Report 2013-102 Recommendation 7 Responses

Report 2013-102: Employment Development Department: It Needs to Address Data Issues to Better Evaluate and Improve the Performance of Its Employment Programs for Veterans (Release Date: October 2013)

Recommendation #7 To: Employment Development Department

To better optimize its leadership role in the interagency council's employment workgroup, the department should ensure that the employment workgroup develops a timeline for completing its action items and develops a process for measuring its success in improving employment outcomes for veterans. Specifically, the department should take the lead for establishing a time frame for evaluating tools to help assess and translate military skills into finding civilian jobs and establishing a transition assistance program for veterans.

Annual Follow-Up Agency Response From September 2016

On June 30, 2016, the work of the Interagency Council under the California Department of Veterans Affairs and the Interagency Agreement between the Council under the California Department of Veterans Affairs and EDD concluded.

As stated in last year's annual response, establishing timelines and goals for the workgroup was not within the sole purview or control of EDD to accomplish. However, EDD did exercise due diligence and brought this to the Interagency Council's attention during a workgroup meeting. Therefore, EDD requests that this recommendation be closed.

California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: Resolved

Unfortunately, EDD never implemented this recommendation; however, circumstances have changed such that we consider it resolved. According to a document from the Interagency Council, the working groups, including the employment working group, were temporary, and as of April 2016, that document stated that the member entities of the working groups took ownership of the group priorities and the working groups were closed. Further, the employment working group's priority action grid indicates that all tasks identified were complete, closed, or transitioned to member agencies. As the working groups are no longer functioning, it is no longer possible for EDD to exert the leadership we recommended.

Annual Follow-Up Agency Response From October 2015

The EDD has exercised due diligence and brought this to the Interagency Council's attention. As stated in our last response, establishing timelines and goals for the workgroup is not within the sole purview or control of EDD to accomplish. Therefore, EDD requests that this recommendation be closed.

California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: Will Not Implement

1-Year Agency Response

The EDD remains committed to advancing the work of the Interagency Council on Veterans in many key areas such as translating military skills into civilian jobs. But, establishing timelines and goals for the workgroup is not within the sole purview or control of EDD to accomplish. Therefore, the EDD requests that this recommendation be closed.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 1-Year Status: Will Not Implement

As we state on page 34 of the audit report, the interagency council lacks timelines and measurable goals for many activities, even though the employment workgroup has been in place since January 2012 and thus, in our opinion, it has had time to establish such timelines and goals. Staff from EDD are in a position to exercise a leadership role on the interagency council and are well-positioned to implement our recommendation.

6-Month Agency Response

The EDD remains committed to advancing the work of the Interagency Council on Veterans in many key areas such as translating military skills into civilian jobs. But, establishing timelines and goals for the workgroup is not within the sole purview or control of EDD to accomplish. Therefore, EDD requests that this recommendation be closed.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 6-Month Status: Will Not Implement

As we state on page 34 of the audit report, the interagency council lacks timelines and measurable goals for many activities, even though the employment workgroup has been in place since January 2012 and thus, in our opinion, it has had time to establish such timelines and goals. Staff from EDD are in a position to exercise a leadership role on the interagency council and are well-positioned to implement our recommendation.

60-Day Agency Response

The California Interagency Council on Veterans (ICV) established four workgroups to focus on identifying and prioritizing the current needs of California veterans. These workgroups and sub-workgroups of the ICV meet and are attended by a variety of governmental and non-governmental agencies, collaborative groups, and individuals, all focused on enhancing the delivery of veterans' services through the coordination of their independent activities and efforts. While the Deputy Director of EDD's Workforce Services Branch is the Chair of the ICV's Employment Workgroup, the members are employed by the various independent organizations and therefore are outside the control of EDD. The workgroup is responsible for determining its own priorities and actions and is proceeding at its own pace.

The ICV website carries the following footnote on the ICV Employment Priority Action Grid that is mentioned in the Auditor's report and recommendations:

"The foregoing Priority Grids serve only as a reference to illustrate the historical evolution of the ICV's priorities and the various means for addressing them. Importantly, the documents are intended to reflect the constantly changing priorities and decisions of the ICV's meeting attendees and must not be construed as setting forth mandatory goals or measures."

The EDD remains committed to advancing the work of the ICV in many key areas such as translating military skills into civilian jobs. But, establishing timelines and goals for the workgroup is not within the sole purview or control of EDD to accomplish. Therefore, EDD requests that this recommendation be closed.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 60-Day Status: Will Not Implement

The employment workgroup of the Governor's Interagency Council on Veterans has been in place since January 2012. Having been in place now for two years, we believe the employment workgroup has now had ample time to both decide what specific steps need to be taken and to develop an action plan for implementing its ideas. Serving as the chair of the employment workgroup, the Employment Development Department's (department) response to this recommendation discusses constantly changing priorities and states that its plans do not establish mandatory goals or measures. However, without strong leadership from the department and a timeline for a plan of action, we remain skeptical as to how many of the employment workgroup's ideas will ultimately come to fruition and help veterans find employment.

All Recommendations in 2013-102

Agency responses received are posted verbatim.