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CABARRUS COUNTY Department of Social Services,,. o. Vox Concord, North Carolina 28026,0668 Telephone: (70,1) 786-7141 James F. Cook; Jr. Director TO: M/ke l~fffin, County ~tmagar (~xk~/.. FR(~h Jim Cook, Socinl Service Directorr~' ~ SLr~: Bl~get P~,t Rt~!uest I w~dd like to esk that the tbard of C~matssioners consider the attached budget ameedment request at its ~ ,,~,.m~-,.,=t men. s :m two menmten program areas. F~eral and-state ~axJs and Clui/d Support Enfor~mnt Frogr~a revenues %~tld b~ used to met the total~est of these positlons and no additional approprlatien of Count~ funds wmtld be neceseary to support tbam in the current year or in future years. In Jarmery, low-incor~ elderly and disabled P~dicare recipients will become eligible for Medtesld to pay their }k=dicere pr~al~as, deductibles and coinsurance under the }~dicare Catsstroptdc Coverage Act of 1988. This will be a very papular program mmong potentinl eligibles. The State estimates ~ ~ have 669 in Cab~ wLll apply and qualify. By this conservative esti!mqte, our 1189 c.%se adult }kxlics/d caseload would ~[ncresse by 56%. Our already overloaded ~dicaid staff will not be able tO handle the additional ~rk, %~ cannot reorganize furrier to eccon~odate it, and a mirdm~ of three new coseworkers are absolutely necessary if w~ are to provide adequate services add meet.legal requiraa~nts. r CJr ~[i~ $~.~or.t F~.orcemm~ Program., ,tdch prcarldes financf~l support for chiloron ~nd saves welfare p ogram cesta Dy Iecat~ng absent parents and establishing and enforcing support dol/gations, is operating at only a fraction of its potential for coliectiens because we ere severely understaffed. Each of our four Agents .is ear,ring 572 cases ~hen the m~x~n renmmeuded by the State is 325. As a result of the overload, ue have for axample, only 40% of our absent parents under court order, k% have the potential to double cur $650,000 in ~amal. collections and further reduce pablic assistance cestS if we ere sufficiently staffed. ~ ggents are desperately needed if we are to provide adequate services to the crmmonity. We are requesting to meet the Department's manp~-r requiramenta in the ~ollowisg ~ay. The Child Support Progrmm generates revmnues from incentive payments and.%~lfare returns. In Cabarms, we have the potential to greatly increase these revenues through ~ncreased collections. By adding t%~> Unild Support Agents, we ~uld conservatively generate $59,002 in revenues. This is far mere than enough to pay the $27,918 local share of cost for the B,9 Agents .and three Inccme Maintenance Caseworkers needed as %~11 es the $8,914 local share of Medlcaid program costs anticipated. Th~ attached budget amer~nent proposed to do this. /lm recent m~ve of the Department of Aging to the Un,on 'Street locat~en made .space at the Social Services l~dlding for the three Caseworkers. The two Agents will be housed at the Child Support Office. The Social Services' lk~zd approved this proposal as its October meeting. 1he attached cetlis~ provides detailed isfommtien. If m~re in rmeded, please advise me. 3