PUBLIC BENEFITS: ELIGIBILITY/ENROLLMENT DELIVERY
The center focuses on health care access, immigrants' access to services, food and nutrition, the state's eligibility and enrollment system, and TANF.
Recent Eligibility/Enrollment Delivery Publications
Letters from Texas Organizations Regarding the Call Center Rollout (12/5/2005)
Letters sent from Texas advocacy and service organizations to USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service regarding its monitoring of the Texas call center rollout.
CPPP Statement on Draft State Auditor’s Report (09/29/2005)
Today's story in the San Antonio Express-News, “State savings don't add up," makes public the findings of a draft report by the State Auditor’s Office critical of the methodology behind the Health and Human Services Commission’s decision last year to outsource its human resource and payroll functions to a private contractor. The auditor’s report says the savings from outsourcing are not $45 million over five years as claimed by HHSC to justify the contract, but only $1.1 million. The report also determined that HHSC does not have adequate performance measures in place to monitor contactor performance and ensure people’s needs are met.
U.S. Senate Passes Amendment Prohibiting Privatization of Food Stamp Program Operations (09/26/2005)
Last week, the U.S. Senate passed the 2006 agricultural appropriations bill with an amendment that prohibits states from using federal funds if they privatize more than 10% of their Food Stamp Program operations. If the amendment is successful, it would prevent Texas from going forward with its plans to privatize Food Stamp enrollment under the contract it signed with Accenture in June (which also includes enrollment in CHIP, Medicaid, and TANF cash assistance).
HHSC Awards Call Center Contract (07/7/2005)
On June 30, the Health and Human Services Commission announced a 5-year, $899 million contract with Accenture, LLP to revamp and take over operation of the state’s eligibility and enrollment systems for Medicaid, CHIP, Food Stamps, and TANF cash assistance. The contract is the latest development in the state’s plans to move to a more automated system for enrolling people in these benefits and will lead to the use of four call centers and an Internet application, with fewer eligibility staff and local offices. This Policy Page shares what we know so far about these latest developments in the state’s plans to use private call centers to enroll people in public benefits.
HB 2447/SB 1541: Proposed Legislation Would Require a Pilot to Test the Use of Call Centers for Eligibility Determination (03/31/2005)
Representative Naishtat (HB 2447) and Senator Gallegos (SB 1541) have introduced legislation that would require the Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) to conduct a pilot to test the use of call centers in the Food Stamp, Medicaid, TANF, and CHIP programs before a statewide roll-out or significant reductions in local human services offices and employees.
How Resources are Treated in Federal Public Benefit Programs in Texas (01/26/2005)
Cheat sheet on how resources are treated in federal public benefit programs in Texas.
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