[1. Welcome and opening remarks]
[00:00:02]
>> MS. DIXON YOU MAY PROCEED. >> GOOD MORNING.
THE MEETING WILL COME TO ORDER. MAY THE RECORD REFLECT THAT THIS MEETING OF THE HHSC EXECUTIVE COUNCIL CONVENED AT 10 O'CLOCK A.M. ON JUNE 18TH. KAHLA WILL YOU PLEASE CALL THE
MEMBERS PLEASE RESPOND PRESENT OR HERE.
>> PRESENT. >> SILVIA KAUFMAN.
GINA CARTER. >> PRESENT FOR SILVIA KAUFMAN
>> HERE. >> RAYMOND CHARLES WINTER.
MS. DIXON, ROLE IS CONCLUDED. >> THANK YOU KAHLA.
NON-EXECUTIVE EXHIBITIONER YOUTH NOTICED THAT SHE IS TRAVELLING TODAY. BUT WILL BE BACK FOR NEXT TIME.
I JUST HAVE A COUPLE OF OPENING REMARKS.
EARLIER THIS WEEK HSSC AND U.T. SOUTHWESTERN MEDICAL CENTER HOSTED A RIBBON CUTTING CEREMONY FOR THE TEXAS BEHAVIOURAL HEALTH CENTER IN DALLAS.
ONE OF THE PLACES OUR COMMISSIONER WAS TRAVELLING TO.
U.T. SOUTHWEST MEDICAL CENTER WILL OPERATE NEW 292 BED HOS HOSPITAL.
THE PEDIATRIC WING NEARLY DOUBLES THE NUMBER OF BEDS FOR CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENCE WITHIN STATE HOSPITAL SYSTEMS FROM 106 TO 198 BEDS. THE CENTER WILL GREATLY EXPAND ACCESS TO PSYCHIATRIC CARE. IN THE NORTH TEXAS AREA AND IS A WELCOME EDITION OTO TO OURER STATE HOSPITAL SYSTEM.
I ALSO QUICKLY WANTED TO MENTION MONTH MARKS THE BEGINNING OF HURRICANE SEASON. WE ARE REMINDING HEALTH CARE FACILITIES. CHILD CARE OPERATORS AND OTHER PROVIDERS TO UPDATE THEIR E EMERGENCY RESPONSE PLANS.
WHILE FORECASTS SHOW A BELOW NORMAL YEAR FOR MAJOR STORMS WE COULD STILL SEE AS MANY AS SIX HURRICANES THIS SEASON.
TEXANS CAN LEARN ABOUT HOW TO PREPARE FOR HURRICANES AND OTHER NATURAL DISASTERS AT TEXASREADY.GOV.
I WILL NOW TURN IT OVER TO-- GARCIA THE INTERIM DHS COMMISSIONER WHO IS GOING TO PROVIDE THE UPDATE OF DEPARTMENT OF STATE HEALTH SERVICES.
>> THANK YOU JORDAN. IT'S GOOD TO BE WITH YOU ALL TODAY. FIRST AND FOREMOST I WANT TO THANK EXECUTIVE COMMISSIONER-- FOR TRUSTING ME AND NAMING ME AS INTERIM COMMISSIONER. FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT MAY NOT KNOW, OUR ESTEEMED COMMISSIONER DR. JENNIFER SHOEFORD HAS SINCE TAKEN A NEW POSITION AT THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION. SHE IS NOW THE CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER AND DEPUTY DIRECTOR AT THE CDC AND SO WE WISH HER WELL IN THOSE NEW ENDEAVOURS. IN MY NAMING OF BEING AN INTERIM COMMISSIONER, I'M NOT A PHYSICIAN.
SO I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU GUYS KNEW.
DR. MANDA HALL HAS BEEN NAMED CHIEF MEDICAL EXECUTIVE FOR DSHS TO HELP MESERVE IN THIS CAP CAPACITY. SHE'S CURRENTLY THE DEPUTY COMMISSIONER FOR COMMUNITY HEALTH IMPROVEMENT HERE AT THE DEPARTMENT OF TEXAS HEALTH SERVICES.
SHE'S BEEN IN THAT ROLE SINCE 2017.
SHE STARTED WITH US BACK IN 2012 AS THE CHILDREN OW YOUTH SPECIAL HEALTH CARE NEEDS DIRECTOR AND DSHS.
SHE'S PREVIOUSLY SERVED AS THE PRESIDENT OF THE ASSOCIATION OF MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH PROGRAMS. AND THE ANCHIP REGION SIX DIRECTOR FROM 2017 TO 2020.
SHE RECEIVED HER BACHELOR'S DEGREE IN BIOLOGY FROM-- UNIVERSITY AND HER MEDICAL DEGREE FROM TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCE CENTER COLLEGE OF MEDICINE.
SHE COMPLETED HER RESIDENCY AND FELLOWSHIP AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA IN BIRMINGHAM AND INTERIM MEDICINE.
PEDIATRICS AND ALLERGY IMMUNOLOGY.
SO I WANT TO THANK DR. HALL FOR HER WILLINGNESS TO STEP UP IN LEADING THE AGENCY. IN THE PUBLIC HEALTH WORLD WE HAVE QUITE A BIT GOING ON. AND SO I WANTED TO JUST PROVIDE A COUPLE OF HIGHLIGHTS OF WHAT WE HAVE BEEN WORKING ON THE PAST COUPLE OF MONTHS. SO THE FIRST ONE IS ABOUT HAUNTA VIRUS. LAST MONTH DSH HAS WORKED WITH LOCAL HEALTH DEPARTMENTS TO MONITOR TWO TEXAS RESIDENTS WHO RETURNED CRUISE SHIP IN THE SOUTH ATLANTIC WHERE MULTIPLE
[00:05:02]
INDIVIDUALS HAD DEVELOPED HAUNTA VIRUS INFECTION.BOTH OF THOSE TRAVEL RERS MAINED ASYMPTOMATIC THROUGHOUT THEIR MONITORING PERIOD AND HAVE SINCE COMPLETED THAT PERIOD. SO WE HAVE HAD NO ADDITIONAL CASES HERE IN TEXAS AS A RESULT OF THAT.
WHAT WE DO HAVE A LOT GOING ON RIGHT NOW THAT MANY OF YOU ALL MAY KNOW ABOUT IS THERE IS AN ONGOING EBOLA OUTBREAK WITH CASES IN THE DCIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO AND UGANDA.
AS OF THIS WEEK, THERE HAVE BEEN 837 CONFIRMED CASES IN THE DRS WITH ALMOST 200 CONFIRMED DEATHS.
IN UGANDA THERE'S 19 CONFIRMED CASES AND TWO CONFIRMED DEATHS.
AT THIS POINT, CDC HAS ANNOUNCED THAT UGANDA HAS HIT AROUND 12 DAYS WITHOUT ANY NEW CASES SO THAT'S A VERY GOOD THING. BUT IN RESPONSE TO THE ONGOING OUTBREAK, AS WHAT CDC HAS DONE IN PREVIOUS YEAR, THEY ARE STARTED ROUTING TRAVELLERS FROM THOSE TWO COUNTRIES AS WELL AS THE SOUTH SUDAN THROUGH FIVE AIRPORTS HERE IN THE UNITED STATES. HOUSTON, BRITISH INTERCONTINENTLE IS ONE OF THOSE AIRPORTS.
SO WE ARE CURRENTLY MONITORING AROUND 260 TRAVELLERS FOR A PERIOD OF 21 DAYS TO JUST CHECK IN FOR SYMPTOMS AND IF WE DO NEED TO FOLLOW UP, THEN WE CAN HELP COORDINATE ADDITIONAL HEALTH CARE IF NEEDED. BUT OVERALL, THE RISK TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC REMAINS LOW. AND THEN SHIFTING TOPICS, YA'LL MAY HAVE HEARD THAT THE GOVERNOR ISSUED A DISASTER DECLARATION FOR NEW WORLD SCREWWORM AND WHILE DSH IS NOT THE LEAD AGENCY BECAUSE TEXAS ANIMAL HEALTH COMMISSION AND TEXAS PARKS AND WILDLIFE SERVE AS THE LEAD AGENCY FOR THIS RESPONSE, WE ARE ALSO SUPPORTING DETECTIONS ACROSS THE STATE. SO THE FIRST ANIMAL DETECTION WAS IN A CALF IN ZEVOLA COUNTY. CURRENTLY WE HAVE 11 CASES IN TEXAS. THERE'S ONE ADDITIONAL CASE THAT IS IN NEW MEXICO. BEEN WORKING TO DEVELOP EDUCATION MATERIALS AND TRAINING FOR THOSE IN ANIMALS AND PEOPLE AND HOW TO TREAT AND CONTACT THEM.
OUR REGIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH STAFF HAVE BEEN DOING ONGOING OUTREACH AND EDUCATION WITHIN THEIR JURISDICTIONS TO MAKE SURE PEOPLE KNOW HOW TO IDENTIFY AND SUBMIT SPECIMENS.
BUT LARGELY I WANT TO REITERATE THAT THE FOOD SUPPLY IN PARTICULARLY CONCERNS ABOUT MEAT SAFETY, WANT TO ADDRESS THIS HEAD ON. AT DSHS OUR MEAT INSPECTORS BOTH FOR STATE AND FEDERAL VIEW EACH ANIMAL BEFORE AND AFTER PROCESSING. AND SO ANY ANIMAL THAT DOES HAVE AN INFESTATION WOULD NOT BE SENT INTO THE MEAT SUPPLY.
AND SO THE FOOD IS SAFE AND WE WANT TO MAKE SURE EVERYONE KNOWS THAT. AND THEN SHIFTING OFF OF KIND OF INFECTIOUS CONDITIONS. WE HAVE BEEN ACTIVELY ENGAGED IN WORLD CUP OPERATIONS PREPAREDNESS ACTIVITIES.
WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH LOCAL, REGIONAL, STATE, FEDERAL AND INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS IN PREPARATION FOR THE SUMMER GAMES. WE'VE CONDUCTED OVER 15 PREPAREDNESS ACTIVITIES COVERING MASS CASUALTIES.
RADIO LOGICAL EVENTS. FOOD BORNE OUTBREAKS AND OTHER HIGH CONSEQUENCE INFECTIOUS DISEASE.
IN PREPARATION SHOULD ANY OF THESE EVENTS HAPPEN DURING THE WORLD CUP. WE HAVE BEEN PART NERRING WITH A LOCAL SAFETY MANAGEMENT IN PREPARATION OF THESE GAMES.
WE HAVE STOOD UP A INFECTIOUS DISEASE CONSULTATION HOTLINE WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS MEDICAL BRANCH IN ANTICIPATION OF OVER A MILLION TRAVELERS COMING TO THE STATE TO WATCH THE GAMES. SO THIS IS A FREE HOT LINE FOR CONSULTATION. AND TO FAVRE GATE FOR ANY SUSPECTED INFECTIOUS DISEASES THAT MIGHT COME AS A RESULT OF THE WORLD CUP GAMES. AND LASTLY WE HAVE HIT HURRICANE SEASON ALREADY SO WE CONTINUE TO CONCUR WITH OUR LOCAL STATE AND FEDERAL PARTNERS JUST MONITORING THE HURRICANE SEIZON WITH KNOWING THAT WE'VE ALREADY HAD TROPICAL STORM ARTHUR. LAKELAND AND GALVESTON.
SO WE COULD REMAIN VIGILANT IN ALL OF OUR PREPAREDNESS ACTIVITIES. AND MAKING SURE WE'RE COORDINATING ON THE GROUND WITH FOLKS ACROSS THE STATE SO WE WILL CONTINUE TO PAY ATTENTION TO ALL THOSE THINGS.
>> THANK YOU IMELDA FOR THAT UPDATE.
WE WILL NOW HEAR FROM ELIZABETH FARLEY WHO WILL PROVIDE A DEPARTMENT OF FAMILY AND PROTECTIVE SERVICES UPDATE.
AND APOLOGIES COMMISSIONER O'NEIL IS TRAVELLING TODAY AS WELL. SO YOU GET TO HEAR FROM ME.
I'VE GOT TWO QUICK UPDATES FOR YOU ALL.
WANTING TO PROVIDE JUST ANOTHER GOOD NEWS UPDATE THAT'S OUR MULTI-AGENCY BACKGROUND CHECK SYSTEM.
[00:10:01]
THAT WE STOOD UP EARLIER THIS YEAR.IMPLEMENTATION IS GOING REALLY WELL.
WELL OVER 300,000 CHECKS AT THIS POINT.
MOST OF THEM ARE FROM TEA. WHICH WILL DON IN MAY.
AND WE HAVE DFPS IS GOING TO START RUNNING OUR CHECKS THROUGH THE SYSTEM NEXT WEEK ON THE 26TH.
SO THAT'LL BE THE NEXT AGENCY THAT ROLLS ON.
WE HAVE THAD AND TEA RIGHT NOW. AND THEN HSSC IS GASSED.
WE HAVE OUR REGULATORY FIRST. AND THEN THE FACILITIES NURSING HOME FACILITIES WILL BE IN SEPTEMBER.
SO AGAIN, GOOD NEWS THERE. THE SYSTEM IS WORKING.
WE DO HAVE TEA DID UNDERESTIMATE THE NUMBER OF CHECKS THAT WILL BE COMING THROUGH ESPECIALLY INITIALLY.
WE ARE ONLY RUNNING RECERTIRECE RECERTIFICATIONS RIGHT NOW. WE ARE NOT RUNNING NEW HIRES.
AND IT'S LOT. SO THOSE NUMBERS WERER UNDERESTIMATEED. WE ARE WATCHING IT.
THE SYSTEM IS STILL PERFORMING WELL BUT MAKING SURE WE'RE MONITORING RESOURCES AND MEAT AND THING LIKE THAT.
SO BUT AGAIN-- ALL GOOD THERE. AND THEN-- OH IT'S-- OKAY.
I JUST GOT A TEXT. IT'S LIKE 410,000 CHECKS THAT WE'VE DONE NOW. IT'S A LOT.
AND SECOND, THE GOVERNOR ANNOUNCED I BELIEVE IT WAS TWO WEEKS AGO THAT TEXAS HAS OPTED INTO THE FEDERAL ACF INITIATIVE CALLED A HOME FOR EVERY CHILD. THIS IS AN INITIATIVE THAT IS REALLY COMING FROM ASSISTANT SECRETARY ADAMS. HE HAD A VERY SIMILAR INITIATIVE WHEN HE WAS THE CHILD WELFARE COMMISSIONER IN IDAHO.
TO REALLY BRING THE STATED GOAL OF THE INITIATIVE IS TO HAVE WHAT IT SAYS-- A HOME FOR EVERY CHILD.
A ONE TO ONE RATIO. FOSTER HOMES TO CHILDREN IN CARE. AND SO THIS MISSION IS REALLY CHALLENGING STATES TO BRING US DLOES THAT RATIO AS SAFE AESZ POSSIBLE. UNDERSTANDING THAT NOT A BASIC FOSTER HOME IS OBVIOUSLY NOT THAT APPROPRIATE SETTING FOR EVERY CHILD. THERE ARE SOME FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS BUT WE DO ANNES HOME LIKE SETTING IS WHAT'S BEST FOR CHILDREN. SO THE GOVERNOR IN PARTNERSHIP WITH COMMISSIONER O'NEIL ANNOUNCED THAT WE'VE OPTED IN.
WE ARE VERY MUCH IN THE EARLY PLANNING STAGES OF THAT INITIATIVE AND WHAT IT MEANS. BUT IT DID ALLOW US TO RENEGOTIATE OUR PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT PLAN THAT WE WERE ON. AS FAR AS THE-- THERE'S A VERY LARGE FEDERAL-- IT'S CALLED THE CFSR BUT IT'S BASICALLY AN AUDIT OF HOW WE RUN OUR SYSTEM. AND SO OPTING IN ALLOWEDTOUS RENEGOTIATE THAT PIP. IT REMOVED FINANCIAL PENALTIES ASSOCIATED WITH THE PIP. AND GENERALLY WHAT WE'RE BEING GRADE ON IS A LOT LESS STRINGENT I GUESS IS WHAT I'LL SAY. OUR PIP LAST YEARER WAS FOR EXAMPLE 66 PAGES LONG AND THIS ONE IS APPROXIMATELY 2 ½.
SO WE ARE REALLY KIND OF REDUCING THAT BURDEN.
AND HIS GOAL IS TO TRY TO SEE IF WE TAKE DOWN WHAT WE'RE GRADING THE STATES ON, CAN THEY ACTUALLY BE FLEXIBLE AND IMPROVE THE SYSTEM IN DIFFERENT WAYS? AND SO WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT THIS E INITIATIVE.
WE'RE WORKING WITH OUR CBC CONTRACTS ON THIS BECAUSE THEY OF COURSE ARE IN CHARGE OF EXPANDING CAPACITY IN THEIR AREAS. AND SO WE'RE GOING TO PARTNER REALLY CLOSELY WITH THEM AND AS WELL AS OUR FAITH-BASED COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT STAFF ON THIS INITIATIVE.
WE'VE ASSIGNED A PROJECT MANAGER.
SO AGAIN, VERY EARLY STAGES BUT WANTED TO MENTION HERE BECAUSE THE REGULATORY REFORM IS GOING TO BE REALLY IMPORTANT TO THIS INITIATIVE. AND WE KNOW THAT THAT'S HOW A LOT OF HOW THEY DID IT IN IDAHO IS REDEUCING REGULATORY BARRIERS FOR FOSTERING KINSHIP FAMILIES.
BRINGING MORE FOSTER FAMILIES ON.
SO I KNOW THERE'S A LOT OF WORK GOING ON WITH THAT RIGHT NOW, BUT WE'RE JUST EXCITED ABOUT IT.
WANT TO CONTINUE IMPLEMENTING IN THESE INITIATIVES ARE GOING TO WORK REALLY WELL TOGETHER. SO THAT IS ALL I HAVE.
>> GREAT. JUST HAVING TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES FROM THE PUBLIC HEARING ROOM.
THEY ARE AWARE OF THE SITUATION AND THEY ARE TRYING TO FIX THE
AUDIO. >> SHOULD WE CONTINUE OR PAUSE,
[00:15:02]
KAHLA? >> I HOPE EVERYONE HEARD THAT EXCELLENT UPDATE. EXCITING.
OKAY, I THINK WE'RE BACK. THANK YOU ELIZABETH.
IF YOU DIDN'T HEAR, I'M SORRY BUT IT WAS A REALLY GREAT UPDATE. NEXT WE HAVE INSPECTOR RAYMOND WINTER WHO WILL PROVIDE AN INSPECTOR GENERAL UPDATE.
ZWR THAT WAS EXCITING. OUR AGEANCESY TO PROVIDE INTEGRITY TRANSPARENCY ACROSS HEALTH HUMAN SERVICES PROGRAMS. AND OUR WORK INCLUDES PREVENTING, DETECTING AND INVESTIGATING ALLEGATIONS OF FRAUD WASTE AND ABUSE AS WELL AS CONDUCTING AUDITS, INSPECTIONS AND SUPPORTING ENFORCEMENT ACTIONS TO PROTECT PUBLIC RESOURCES AND THE CLIENTS WE ALL SERVE. SINCE THE LAST TIME WE MET WE HAVE RECOVERED AN ADDITIONAL $63 MILLION FOR TAX PAYERS BRINGING OUR TOTAL RECOVERYERS IN FISCAL YEAR TO $283 MILLION THROUGH THE END OF APRIL. THESE REFLECT THE BREADTH OF OUR OPERATIONS AND I WOULD LIKE TO HIGHLIGHT TWO OF THEM TODAY FOR YA'LL. SOMEONE BENEFITS.
PROGRAM INTEGRITY AREA AND THE OTHER IS OUR TARGETED QUERIES AREA. THESE ARE TWO EXAMPLES TO HIGHLIGHT PARTICULARLY DATA DRIVEN.
AND IT INVOLVES OUR DATA TEAM DOING ANALYSIS OF CLAIMS DATA WITHOUT A CLINICAL ANALYSIS. JUST LOOKING AT THE FACE OF THE CLAIMS. AND THE PARTICULAR THING I WANT TO HIGHLIGHT FOR YA'LL IS DATA DEATH INQUIRIES.
THIS RENEWS EXAMS CLAIMS FOR GOODS AND SERVICES DELIVERED AFTER A KADE PATIENTS RECORDED DATE OF DEATH.
PROVIDERS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR REIMBURSING THE MEDICAID PROGRAM IF THEY PROVIDED SERVICES AFTER THE DATE THAT THE CLIENT DIES. UNLESS THE PROVIDER'S DOCUMENTATION THAT DETERMINES IS SUFFICIENT TO SUPPORT THAT A PRODUCT SUCH AS A PRESCRIPTION OCCURRED BEFORE THE PROVIDER BECAME AWARE OF THE CLIENT'S DEATH.
AND THE THIRD QUARTER TQ TEAM CONDUCTING SUPPLIER CLAIMS. AND IDENTIFIED OVER $800,000 OF POTENTIAL OVERPAYMENTS AND SO FAR WE'VE COLLECTED ALMOST $500,000 OUT OF THAT POPULATION. WE ARE BROADLY ARTICULATING ALGORITHMIC REVIEWS TO HELP IDENTIFY LONG-TERM TRENDS THAT MIGHT FURTHER INVESTIGATION. SHIFTING GEARS THROUGH OUR BPI TEAM, WE HAVE A NUMBER OF INVESTIGATORS BOOTS ON THE GROUND FOLKS. AND WE HAVE API MEDICAID PROGRAM INTEGRITY AND BPI WHICH IS BENEFICIARY PROGRAM INTEGRITY. AND THE BPI TEAM LOOKS INTO ALLEGATIONS THAT CLIENTS ARE MAKING MISREPRESENTATIONS IN ORDER TO OBTAIN BENEFITS THAT THEY ARE NOT ACTUALLY ENTITLED TO BY LAW. AS OF MARCH OUR BPI TEAM HAS REFERRED 52 OF THE CASES THIS FISCAL YEAR THAT THEY HAVE INVESTIGATED FOR PROSECUTION TO TEXAN PROSECUTORS.
WE MEET REGULARLY WITH PROSECUTOR ACROSS THE STATE OF TEXAS TO TALK ABOUT THE QUALITY OF THE INFORMATION WE BRING TO THEM. WE ARE VERY GOOD RELATIONSHIPS.
TWO EXAMPLES I'D LIKE TO HIGHLIGHT FOR YOU IN THE-- COUNTY. WE HAD AN INDIVIDUAL THAT WE'VE REFERRED FOR PROSECUTION PLEAD GUILTY TO A STATE JAIL FELONY FOR INTENTIONALLY MISREPRESENTING HOUSEHOLD INCOME IN ORDER TO QUALIFY FOR BENEFITS THAT THEY WERE NOT ENTITLED TO IN THAT FAMILY. THE COURT PLACED THAT INDIVIDUAL IN ADJUDICATION FOR FIVE YEARS AND ORDERED MORE THAN $22,000 IN RESTITUTION. AND ANOTHER EXAMPLE IN-- COUNTY INDIVIDUAL PLEADED GUILTY TO HEALTH CARE FRAUD FOR MISREPRESENTING THE HOUSEHOLD MEMBERS THAT WERE IN THE HOUSE CONTRIBUTING TO INCOME AS WELL AS THE INCOME.
AND THAT INDIVIDUAL HAD BASICALLY MISREPRESENTED RECEIVED MEDICAID SNAP BENEFITS THAT THEY WERE NOT ENTITLED TO.
THE COURT PLACED THAT INDIVIDUAL INTO ADJUDICATION FOR FIVE YEARS AND OVEREDED OVER $30,000 RESTITUTION.
THIS REINFORCES THE IMPORTANCE OF OUR RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN US AND THE LOCAL PROSECUTORS OFF OFFICES. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.
AND LOOKING FORWARD TO CONTINUED SUPPORT.
>> THANK YOU INSPECT EVER WINTER.
[2. Agency updates]
MEMBERS ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT ANY OF THOSE UPDATES? OKAY IF NO WE WILL GO TO THE NEXT AGENDA ITEM.AGENCY UPDATES. FIRST JORDAN NICHOLS FROM MEDICAID AND CHIP SERVICES WHO WILL PROVIDE AN UPDATE ON
MEDICATE PROVIDER REVALIDATION. >> GOOD MORNING.
[00:20:10]
MY SNAM JORDAN NICHOLS I SERVE AS THE ASSOCIATE COMMISSIONER FOR OPERATIONED MANAGEMENT WITHIN THE MED CASE AND CHIP SERVICES DIVISION AT HHSC. TODAY I'M GOING TO TALK ABOUT PROVIDER ENROLLMENT AND REVALIDATION.IN ORDER TO PARTICIPATE IN MEDICAID PROVIDERS MUST ENROLL IN THE PROGRAM THROUGH THE PROVIDER ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM ALSO KNOWN AS PEMS MANAGED BY THE HEALTH CARE PARTNERSHIP OR TMHP. WHEN THE PROVIDING ENROLLS.
TYPICALLY FOR FIVE YEARS AT THE END OF THAT PERIOD THE PROVIDER THAT HAS TO REVALIDATE MEANING THEY MUST RE-SUBMIT INFORMATION ABOUT THEIR BUSINESS, SERVICES AND QUALIFICATIONS FOR OUR REVIEW. PROVIDERS WHO DON'T COMPLETE THE REVALIDATION PROCESS TIMELY OR WHO ARE NO LONGER ELIGIBLE TO PARTICIPATE OR DISENROLLED FROM MEDICAID.
NEXT SLIDE PLEADS. THE REVALIDATION PROCESS WAS PAUSED BUT RESUMED IN NOVEMBER 2023.
SINCE THEN SOME PROVIDERS HAVE STRUGGLED TO COMPLETE THE PROCESS TIMELY FOR MANY REASON FOPS ASWIFT THESE CHALLENGES HSSC HAS PROVIDED REBALANCES AND EXTENSIONS TO HELP PROVIDERS OVER THE LAST 18 MONTHS.
BEGINNING JUNE 16TH WE SIMPLIFIED THESE FLEXIBILITIES.
TO QUALIFY FOR ANY REVALIDATION EXTENSIONS A PROVIDER MUST SUBMIT THE REVALIDATION APPLICATION IN PEMS BEFORE THEIR DUE DATE. PROVIDERS TO SUBMIT THEIR DUE DATE WOULD RECEIVE ONGOING 60-DAY EXTENSIONS AS NEEDED UNTIL THEIR APPLICATION IS APPROVED OR DENIED OR THEIR TIME TO FIX ERRORS ON THE APPLICATION HAS EXPIRED.
AND THAT'S 165 BUSINESS DAYS TO DO THAT.
TO IMPROVE PROCESSING TIMES. ON APRIL 23RD 2026 THE CENTERS FOR MEDICARE AND MEDICAID SERVICES SENT LETERS TO DIRECTORS AND GOVERNORERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
ASKING TO SUBMIT COMPREHENSIVE TWO-YEAR PROVIDED STRATEGY TO MITIGATE FRAUD, SCOMBAEFT ABUSE.
IN PARTICULAR, CMS REQUESTED THAT STATES CONDUCT AN OFF-CYCLE REVALIDATION OF HIGH RISK PROVIDERS.
CMS HAS GIVEN STATES FLEXIBILITY ON HOW TO DEFINE THE HIGH RISK PROVIDER. TEXAS DEVELOPED A STRATEGY AND SUBMITTED TO CMS ON JUNE 5TH OF 2026.
OUR STRATEGY IS FOCUSED ON A FEW KEY ITEMS. FIRST AS REQUESTED BY CMS, HSSC WILL CONDUCT AN OFF CYCLE REVALIDATION FOR CERTAIN PROVIDERS.
THIS MEANS SOME PROVIDERS MAY BE REQUIRED TO REVALIDATE SOONER THAN THEIR CURRENT SCHEDULE.
PROVIDERS WILL RECEIVE NOTICE FROM TMHP IF THEY ARE SUBJECT TO THIS SPECIAL REVALIDATION CYCLE.
HSSC WILL ALSO E VALUATE AND CORRECT SOME DATA INTEGRITY ISSUES IDENTIFIED IN OUR SYSTEM.
FOR EXAMPLE, SOME PROVIDERS HAVE REVALIDATION DATE MS. YEARS IN THE PAST. HSSC WILL RESEARCH THE ROOT CAUSE OF THESE ISSUES AND ADDRESS THEM.
PROVIDERS WITH INCORRECT REVALIDATION DATES WILL LIKELY BE REQUIRED TO REVALIDATE AS PART OF THE SPECIAL REVALIDATION CYCLE. HSSC STRATEGY ALSO EMPHASIZES THE IMPORTANCE OF THE PROJECT REDESIGN PEMS THE PROVIDER ENROLLMENT SYSTEM, HSSC RECEIVED FUNDING FROM THE TEXAS LEGISLATURE DURING THE LAST SESSION TO ENHANCE THAT SYSTEM AND WE EXPECT THESE CHANGES THAT WE'RE MAKING WILL STRENGTH AND PROVIDE COMPLIANCE WITH REVALIDATION BY MAKING THE SYSTEM EASIER TO USE. THE NEW SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO GO LIVE IN AUGUST OF 2027. HSSC WILL ALSO EVALUATE THE USE OF ATYPICAL PROVIDER IDENTIFIERS BY PROVIDERS WHO DID NOT HAVE A NATIONAL PROVIDER IDENTIFIER.
THIS IS NOT A COMMON SITUATION IN TEXAS, BUT WE ARE REVIEWING TO SEE IF ANY CHANGES ARE NEEDED TO THIS PROCESS.
HSSC ARE REVIEWING ENROLLMENT TRENDS TO DETERMINE IF THERE ARE ANY SPECIFIC PROVIDER TYPES TO ENLARGED ENROLLMENT ACTIVITY. IF ANY CONCERNING TRENDS ARE IDENTIFIED WE WILL TAKE ADDITIONAL STEPS AS APPROPRIATE. AND FINALLY HSSC'S PLAN HIGHLIGHTS THE EXTENSIVE FRAUD WASTE AND ABUSE MITIGATIONS WE ALREADY HAVE IN PLACE AND HOW WE WILL CONTINUE TO ENFORCE THESE DURING THE TWO-YEAR REVALIDATION-- EXCUSE ME THE TWO-YEAR PERIOD OF THIS STRATEGY.
POSTED ON HSSC'S WEBSITE ON THE PROVIDER ENROLLMENT WEB PAGE AND WE WILL BE UPDATED ON CORER PIECES TOWARDS IMPLEMENTING THIS STRATEGY. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME TODAY.
>> THANK YOU MR. NICHOLS. ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS?
>> I JUST HAVE ONE COMMENT. I JUST WANTED TO THANK JORDEN AND HIS TEAM AS WELL AS OUR PARTNERS IN I.T. FOR ALL OF THE WORK RELATED TO THE PROVIDER REVALIDATION.
[00:25:08]
AND COMING UP WITH A NEW PLAN AND BUILDING THE NEW SYSTEM THAT GOES LIVE NEXT SUMMER. THANKS JUST TO THE PROVIDERS FOR THEIR PATIENCE WITH THIS. WE ARE WORKING ON THE IMPROVED SYSTEM AS YOU'VE HEARD. AND JUST A REALLY IMPORTANT PIECE IN OUR PROGRAM INTEGRITY. TO BE ABLE TO PREVIEW OUR PROVIDERS PERIODICALLY. THANKS TO EVERYBODY AND WE LOOK FORWARDER TO THE CONTINUED WORK IN THE NEW SYSTEM.>> NEXT UPDATE. GOOD MORNING EVERYBODY.
I THINK WE HAVE TALKS AT THE COUNCIL BEFORE ABOUT THE SNAP PAYMENT ERROR RATE. SO WE JUST WANTED TO GIVE AN UPDATE TO EVERYBODY ON WHERE THEY ARE.
SO ON THE NEXT SLIDE, JUST TO-- AS MOST PEOPLE PROBABLY KNOW.
TO FOCUS ON PAYMENT RATES CAME OUT OF ONE OF THE PROVISIONS.
SNAP-- FEDERALLY FUNDED. 2028.
STATES WILL BE REQUIRED TO PAY A PORTION OF THE SNAP BENEFIT COSTS. AND THAT IS TIED TO OUR OVERALL SNAP PAYMENT. WHICH IS THE PROCESS THAT STATES. TO QUALITY ASSURANCE AND CONTROL. THE CAUTIONARIER ON THE SIDE.
-- TO 15% IF OUR ACROSSY RATE IS 90% OR BELOW.
ERROR RATE CALCULATIONS TO FORM THE BASISER IN COST SHARE.
AND SO ON THE NEXT SLIDE, WE JUST WANTED TO PROVIDE AN UPDATE ON SO MUCH ACTIONS THAT WE'RE TAKING TO INCREASE OUR PAYMENT ACCURACY. AUTOMATION.
AND COMMUNICATIONS AND IMPROVEMENTS.
TRAINING AND WORK FORCE SUPPORT AND THEN POLICY CLARITY AND ALIGNMENT. THE SYSTEM THINGS INCLUDING PUTTING IN SOME REALTIME FLAGS FOR WORKERS TO MAKE SURE TO PUT EVERYTHING CORRECTLY. TO COMMON ERROR.
DETERMINING SNAP BECAUSE THE AMOUNT.
TO AFFECT HOUP THEIR BENEFITS CAN DRIVE.
TO DOUBLECHECK THOSE THINGS. AND SUPPORTS.
BACK IN CALCULATIONS. APPLICANTS AND CLAIMS. TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY ARE GETTING ALL THE HOUSEHOLD INFORMATION THAT THEY NEED TO KNOWLEDGEABILITY AND DETERMINATION. I WOULD ALSO DETERMINE SOME PREAND POST-CERTIFICATION. HIGHER VALUE OR THOSE THAT HAVE OTHERS RISK PROFILES TO THEM THAT WERE TAKING A SECOND LOOK AT THEM. IN SOME CASES CORRECTLY.
AND THEN POST. CLIENT COMMUNICATIONS.
THE PROGRAM. INFORMATIONAL EXAMPLE.
PROVIDERS. WORKING WITH OUR SNAP PROVIDER BASIS. AND MAKING SURE THAT THEY HAVE THE LATEST INFORMATION AND TOOLS TO HELP WITH.
MAKING EXPANDING. AND COMMUNICATIONS.
PORTIONS OF ERRORS RELATED TO THE REPORTING.
A CASE OF THE AGENTS TO KNOW ABOUT.
AND POLICY CLEARED AND ALIGNMENT.
THIS IS TAKING A LOOK AT POLICY WORKERS ELIGIBILITIES THAT FOLOES AND KAULT TEAM FOLLOWS WHEN DOING THE PAYMENT RATE THAT WE USE. AND MAKING SURE THAT THOSE ARE AS ALIGNED AS POSSIBLE. SO ONE EXAMPLE IS WE MADE AN
[00:30:03]
UPDATE TO THE VERIFICATION REQUIREMENTS THAT WE USE FOR SHELTER EXPENSES. TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT WAS ALIGNED WITH OUR QUALITY PROCESSES.AND SO WE'RE NOW TAKING SORT OF A DEEPER LOOK AT SHELTER EXPENSES TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE CALCULATING THOSE APPROPRIATELY. WE ALSO DEPLOYED AN AI SUPPORTED POLICY GUIDANCE TOOL FOR OUR WORKERS THAT THEY CAN USE TO GET. AND POLICY HANDBOOK.
TO HELP WITH OUR PAYMENT ACCURACY IS LISTED HERE.
COMPLETE CASE INFORMATION. THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS.
REPORTING AND THAT WE'RE WOR WORKING. APPLICATION.
TO GET TO REALTIME AS POSSIBLE. INFORMATION THAT WE NEED TO MAKE THAT DETERMINATION. SO STAKEHOLDERS AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS CAN HELP IS BY SERVING IN THAT RESOURCE AND THAT EARLY POINT OF CONTACT. THOSE-- A COPY LIKE THOSE DOCUMENTS. WE NEED TO DO THAT VERIFICATION. TO MAKE THAT DETERMINATION QUICKLY. HELPING CLIENTS BETTER UNDERSTAND ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS AND THEN RELEASE REINFORCING THE IMPORTANCE OF HAVING THAT ACCURATE CASE INFORMATION. WHERE WE ARE IN SORT OF THE PAYMENT ERROR RATE PROCESS. WE HAVE COMPLETED OUR STATE 25 REVIEWS FOR QUALITY CONTROL. AND THEN THE THOROUGH ADMINISTRATION GOES THROUGH A PROSWRES THEY REVIEW ALL STATES AND THEY PUT IT THROUGH REGRESSION.
WE'RE EXPECTING THIS MONTH OR NEXT MONTH TO HAVE SORT OF THE FINAL PAYMENT ERROR RATES FOR FY25.
WE'RE ALSO-- TEN OR NINE MINUTES INTO THE FEDERAL FISCAL YEAR 26 REVIEWS. BUT THEN BECAUSE OF THE WAY THAT THE QUALITY PRESS WORKS WE'RE STILL PRETTY EARLY IN THE FY26TH YEAR. SO WE'LL HAVE THAT STATE CALCULATED RATE FOR FY26 GOING INTO THE NEXT LEGISLATIVE SESSION. BUT WE ARE-- WE'LL GET OUR FY25 RATES WHICH WILL BE A BETTER SENSE OF SORT OF WHERE WE ARE GOING INTO NEXT SESSION. AND WITH THAT, WE APPRECIATE THE PARTNERSHIP FOR MANY PEOPLE.
LISTENING TODAY AND OUT THERE THAT ARE WORKING WITH US ON IT.
AND OUR I.T. PARTNERS ARE IN CLOSELY.
OUR I.G. PARTNERS ARE WORKING CLOSELY WITH US ON THIS ON ALL THE WAYS THAT WE CAN IMPROVE THE QUALITY AND WORK OF OUR ELIGIBILITY DETERMINATION. SO WE CAN GET SOURCES TO CLIENTS. THANK YOU.
[3. Rule proposals]
>> THANK YOU MOLLY. NOW WE WILL GO-- WE WANT TO ROLL PROPOSALS. THIS IS ROLL PROPOSAL TO THE TEXAS REGISTER WHICH ARE CURRENTLY WITHIN THE OPEN PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD. FIRST WE HAVE DR. TIMOTHY STEVENSON FROM DSHS PROVIDING AN UPDATE ON MEDICAL GASES.
>> GOOD MORNING. I'M TIMOTHY STEVENSON DEPUTY COMMISSIONER FOR CONSUMER PROTECTION.
I WILL BE PROVIDING AN UPDATE ON MEDICAL GASES PROPOSAL THAT WE'RE PUTTING FORWARD TO THE COMMITTEE.
THIS PROPOSAL WILL BRING INTO COMPLIANCE MEDICAL GASES AND BRING OUR TITLE 25 TEXAS ADMINISTRATIVE CODE OR TECH PART ONE CHAPTER 229 SUB CHAPTER W.
CONCERNING MEDICAL GASES IT WILL BRING THESE AMENDMENTS WILL BRING OUR RULES INTO CONTINUED TO ADHERE WITH APPLICABLE FEDERAL LAWS RELATING TO MEDICAL GASES.
OURER PROPOSAL PROJECT NUMBER 26R054 IMPLEMENTS MINIMUM STANDARDS IN THE CURRENT ROLE WITH NEW MEDICAL GAS GOOD MANUFACTURING PRACTICES. UNDER 21 CO-DEFENDER REGULATIONS CFR PART 213 AND 21CFR PART 230.
WHICH ARE ALREADY IN EFFECT. THE PROPOSED AMENDMENT WILL ADOPT A NEW 21CFR PART 213 AND PART 230 IN 25 TAX SECTION 229-240 ALPHA. THE PUBLIC WILL BENEFIT BECAUSE MEDICAL GASES WILL BE IMPROVED IN THE RULE CLARITY.
WILL PROVIDE GREATER COMPLIANCE WITH UPDATED GOOD MANUFACTURING PRACTICES. WHICH WILL HELP ENSURE MEDICAL GASES PRODUCED IN THE STATE ARE SAFE AND EFFECTIVE FOR INTENDED USE. HAPPY TO TRY TO ANSWER ANY
QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE. >> MEMBERS, ANY QUESTIONS? OKAY. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
[00:35:01]
NEXT WE HAVE LORI-- CHARLIE FROM HS PROVIDING AN UPDATE ONDONOR BANKS. >> MORNING EVERYBODY.
MY NAME IS LORI GABORCHARN SXICHLT I'M MATERNAL DIRECTOR WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE HEALTH SERVICES.
AMENDING THE CURRENT HUMAN DONOR MILK BAG AGENCY RULES TO COMPLY WITH THE TEXAS HEALTH AND SAFETY CODE SECTION 161.071 REQUIRING THE DEPARTMENT TO ESTABLISH MINIMUM PROCUREMENT, PROCESSING, DISTRIBUTION OR USE OF HUMAN DONOR MILK GUIDELINES.
THE DEPARTMENT PROPOSES THIS TEXAS ADMINISTRATIVE CODE TITLE 25 PART ONE CHAPTER 227 AMENDMENT TO ALIGN WITH HUMAN MILKING BANKING ASSOCIATION OF NORTH AMERICA OR-- STANDARDS.
THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE HEALTH SERVICES DOES NOT REGULATE TEXAS DONOR MILK BANKS. THE FEDERAL FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION REGULATES HUMAN DONOR MILK BANKS.
HOWEVER THE HUMANA STANDARDS ARE CONSIDERED THE NATIONAL HUMAN DONOR MILK GOLD STANDARD AND THIS PROPOSED CHANGE MAKES THE DEPARTMENT COMPLIANT WITH TEXAS HEALTH AND SAFETY CODE REQUIREMENTS. THE PUBLIC WILL BENEFIT BY HAVING ACCESS TO UP TO DATE HUMAN DONOR MILK BANK
INFORMATION RESOURCES. >> ANY QUESTIONS, MEMBERS? OKAY, THANK YOU LORI. WE WILL NOW MOVE ONTO ROLE PROPOSALS THAT HAVE BEEN SUBMITTED TO THE TEXAS REGISTRAR BUT NOT PUBLISHED. AS OF TODAY THE PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD IS NOT YET OPEN FOR THESE ROLE BUS COMMENTS CAN BE PROVIDED AT THIS MEETING. FIRST WE HAVE TREVOR BOYD WHO WILL PROVIDE AN UPDATE ON CERTAIN MEDICAID REQUIREMENTS.
>> HI EVERYONE. MY NAME IS TREVOR BOARD SERVING AS PROGRAM POLICY DIRECTOR HERE OVER ON ACCESS-- SERVICES.
>> JUST A SECOND. I DON'T THINK YOUR MIC IS ON.
>> ALL RIGHT, EXCELLENT. TODAY I'D LIKE TO TALK WITH YOU ALL BRIEFLY ON SOME PROPOSED RULE CHANGES WITH THE TEXAS ADMINISTRATIVE CODE. SPECIFICALLY PROPOSED ROLE AMENDMENTS TO TITLE ONE PART 15 CHAPTER 358 MEDICAID ELIGIBILITY FOR THE ELDERLY AND PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES.
AND THEN CHAPTER 366 MEDICAID ELIGIBILITY FOR WOMEN, CHILDREN, YOUTH AND NEEDY FAMILIES.
AND FINALLY CHAPTER 370 STATE HEALTH PROGRAM.
THESE UPDATES ARE PART OF THE PROPOSAL PROJECT.
25R048 AND THEY ALIGN HSSC RULES WITH FEDERAL REGULATIONS.
FIRST THE PROPOSAL BRINGS TEXAS INTO ALIGNMENT WITH 42CFR.
435926. WHICH REQUIRES STATES TO PROVIDE 12 MONTHS OF CONTINUOUS MEDICATE COVERAGE FOR CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF 19. REGARDLESS OF MOST CHANGES AND FAMILY INCOME OR CIRCUMSTANCES. SECONDLY, THE PROPOSAL ALIGNS WITH 42YFR 435907D2 AND E1 WHICH LIMITS THE INFORMATION STATES MAY REQUEST FROM APPLICANTS TO ONLY WHAT IS NECESSARY TO DETERMINE ELIGIBILITY.
AND PROHIBITS OF INTERVIEW AS PART OF THE APPLICATION PROCESS. AND FINALLY, EXCUSE ME, THE PROPOSAL ALIGNS TAG TERMINOLOGY RELATED TO THE PREGNANT WOMEN'S MEDICAID PROGRAM. ACROSS ROLE CHAPTERS AND ENSURES CLARITY OF PROGRAM REGULATIONS.
SO THESE PROPOSED CHANGES PROVIDE MEANINGFUL BENEFITS TO THE PUBLIC BY IMPROVING ACCESS, STABILITY, AND TRANSPARENCY THROUGH ONE, IMPROVED CONTINUITY FOR COVERAGE FOR CHILDREN. BY CODE FIEING THE 12 MONTHS OF CONTINUOUS ELIGIBILITY. WE ENSURE THAT CHILDREN MAINTAIN CONSISTENT ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE SERVICES.
WITHOUT INTERRUPTIONS CAUSED BY CHANGES IN HOUSEHOLD INCOME OR CIRCUMSTANCES. TWO, STREAMLINE AND MAKE THE APPLICATION PROCESS MORE EFFICIENT FOR GREATER ACCESS TO CARE. BY REMOVING THE INTERVIEW REQUIREMENT FOR MEDICAID FOR PARENTS AND CARETAKER RELATIVES. WE REDUCE THE ADMINISTRATIVE BARRIERS AND SIMPLIFY THE APPLICATION PROCESS.
THEREBY MAKING IT EASIER FOR ELIGIBLE FAMILIES TO OBTAIN COVERAGE AND FINALLY THREE, ENHANCE CLARITY AND UNDERSTANDING BY UPDATING STANDARDIZING POLICY LANGUAGE.
PARTICULARLY FOR PREGNANCY-RELATED MEDICAL PROGRAMS. WE HELP ENSURE THAT ELIGIBILITY
[00:40:01]
REQUIREMENTS ARE EASIER FOR APPLICANTS AND RECIPIENTS TOTHAT WAS VERY THOR POPE ANYBODY WITH QUESTIONS? THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. AND NEXT WE HAVE-- WHO WILL PROVIDE AN UPDATE ON HUMAN TRAFFICKING PREVENTION
MY NAME IS MEGAN VERMEA-- HSSC IS UPDATING CHAPTER 370 HUMAN TRAFFICKING RESOURCE INTERROLES BY PROPOSING AMENDMENTS TO PREVENT LEGISLATION PASSED DURING THE 89TH LEDGE SLAVT SESSION. CERTAIN SESSIONS WERE ADDED TO THE LIST OF LICENSE HEALTH CARE PRACTITIONERS REQUIRED TO COMPLETE HUMAN TRAFFICKING TRAINING.
THIS WILL HAVE PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY BY EQUIPPING MORE LICENSED PROFESSIONALS TO IDENTIFY AND PREVENT HUMAN
TRAFFICKING IN TEXAS. >> OKAY, ANY QUESTIONS? THANK YOU. THANKS FOR BEING HERE.
THAT CONCLUDES THE ROLES PORTION OF THE AGENDA.
WE WILL MOVE ONTO ADVISORY COMMITTEE UPDATES.
WE WILL HEAR FROM DR. MEN ZOE DOE ZA ON THE TEXAS BRAIN
INJURY ADVISORY COUNCIL. >> THE PRERNT FOR THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS HAD AN UNEXPECTED ISSUE AND HE'S
[5. Public comment]
HAD TO LEAVE AND WE WILL TABLE THIS AGENDA ITEM.>> OKAY. KAHLA ARE THERE ANY PUBLIC
WE DO RECEIVE ONE CARD. AND I WILL CALL ON MR. DUBAI FOR AGENDA ITEM 2B. SHOULD BE ABLE TO MEASURE--.
>> YES. MR. -- WE SEEM TO HAVE LOST
HOLD ON ONE MINUTE, PLEASE. -- THIS IS KAHLA FROM THE PUBLIC HEARING. CAN YOU TRY YOUR MICROPHONE?
>> YES, THANK YOU CAN YOU HEAR ME.
SOMEHOW I GOT BOOTED FROM THE MEETING.
MY APOLOGIES. I THINK I'M BACK IN NOW.
OKAY. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME TODAY. I'LL BE BRIEF MEMBERS OF THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL, APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO OFFER BRIEF PUBLIC COMMENT. MY NAME IS HAYDEN DEBLOYCE AND I SERVE AS DATA ANALYTICS DIRECTOR AT THE GOVERNMENT FOR ACCOUNTABILITY. FGA IS A NON-PROFIT THINK TANK THAT ENGAGES ON A WIDE VARIETY OF POLICY AREAS THAT INCLUDE WELFARE REFORM. AS YOU ALL ARE WELL AWARE BASED ON THE DISCUSSION EARLIER IN THE MEETING, IN THE MOST RECENT FISCAL YEAR TEXAS'S SNAP ERROR RATE WAS A LITTLE OVER 8%.
THAT FIGURE ACTUALLY UNDERSTATES THE PROBLEM.
BY FEDERAL LAW, PAYMENT ERRORS BELOW THE QUALITY CONTROL THRESHOLD OF ABOUT $56 A MONTH OR NEARLY $700 A YEAR ARE ACTUALLY EXCLUDED FROM THE CALCULATION.
AND FEDERAL AUDITORS ARE INSTRUCTED TO REMOVE CASES OF OUTRIGHT FRAUD FROM AN AUDIT SAMPLE.
SO THE TRUE LEVEL OF PAYMENT ERRORS WASTE FRAUD AND ABUSE IS MEANINGFULLY HIGHER IN THE STATE OF TEXAS.
THE DATA ALSO TELLS YOU WHERES THE PROBLEM IS COMING FROM.
ACCORDING TO THE MOST RECENT SNAP QUALITY CONTROL ANALYSIS RELEGALSED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, ABOUT 61% OF PAYMENT ERRORS IN TEXAS ARE ERRORS OF INCOME.
MEANING ENROLLEES AREN'T REPORTING EARNINGS CORRECTLY OR CASE WORKERS AREN'T VER FEIG THEM CORRECTLY.
AND ROUGHLY 76% OF ERRORS IN TEXAS ARE AGENCY DRIVEN AND NOT ENROLLING. THAT POINTS TO REAL WEAKNESSES IN VERIFICATION PROCEDURES. THIS MATTERS NOW MORE THAN EVER GIVEN ERROR RATE TRES HOLDS YOU HEARD ABOUT REGARDING NEW FEDERAL COST SHARING REQUIREMENTS FOR SNAP.
WHICH BASED ON THE MOST RECENT MONTH'S ALLOTMENT COULD AMOUNT
[00:45:01]
TO MORE THAN $600 MILLION. THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT TEXAS HAS SEVERAL TOOLS AVAILABLE. AND ALL OF THEM ARE WITHIN THE STATE'S OWN CONTROL TO ENACT. FIRST ROLLING BACK BROAD-BASED CATEGORICAL ELIGIBILITY. STRIKING 85% OF THE STATE'S SNAP ERROR CASES ARE ARE TIED TO THE BBCE PATHWAY FOR ENROLLMENT. WHICH BYPASSES VERIFICATION STEPS THAT WOULD OTHERWISE CATCH ERRORS.SECOND, MAKE IT CLEAR THAT TEXAS ISN'T ACCEPTING ANY SELF-ATTESTED INFORMATION FOR ANY ELIGIBILITY FACTOR.
EVERY FACTOR SHOULD BE INDEPENDENTLY VERIFIED BY A CASE WORKER. THIRD, EXPAND THE DATA CROSSCHECKS THAT TEXAS RIGHTFULLY CODIFIED AND SENATE BILL 1341 FROM 2021 AND EXTEND THEM THE RECORDS ON RELATING TO RESIDENCY. FOURTH SHORTEN RECERTIFICATION PERIODS. SOME HOUSEHOLDS IN TEXAS UNDER PILOT PROGRAM CAN GO UP TO THREE YEARS BEFORE EXPERIENCING RECERTIFICATION. STABLE HOUSEHOLDS LIKE THE ELDERLY AND DISABLED AND FIFTH NOT REPORTING WHICH REQUIRES HOUSEHOLDS TO REPORT CHANGED CIRCUMSTANCES WITHIN TEN DAYS.
THESE CONSISTENTLY SHOW LOWER ERROR RATES THAN THOSE UNDER SIMPLIFIED REPORTING. TAKEN TOELT TOGETHER, THESE REFORMS WOULD LOWER ERROR RATES AND PROTECT TAX PAYERS AND POSITION TEXAS AS A NATIONAL LEADER IN PROGRAM INTEGRITY.
THANK YOU SO MUCH AND I'D BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.
>> THANK YOU SIR FOR PROVIDING YOUR INPUT.
ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS?
>> YES, HI. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE COMMENTS. I'M CURIOUS IN ORDER IN YOUR COMMENTS THE 85% ATTRIBUTABLE TO BBCE OF THE PAYMENT AREAS ATTRIBUTED TO BBCE. IN TEXAS WE DO VERIFY ALL REQUIREMENTS. SO EVEN IF THEY ARE QUALIFIED UNDER BBCE, WE STILL DO THE INCOME VERIFICATION.
I'M CURIOUS HOW THAT POLICY. >> SURE WE TOOK THE SNAP CONTROL THAT THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE PRODUCES AND THEY ARE ABLE TO THE PORTION OF CASE ERRORS THAT ARE SORT OF RECEIVED THROUGH THE CATEGORICAL ELIGIBILITY AND BROADBASED CATEGORICAL ELIGIBILITY PATHWAY.
SO EVEN IF THOSE VERIFICATIONS ARE HAPPENING, THE MAJORITY OF ERRORS ARE AGGRAVATED IN HOUSEHOLDS THAT ARE ENROLLING THROUGH THE BBCE PATHWAY. I CAN GIVE YOU-- IF WE FOLLOW UP I'M HAPPY TO GIVE YOU THE CODES RELEVANT TO THE SNAP QUALITY CONTROL DATA BASE. IT'S REPLICABLE BY BASICALLY ANYONE BECAUSE THE DATA BASE IS A PUBLIC DATA SET THAT THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE PRODUCES.
AND THEY PROVIDE A MANUAL THAT SHOWS WHICH ERROR CODES TO USE IN ORDER TO IDENTIFY THE MECHANISMS IN WHICH THOSE
ERRORS ARE ARISING. >> YEAH, I THINK THAT DEFINITELY APPRECIATE SORT OF UNDERSTANDING LITTLE DEEPER LEVEL OF METHODOLOGY THAT YOU ALL ARE ARE LOOKING AT SO THAT WHEN WE GET QUESTIONS ABOUT IT, WE CAN.
AND THEN JUST-- NOTE THAT BOTH BROADBASED CATEGORICAL ELIGIBILITY AS WELL AS THE 36 MONTH SERTERIFICATION PERIODS FOR OUR ELDERLY AND DISABLED POPULATION ARE BOTH SET IN STATE STATUTE OR LEGISLATIVELY DIRECTED.
SO THOSE ARE WHAT WE'LL NEED LEGISLATUER TO WEIGH IN BEFORE HSC COULD TAKE ANY ACTION ON THOSE POLICYS.
BUT THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR COMMENTS.
YES. AND IF YOU CAN LET ME KNOW HOW I COULD BEST GET YOU THAT INFORMATION ON THE BBC I'D BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO FOLLOW UP IN AN E-MAIL.
>> ABSOLUTELY. I THINK-- KAYLA WILL WORK WITH THE TEAM TO GET YOUR E-MAIL AND WE'LL REACH OUT.
THANK YOU. KAYLA ARE ARE THERE ANYMORE
PUBLIC COMMENT CARDS? >> NO MA'AM.
THIS CONCLUDES THE PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD.
>> OKAY. THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBERS FOR YOUR TIME. ALL BUSINESS HAS BEEN COMPLETED. OH I'M SO SORRY, ELIZABETH TO
GIVE ONE MORE UPDATE. >> SORRY.
I FORGOT ONE THING THAT I DID WANT TO MENTION AND BECAUSE DAVID'S TEAM WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN THIS, ANOTHER PIECE OF GOOD NEWS FROM DFPS, WE-- THE FEDERAL ADMINISTRATION FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES WAS IN TOWN LAST WEEK TO CONDUCT OUR AGENCY FOR E REVIEW. AND TEXAS HAS NEVER PASSED A 4E REVIEW BEFORE. AND WE DID LAST WEEK.
FOR THE FIRST TIME THEY PULLED 60 OF OUR CASES.
AUDIT REVIEW, IN BACKGROUND CHECK CASES THAT HSSC RUNS AND YOU CAN HAVE-- IF YOU HAVE FOUR ERRORS, YOU FAIL.
AND WE HAD THREE AND THERE WAS NONE FROM THE BACKGROUND CHECK UNIT AT HHSC AND THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR YOUR PARTNERSHIP ON THAT. IT'S A HUGE ACCOMPLISHMENT.
AND WE JUST REALLY APPRECIATE THE WORK ON THAT.
[00:50:01]
SO THANK YOU DAVID AND YOUR TEAM.>> WELL THAT'S A GREAT UPDATE TO END ON.
SO THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBERS FOR YOUR TIME.
ALL BUSINESS HAS BEEN COMPLETED.
PLEASE NOTE FOR THE RECORD THAT
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.