Missouri Relies on Everyone

Winning Suggestions

Department of Corrections

Overtime - Annual Leave Reduction: To implement a mechanism for employees to invest compensatory time pay into the state's deferred compensation program. The suggestion was discussed with the deferred compensation company, CitiStreet at that time, and our department's human resources section. A procedure, effective January 1, 2008, was developed for our staff to invest their compensatory time into their deferred compensation account. The employee must already be contributing to deferred comp on a semi-monthly basis via payroll deduction for this to be accomplished. Also, the deferred comp company must be consulted by the employee to ensure the deferment does not exceed the yearly limitation of contributions.

Alan Butterworth - $150 and Certificate of Recognition

10 Code Cards: Printing a professionally produced 10 code card that the institutions can distribute to new and existing employees. The 10 code cards contain radio codes the officers use to notify other officers of emergencies, call outs, etc. Each institution was producing its own card, which was a very time consuming process. It was found that the cards could be professionally done for a reasonable amount of money. The Division of Adult Institutions approved the idea and will take care of ordering and distributing the cards.

Mary Meyer - $75.00 and Certificate of Recognition

Electronic Certified Mail: Using electronic certified mail which would save $1.30 for each piece of certified mail. Sending items by return receipt (original signature) is $2.15 per item and sending them by return receipt (electronic) is $.85. By entering the tracking number and e-mail on the USPS website, you will be notified by e-mail when the mail has been delivered and will also receive an electronic copy of the signature which can be printed and attached to the tracking receipt to be filed.

Betty Hundley - $75.00 and Certificate of Recognition

Department of Natural Resources

Alternate Airport Transportation for Central Staff: Use of MO X shuttle services as a lower cost option for transportation of employees to and from Columbia/Jefferson City to the St. Louis and Kansas City airports. This also eliminates the airport parking fees and frees up fleet for other staff throughout the week.

Daniela Heppard - $75.00 and Certificate of Recognition

State Web Portal of Employee Benefits: The State's homepage has a radio button, "Employees", which opens a page that includes a list of employee benefits with links to the respective providers. The DNR page is essentially the same list but with a short description and telephone number for each provider. The recommendation is to revise/enhance the state's homepage Employee/Benefits section which includes several other sections of employee information. In addition, one-step portals present a suite of services, typically from multiple agencies, in customer's terms. These enterprise applications are an ideal fit for the consolidated IT organization. Their development and maintenance are relatively simple and in most cases can be completed with in-house resources with no direct cost to the State. The portal concept provides one-stop access to the benefits package putting employees on-line rather than in-line. This improves the existing process and will improve customer service.

Karen Kremer - $75.00 and Certificate of Recognition

Park Medallions: Offering for sale individualized hiking medallions for different trails in each park and a medallion for "Missouri State Parks".

Sharon Hopkins - $75.00 and Certificate of Recognition

Department of Social Services

Update IM-7: On the form IM-7, workers are required to obtain bank information verification. It was suggested to add the comment “Office Use Only, Do Not Complete Below This Line” under the client’s signature line. Without this information, clients consistently try and fill in the blanks. This is not convenient for the clients as they do not have the information requested. It was agreed that the form would be updated to note that the financial institution should fill out the information. This will also save the worker time.

Kelly Pierce, Family Support Division - Certificate of Recognition

Office FIPS: Currently when workers are searching MCASI and other pages in MACSS, they have to go to each case separately and check to see if it is in their office or another office. As workers can only work cases in their own office, this is a time consuming process. It was suggested that the home office FIPS code be applied to the MCASI screen and other general pages so that workers can immediately find cases that are in their office and are therefore workable. This suggestion will save time for employees who spend a lot of time searching for case information.

Robert Dobbertin, Family Support Division - Certificate of Recognition

Name & DCN on MO HealthNet Eligibility Review Form: The MO HealthNet Eligibility Review Forms are submitted in bulk for various clients residing in the same vendor facility or multiple clients in the same supercase. This can be problematic and time consuming for the worker to make out which pages refer to the client due for reinvestigation. The form illustrates the client’s name and DCN only on pages 1 and 2; however, pages 3-6 mention neither the name nor the DCN. Many times workers receive these forms for multiple clients and they are out of order. This means that although the form may be complete, the worker has to review the document by phone with the client or facility to make sure they are applying the correct pages to the correct client. Occasionally the client is not comfortable discussing personal information by phone or resubmitting the document again. This issue could also easily cause an incorrect redetermination for eligibility if the wrongs pages are applied to the wrong client. It was suggested to include the DCN at the top of all six pages of the MO HealthNet Eligibility Review Form. This could prevent inaccurate determinations and additional contact of the client.

Lasheka Boyd, Family Support Division - Certificate of Recognition

Place FIPS Codes on Each Case on the MCASI Screen: Currently when workers are searching MCASI and other pages in MACSS, they have to go to each case separately and check to see if it is in their office or another office. As workers can only work cases in their own office, this is a time consuming process. It was suggested that the home office FIPS code be applied to the MCASI screen and other general pages so that workers can immediately find cases that are in their office and are therefore workable. This suggestion will save time for employees who spend a lot of time searching for case information.

Joe Mazzocchio, Family Support Division - Certificate of Recognition

Spreadsheet to Calculate Resources: Currently when a client receives a lump sum payment that would put them over the resource limit for programs they submit receipts to verify that they are within the resource limits. Sometimes there are a lot of receipts which can be hard to add up correctly. Ms. Pewitt created a spreadsheet which allows workers to enter the date of the lump sum, amount of the lump sum, and date and amount of receipt. The spreadsheet will then calculate the available resources that are left. This is simple to use and will allow workers to calculate resources quickly and correctly. Saving time saves the State money as it will allow the workers more time to complete other needed tasks, thus allowing for better customer service.

Inga Pewitt, Family Support Division - Certificate of Recognition

Change Wording on Outgoing CSE-57 Forms: When a non-custodial parent overpays their child support, the wording on the CSE-57 form is confusing and leads the non-custodial parent to believe that they still owe additional child support. Mr. Eissinger suggested re-wording the form so that it specifically states that the non-custodial parent has overpaid. This wording change will ensure better communication between the Department and the non-custodial parent. This will save money by saving time spent and materials used in responding to the non-custodial parent concerning the unclear wording.

Richard Eissinger, Family Support Division - Certificate of Recognition

228 Waits Need to Have 180 or 365 Day Wait: Multiple employers have 180/365 day waiting periods for employees to become eligible for insurance. At the present time, MACSS will only allow workers to extend the 228 for 90 days at a time. This creates multiple times that the worker must handle the case when the alert is due. Ms. Plank suggested updating the option in the system which would allow the worker to choose the correct wait (90, 180 or 365 days). This would save a lot of time due to repetitive alerts and reading prior diary notes on the case that indicate that insurance is not available until a certain time.

Linda Plank, Family Support Division - Certificate of Recognition & $75.00

90 Day Wait Connected to Employer: When a 228 is extended to 90 day wait and the employer is then subsequently ended, the 90 day wait attached to the medical support order does not end. The worker must manually end the 228 wait. This requires the worker to spend a lot of time working alerts when the non-custodial parent has already terminated the employer. Ms. Plank suggested attaching all 228 waits to the subsequent employers; this would mean that when the employer is ended all waits attached to the medical support order ends when the employer is ended.

Linda Plank, Family Support Division - Certificate of Recognition

Improving the FA332 Form: Currently on the FA332 form there is nowhere for the worker to enter comments to clients. They have to create an additional letter or handwrite notes on the form. Upon review of the suggestion, the Family Support Division said that adding a fillable field for the workers to type in comments to clients will assist staff with the authorization process. The cost of the change is high and the implementation of this suggestion will be contingent upon available funding.

Brandi Dunn, Family Support Division - Certificate of Recognition

Update the FA402 With Bold Lettering: It was a common occurrence to receive the FA402 form back from clients but the clients were not mailing in the bank statements, etc. that the form had requested. This causes a delay in processing of the review. It was suggested to change the paragraph on the first page of the form that requests proof of income, bank statements, etc. to bold print to bring emphasis to what the clients needed to return with the form. This suggestion will enhance the original notice, bringing the client's attention to the bolded paragraph. This should help with the processing of the review, save the workers time and save money on postage by not having to mail verification forms.

Mary A. Bruffett, Family Support Division - $75.00 and Certificate of Recognition

Spreadsheet to Calculate Spenddown Liability: Workers can have a difficult time calculating spenddown liability for clients, especially when there are many charges. Inga Pewitt and Linda Ruiz created a simple Excel spreadsheet to calculate liability. The spreadsheet can be printed and placed with bills submitted for spenddown. This was a zero cost suggestion that will help the workers in the field until a screen in a current DSS system can be completed.

Inga Pewitt, Family Support Division - $75.00 and Certificate of Recognition

Linda Ruiz, Family Support Division - $75.00 and Certificate of Recognition

SELAUTH Action on FAMIS Cases: Currently in the FAMIS system when you access the SELAUTH screen you are forced to scroll through the reasons for all the programs on the FAMIS system. It was suggested to sort the screen by program. This will cut down on the time spent sorting through reasons which do not apply to the program you need. This change will assist staff with the authorization process for our clients. However, the implementation of this suggestion is dependent on funding.

Cherrie Williams, Family Support Division - Certificate of Recognition

Condensed Mailing for Case Openings: On new child support cases that are opened, the opening letter is sent out separate from the insurance questionnaire. Both of these letters usually go out very close to the same time, sometimes on the same day. It was suggested to send these letters together instead of separately. This will save postage as every child support case has both letters mailed out. It was decided because of this suggestion to combine some information on existing forms and to shorten other forms so that they could all be mailed together, therefore saving postage and time for staff.

Jill Soldan, Family Support Division - $75.00 and Certificate of Recognition

Reducing Facility Costs and Energy Savings: Currently state office buildings use residential grade bathroom fixtures. When housing a large number of staff, this may cause reoccurring problems with breakdowns and thus higher water bills. It was suggested to install commercial or industrial grade fixtures to reduce energy and water costs and also to reduce maintenance issues. The Office of Administration agrees that if there are persistent maintenance issues related to a toilet fixture, it is advantageous to replace the fixture to offset any increased costs for utilities. The Office of Administration chose to accept this suggestion as a way to reduce costs.

Cindy Mason, Family Support Division - $75.00 and Certificate of Recognition

Add a Reminder for SIS/SES on the SANDISQ Screen: A Missouri resident with a felony drug conviction that resulted in a Suspended Execution of Sentence is not eligible for food stamps. However, a felony drug conviction with a Suspended Imposition of Sentence (SIS) is eligible for this benefit. Currently, staff may forget to ask the applicant for the sentencing information which affects their ability to receive benefits. As a result of this suggestion, a statement will be added to the Declaration Detail screen to remind staff that an SIS is not considered a conviction. This will prompt staff to ask the applicant for their sentence information which will provide better customer service to our clients.

Elizabeth Roberts-Smith, Family Support Division - $75.00 and Certificate of Recognition

Provide a New Alremind Type for Web Reported Changes: Clients can report changes online for Child Care, Food Stamp, MO HealthNet, and Temporary Assistance programs. The online report is sent to the Family Support Eligibility Specialist (ES) and an alert is generated in FAMIS to notify the ES. The ES receives many alerts and this suggestion was to give the alert for the web-reported changes a new type so the ES can filter on the type and locate the web-reported changes more easily. This will save time for our staff and provide better customer service.

Michele McWherter, Family Support Division - $75.00 and Certificate of Recognition

Child Care Authorization/Alert Reminder: Child Care Authorization/Alert Reminder - At the time a child care case is approved there is currently no reminder for staff to put in a Child Care Authorization. If staff forget this step, this can cause the provider to not know the child has been authorized for the assistance until the following month. At that time the provider will realize that the child is not on their invoice and they have to call to find out why. This can result in a special payment being made for the missing reimbursement. The suggestion was to add a child care case alert in FAMIS. This will remind the worker to check on the Child Care Authorization and will minimize the need for special payments to providers. This will improve customer service for child care providers and will make the staff's jobs easier.

Brenda Pilny, Family Support Division - $75.00 and Certificate of Recognition

Access to Online Information/Applications: Every day more and more people have access to the internet. It was suggested to add the state website (http://dss.mo.gov/index/htm) to correspondence sent to applicants. Getting this useful address to applicants will reduce the number of calls and visits to local offices and provide better customer service. As notices and forms are updated, the website address will be added.

Cherie DeShazo, Family Support Division - Certificate of Recognition

Streamline Printing of IMES Information Screen: When printing information in the IMES system, if the person has drawn unemployment then it prints pages and pages of a report, leaving most of the page blank. It was suggested to change the system so that when it prints it will print full pages instead of partial pages and to only print the most current data. This suggestion will save money by conserving paper and printer ink.

Amy Moon, Family Support Division - $75.00 and Certificate of Recognition

Updates to Diary Activities (Notes): Staff is responsible for making remarks in the Diary screen in the FAMIS system. Once you hit "enter" on the Diary screen you are not able to make changes to your entry. To make a change to your remarks you have to contact a supervisor. It was suggested to enhance the Diary screen so that you can update your notes after you hit "enter". This will save staff and their supervisor's time. It could also make the Diary remarks more accurate because erroneous entries could be more easily corrected right away. Having accurate information provides better customer service to our applicants.

Kari Moore, Family Support Division - Certificate of Recognition

Adding a Field to IM-7 and FA-302: When clients are applying for benefits, one of the fields in FAMIS that was not on the forms is the date their bank account was opened. The bank completes either the IM-7 or FA-302 form. Without this information on the form, the Family Support Eligibility Specialist has to enter a random date or not enter a date until the information is provided by the client. We don't want either to happen, so the suggestion was to add this field to the forms so the information will be completed by the bank and be available for the ES to enter. This will be a great benefit to staff and less of a hardship for clients to provide the information.

Mary Bruffett, Family Support Division - $75.00 and Certificate of Recognition

Disregard Alert: When staff is processing Cash Assistance, Family HealthCare Applications and budget adjustments in FAMIS, they can inadvertently forget to apply the disregard to the income amount. It was suggested to add an alert that reminds staff to check the Disregard screen. This alert will serve as a reminder to staff and will allow us to better serve our customers by ensuring the disregards are given when applicants are eligible for them. Also, it will help to reduce the chance of error when determining the level of care for MO HealthNet.

Tisha Bailey, Family Support Division - $75.00 and Certificate of Recognition

Travel Policy Info/Forms on New Employee Checklist: To help with the delay in receiving funds back from a monthly expense report, it was suggested to have the Vendor Input Form (a form that must be completed before you can submit an expense report) added to the required forms on the New Employee Checklist. This will relieve stress on the employee, on the employees entering the information, and DFAS.

Nancy Kuntz - $75.00 and Certificate of Recognition

Postage Savings: The cost of postage went up again on May 1, 2008. It was suggested that the "Forever" stamp be purchased for mailings in offices that currently purchase postage stamps in bulk. This suggestion could result in a savings of one cent per piece of mail sent, which will really add up! It makes good sense for offices that routinely purchase one ounce postage stamps to instead purchase the "Forever" stamp as a general practice.

Kathryn Beckett - $75.00 and Certificate of Recognition

Recycling While Returning\Traveling to JC: This suggestion recognized that there was little or no recycling being done in rural counties within the Department. The suggestor took into account paper, fluorescent tubes, print cartridges, etc. He suggested that as Division of Finance & Administrative Services (DFAS) trucks make deliveries they could pickup recyclable material and return it to Jefferson City. DFAS reviewed this suggestion and will be creating a pilot program to evaluate the process because the elements of the suggestion are good public policy and would benefit the environment. The DSS Recycling Coordinator is now setting up a pilot to recycle ink jet printer cartridges and rechargeable batteries at several DSS facilities across the state. If the project proves viable, the intent is to initiate the project in all DSS facilities, statewide.

Mark J. Norris - $75.00 and Certificate of Recognition

MO HealthNet Earned Income Disregards Alert: To ensure that the correct level of care is authorized for a client under the MO HealthNet program, it was suggested to add an alert in FAMIS whenever an active MO HealthNet member has an earned income type entered or added. An alert will be added to display an informational message that states the worker should enter the income disregards if applicable.

Jessica Wilson - $75.00 and Certificate of Recognition

Change to the FA-150 Action Notice: Currently an FA-150 Action Notice goes to each client whenever any change is made on their Food Stamps, MO HealthNet, Temporary Assistance, or Child Care case. This often confuses the client and leads many of them to believe they no longer have to reapply for benefits at the end of their eligibility period. It was suggested that the FA-150 Action Notice be revised to include a date by which the client must reapply for the benefit pertaining to the Action Notice. Also, add a statement stating that the client must reapply for benefits at the end of the eligibility period, as normal. This process will provide clearer messages to our clients and provide better customer service.

Danny O'Malley - $75.00 and Certificate of Recognition

Easy Location of Activities on DIARY: Currently when looking for a specific activity on the DIARY screen in MACSS, you must scroll through each page and look for the activity, page by page. This takes a lot of time and there is a chance for human error. It can also result in duplicate work. It was suggested to add an Activity Code to the options for narrowing down a search. This will be added to ensure that less time is spent on this cumbersome task, and to provide better customer service.

Bethany Ford - $75.00 and Certificate of Recognition

Updating JC Warehouse Web to be More User-Friendly: Forms and pamphlets are difficult to find on the Jefferson City Warehouse website. It was suggested to improve the search engine to make items easier to find and therefore easier to order. The suggestion will be implemented with revisions and updates to the DFAS Warehouse E-Store system.

Sherry Manson - Certificate of Recognition

Remove or Revise Customer Letter: When clients return their annual FAMIS review form, FSD enters the date it is received into FAMIS and a client letter is sent. The letter tells the client that no changes have occurred. The client believes that the review is complete and that their coverage is continuing when in fact the actual review has not yet been processed. As a result, they tend not to respond to requests for more information and their case closes, which leaves clients without medical coverage. The process was changed as suggested to only send one notice to the client when a reinvestigation is complete, as opposed to when the form is received. This provides better customer service and over time, will save in postage as well as reduce work time spent responding to inquiries regarding multiple notices.

Leesa Monfee - $75.00 and Certificate of Recognition

Utilizing Voice Mail System: For offices that have auto attendant capabilities when a client calls the Family Support Division office, if they know the name of their worker they can use the company directory and it will connect their call to their worker. However, the directory does not communicate the extension number of the worker to the caller so when they call in, they have to go through the directory each time. It was suggested for each worker in these offices to record their name, followed by their extension number in the company directory. This will provide better customer service and will free up the switchboard by leaving more open lines available.

Kathleen Farley - Certificate of Recognition

30 + 1/3 Disregard on Child Earnings: In the FAMIS system no disregards are given to earnings of children under the age of 18 if they are in school because their incomes do not factor into the benefits the family is receiving. Once the child turns 18 and graduates from school, the income does then apply to the family. FAMIS was changed so that it will display a message to the Family Support Division worker on the Education Information screen to check the information when ending the current education for the child. This will assist the worker in making an accurate eligibility determination.

LuAnn Weatherly - Certificate of Recognition

Lawful Permanent Resident Alert: At the time of the Family Support Division application process, a lawful permanent resident verification is entered into the system. Once the client has been in the United States for five years, there is nothing to alert the caseworker that this needs to be updated. As a result, in some instances, the State has to pay a deficiency to clients who have been reinstated for food stamps but no action was completed. As a result of this suggestion, the client will automatically be added to the list of eligible clients once they become a qualified immigrant that has requested benefits or are a mandatory assistance group member.

Regina Pry - Certificate of Recognition

Self Employment/FAMIS System: Currently when self employment income in entered by a Family Support Division worker in FAMIS, it can only be entered as a weekly expense. This causes workers to convert these totals to monthly amounts. As a result of this suggestion, we are adding options to the system to be able to input the mileage as weekly, monthly, or annually. This could potentially reduce errors in payments to clients which will help to provide better customer service.

Elizabeth Roberts - Certificate of Recognition