Report 2021-120 Recommendation 7 Responses

Report 2021-120: In-Home Respite Services: The Department of Developmental Services Has Not Adequately Reduced Barriers to Some Families' Use of In-Home Respite Services (Release Date: August 2022)

Recommendation #7 To: Developmental Services, Department of

To ensure that it has sufficient data to better identify usage barriers and disparities, DDS should update its in-home respite data by February 2023 to periodically track the amount of respite hours authorized and used by each regional center, and the usage of each service delivery option (Agency, EOR, or FMS). DDS should use this information and the data it already collects from the regional centers to identify potential limits, trends, and disparities related to in-home respite services. DDS should, at a minimum, analyze the usage of and authorization for in-home respite services across the categories we list in the report. That analysis should identify any disparities statewide, at individual regional centers, or among regional centers. If DDS identifies problematic disparities that suggest barriers to the use of in-home respite services, then it should take action to address them. For example, DDS should direct regional centers with low FMS usage to conduct additional outreach to ensure that families are aware of the benefits of this option.

1-Year Agency Response

The Uniform Fiscal System Modernization Project (UFSM) and the Consumer Electronic Records Management System Project (CERMS) have both completed the development of the Request for Information (RFI) for requesting vendor information about their ability to meet some or all of the requirements we gather. This RFI is the primary tool for gathering our market research efforts so we could determine what solutions are currently available on the market and the estimated cost for these solutions. We received interest from eighteen vendors and completed packages from fourteen of them. This was followed by two weeks of scheduled presentations from thirteen vendors that the team recorded for later reference. The team used this information for completing their Project Approval Lifecycle Stage 2 documentation. DDS anticipates moving ahead with Stage 3 Detailed Requirements definition with stakeholders beginning in August, 2023.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 1-Year Status: Pending

6-Month Agency Response

The Uniform Fiscal System Modernization Project and the Consumer Electronic Records Management System Project have both completed the collection of the "as is" requirements and "to be" requirements with a selected primary team of system stakeholders. The "as is" requirements define the business requirements as are required under the scope of the current systems. The "to be" requirements include functions and features that go above and beyond that which is defined for today's systems. In addition, the team has validated the "as is" requirements with the larger scope of stakeholders and are currently active with validating the "to be" requirements with this larger stakeholder group. In parallel with this process, the team is developing the Request for Information for requesting vendor information about their ability to meet some or all of the requirements we gather. This will be a key part of our market research efforts so we can determine what solutions are currently available on the market and the estimated cost for these solutions. DDS anticipates completing this market research effort in July 2023 and use that information to update our mid-level requirements.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 6-Month Status: Pending

60-Day Agency Response

As noted in the response to the audit report, DDS is already implementing sub-recommendations (a), (b) and (c). Additionally, the UFS and CERMS projects are progressing through stage two of the Project Approval Process. As part of Stage 2, project teams are collecting information on the current systems' functionality. The teams will next move into the "to be" requirements which include functions and features that go above and beyond that which is defined for today's systems.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 60-Day Status: Pending

We look forward to DDS providing us with details and support for how it is addressing this recommendation in its six-month response.

All Recommendations in 2021-120

Agency responses received are posted verbatim.