Written by The State of Nevada had the highest unemployment and foreclosure rates in the country in 2010, and was facing skyrocketing demand for Medicaid and other social services. The Nevada Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and Division of Welfare and Supportive Services (DWSS) engaged Change & Innovation Agency (C!A) to analyze their work processes and develop solutions to their unique challenges.
They reviewed every aspect of DHHS- DWSS’ eligibility practices for Medicaid, SNAP, TANF, and other safety net public assistance programs. The new service delivery model was designed to free up staffing capacity, improve program performance, and achieve consistency/standardization by streamlining the most important eligibility practices and processes.
The DHHS-DWSS business practice solutions emphasized:
- One and Done approach (First Contact Resolution; no appointments needed; on‐demand interviews and processing)
- Lobby and telephone flow improvements
- Fluid staff assignments
- Consistent tools and standard practices
- Customer choice (walk-in, mail-in, phone-in)
- Process measures and management reports
The new processes have enabled DHHS & DWSS to provide:
- Increased access to SNAP while mitigating the effects of increased caseload
- A timeliness rate of 98% (an increase from 69% before process redesign began)
- Providing same-day service and interviews and processing
- A high accuracy rate in the calculation and issuance of SNAP benefits
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