to members that were present. Individuals can apply <br />using the packets or the Self-Service Portal onl ine. The number of online applications <br />continues to increase compared to previous years. Board members requested statistics <br />for this, of which will be sent after the meeting. <br />Ms. Lane explained each program involves different criteria for eligibility and requires <br />individuals to report their income, assets, and expenses for determination. Individuals <br />can apply for all programs (Medicaid, Supplemental Nutritional Ass istance Program <br />(SNAP -nee Food Stamps), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), and Child <br />Care Assistance) or individual programs. <br />Economic Assistance receives approximately 1,1 00 applications per month. When an <br />individual applies for services, a screener reviews the application and assigns it to an <br />Eligibility Worker via a rotation log. Once assigned, that worker would retain the case for <br />its lifetime. Due to the State redesign, this process will be changing to a Process <br />Management Workflow. Set to begin in March 2022, it has been rescheduled for an <br />undetermined date in 2023 due to ongoing discussions on the process as well as <br />software issues. Next week, the divis ion will begin with some workflow changes to allow <br />staff to become familiar with the process management workflow. Chair Bollinger <br />explained the benefits of the change include case equity for staff, clients receiving their <br />benefits quicker, and staff not requiring coverage while on leave. <br />It was asked if individuals can walk in and apply and be seen by a worker immediately. <br />The supervisors explained that individuals can come in to pick up applications at any