Business Process (BP)
Taking into account national best practices documented by the United States Department of Agriculture, and positive outcomes reported by states that have implemented similar changes, effective October 27, 2014, the way in which the Department conducts business changed dramatically, moving from a case ownership model to a First Available Worker (FAW) Model for SNAP-only eligibility determination and case maintenance. Rather than operating under an individual caseload model, all SNAP-only activities are now distributed on a statewide basis and received by SNAP case managers as specific Actions.
These changes, including the implementation of a statewide Assistance Line, with enriched Interactive Voice Response (IVR) services, the integration of eLOG and Electronic Document Management (EDM) functionality into BEACON, and supporting BEACON enhancements, will optimize staff time. These changes will also improve timeliness and accuracy for all DTA programs and enrich both client and case manager experiences.
Important: The policies that govern eligibility for the programs administered by DTA have not changed. Rather, the changes implemented with this Business Process Redesign (BPR) are procedural and primarily affect the distribution of work.