Erie County DSS: Epic Fail
The Collins Administration’s Department of Social Services has in recent weeks become the gang that can’t shoot straight.
As further evidence of their continued mishandling of the day care subsidy issue, county DSS sent out a notice this past week to daycare providers telling them they had to collect pay stubs and other personal information from recipients, in order to prove their eligibility and that they are working.
It was to go into effect on Monday.
The providers objected for many reasons, including that they should not have such private information nor be required to do the job of the DSS caseworkers. The state sent the following letter:
Remember this next time someone tells you they want to run government like a business: not every business is run competently.
A press release from Assemblymembers Hoyt, Peoples, and Schroeder after the jump.
Assemblymember Sam Hoyt (D-Buffalo), Assemblymember Crystal D. Peoples (D-Buffalo), and Assemblymember Mark Schroeder (D-Buffalo) released today a letter they sent to Erie County Department of Social Services Commisioner Carol Dankert, as well as a letter sent to Commissioner Dankert by the New York State Office of Child and Family Services (OCFS).
“Erie County is trying to place an unfair burden on child care providers by demanding that they collect pay stubs and employment verification from parents who utilize the child care subsidy program. This is also a violation of confidentiality for the parents. The County needs to follow the same rules as every other County in New York State, instead of trying to make it up as they go along,” said Hoyt.
Peoples said, “County government has a responsibility to the poor and working poor of our community. Forcing them out of the world of work is not the way to eliminate poverty in the poorest city in the nation.”
Hoyt, joined by Assemblyman Mark Schroeder, also called on OCFS to perform a review of the child care subsidy program amidst concerns that the program has been mismanaged. The County recently announced a change in eligibility requirements that will remove 1500 families from the program. The review will begin next week.
“Protecting confidentiality is very important, and I am pleased that the Office of Child and Family Services moved quickly to provide clarity to the County regarding this issue,” said Schroeder.
“Working parents need to know they can afford to have their children cared for while they are working to provide for them. It is short-sighted to eliminate these families from the subsidy program, and the ripple effects from an increased need for social services such as food stamps or welfare will far outweigh any savings the County thinks it will achieve. I am pleased that OCFS is stepping in to review this beneficial program, and I look forward to their results,” concluded Hoyt.
[...] via Buffalo Pundit [...]
The irony of these 2 decisions was that the providers were being asked to perform work on behalf of the county at the same time that these providers were going to lay off staff due to the reduction in aid from the county. This is an issue that impacts all parts of the county, and one which has brought together democrats, republicans and independents from the city and suburbs.
My office has reviewed this and offered our take and the State Office of Child and Family Services will be beginning its review this week.
It seems to me that if the day care providers elect to accept government vouchers, they should have no problem submitting requisite proof for the payments. Having the providers collect the pay stubs is the most efficient system and the least disruptive to the daily lives of the parents using the program. The alternative would be to have the parents submit the documentation to the county, creating a greater increase of misplaced documents and delays for payment to the providers.
Why would anyone object to steps that can help eliminate fraud and abuse?
If anything, it is mind boggling that this system has not been in place. The government is administering an “aid” program, not a program to wantonly hand out cash.
Because DSS administers the program and determines eligibility. Not the private care provider. I didn’t realize it was that difficult to comprehend.
Because a system like this seems RIPE for fraud and abuse maybe?
Why should tax payers believe a struggling day care is going to take the time to verify the legitimacy of the information submitted to it by parents when it relies on the funds it gets to stay open? A provider doctoring forms is going to end up in a much bigger net loss to the tax payers than an individual will.
And why should daycares be given access to sensitive financial documents like exactly how much money someone makes? Sounds like an easy way for providers to start discriminating against people based on income to me.
How can ANYONE back this?
Sensitive financial documents? Like what? The people are receiving a service from the government. I don’t think we have to worry about insider trading or financial secrets being divulged.
Eligibility and compliance are separate issues.
Shorter letter from the State – Let’s not scrutinize this program too much, we might loose our cushy government jobs if we eliminate fraud and abuse.
@Mike If it’s not sensitive financial information, I expect you’ll have no problem posting here what you made last year for us.
I’m not the one with my hand out.
Both f them are DSS’s responsibility. Neither of them are the day care center’s responsibility. It provides a service for a fee. It doesn’t administer, manage, or handle compliance re: the subsidy.
Shorter Mike: I have no clue what I’m talking about, and somehow “fraud and abuse” are diminished if people disclose their paystubs to day care centers.
Wage statements contain information such as social security numbers. 401-K withholding, credit union deposits and loans and pension information. Can everyone spell ”identity theft.’ Social Services casemanagers collect this as routine procedure. Many daycare workers are hired quickly to work cheap. They may not be screened as thoroughly as county workers. Why put a caregiver’s life and identity in the hands of those who may misuse the informatio? This will put the daycare providers And the county at risk for a lawsuit.
So someone is going to put their childrens life in the hands of a “stranger” but not their SS#?
@Eisenbart- Do you realize how ridiculous the logic of telling someone on public assistance who can’t afford child care on their own that they should be picky about who they let watch their kids if they don’t want their personal information stolen?
What, are they going to go drive them out some glorifed child day spa in East Amherst who run FBI-level background checks on prospective employees?
So you essentially believe the poor should be subjected to things you refuse to be subjected to?
So you’d be willing to give your pay stub with your social security number, pension information, etc… to your child’s little league coach, teacher aides, or high school age babysitters? Or if you dropped them off at a friend’s birthday party, those parents could have your social?
They aren’t being subjected to anything. They have the choice not to accept taxpayer provided handouts.
Are the people thinking this is no big deal being deliberately obtuse, or did you not read the piece or the letter?
Hope that clears it up.
Can we agree that the program needs some kind of verification? If so, the alternative would be to have the Day Care providers submit payment vouchers and the parents to submit weekly employment verification. After the two have been reconciled, payment can be made to the provider. Of course, this will lead to a delay in the providers receiving payment. Or, continue to make payments, however, if employment verification is not submitted within 1 week, or is faulty, toss the people out of the program.
I wouldn’t care if they had to verify my work status each week, every day, every hour. I am a parent being bumped from the program and am faced with paying $400 a week for child care when I only bring home $450 a week after taxes. I have a $750 mortgage alone. Do the math… I am all for requesting that those who make more pay more of a percentage. My weekly rate used to be $47 for services. I could afford to pay 2 times that at the most. Just a little help is needed until full time school begins and during the summer break. DSS can pay LESS assistance for the participants that are above 125%. I think there is a way to figure this mess out. I am all for removing the children whose parents don’t work. WTF is the point of them being there anyway? If the parents sit at home all day doing nothing but collect money from everyone else’s paychecks, the least they could do is watch their own kids. And FYI for those who say “if you can’t afford kids, why have them?” I was a married stay at home mom and my husband passed away from a car accident a few years ago. So not every case is a result of irresponsibility, there are a few deserving ones.
Sara, wouldn’t you think a system that doesn’t tax everyone to death and a government that doesn’t dole out money left and right, which would allow people to support private charities to take care of those who really need help, be better for us all?
I think the county trying to shift work onto the daycare providers is not the right thing to do. It still doesn’t account the success or failure or the the fruad, which could possibly shift to the daycare providers, with this program. Collins is attempting to protect tax payers, that’s how he got elected. Collins is saying that this program is getting too expensive. Who knows? No one yet apperently. Who suffers from this political move. Who sufferes from fruad from some of the mothers? People like Sara and the many of mothers like her that need this assistance. There is a cost associated with these mothers working that doesn’t show up on a spread sheet. They show up with building a resume, building skills for work etc. My statement earlier was not dumb. There are more people that work in collections, bank tellers, brokers, not for profits etc etc that make $10 or hire temps that have access to your personal information if you use them. This situation is no different. If you don’t trust someone with your SS# then you shouldn’t leave your kid with them. That is not an attack on the poor nor does it mean you should take it to an extreme and tattoo your SS# on your kids forehead.
I agree with you Mike. But it’s all just hopes and dreams for a better government it seems. Left with no choice but to quit my job, I have decided to open my home to watch some the children from the day care that are getting “kicked out”. I have another parent who is willing to help as well, since they have to quit their job too. I have asked the parents to pay what they can and I am HOPING that it can cover my mortgage. (I’ll probably take a night job somewhere and get someone to sit for me while I’m away over night) I suppose I’ll have to pay the State and or county for a certificate to be able to watch the children but I have some money I had saved up for a family vacation. My daughter is going to be upset because it was for Disney World but that’s just for the “rich” I suppose. Anyway, no matter how little I have, as long as my kids are healthy, happy, safe, warm, and loved, my life couldn’t be more perfect
remember- where there’s a will, there’s a way. If everyone did just a little, so much could be done.