DATE: December 4, 2018
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Delfino E. Neira, Director, Department of Social Services
SUBJECT: Amendment III to Agreement with Reading and Beyond for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Employment and Training Pilot Services
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
Approve and authorize the Chairman to execute Amendment III to Agreement No. 15-603 with Reading and Beyond to authorize payment for three months of administrative costs relating to client data collection services, effective upon execution, with no change to the compensation amount or term of April 1, 2015 through March 31, 2021 ($11,747,968).
REPORT
The recommended amendment will enable the Department of Social Services to reimburse Reading and Beyond for administrative expenses relating to required client data collection activities that will occur between January 1, 2019 and March 31, 2019. Payment for services will utilize unspent Pilot funds. This item is countywide.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
There are no viable alternative actions as the data collection activities are a mandatory component of participating in the Pilot.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no Net County Cost associated with the recommended action. The maximum compensation for the Agreement remains $11,747,968 and will continue to be offset with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Employment and Training (E&T) Pilot project funds ($11,372,968) and the CalWORKs Single Allocation ($375,000). Sufficient appropriations and revenues are included in the FY 2018-19 Adopted Budget for the Department of Social Services, Organization 56107006.
DISCUSSION:
On November 17, 2015, your Board approved Agreement No. 15-603 with Reading and Beyond to provide E&T services as part of a Federal Pilot Project to test innovative E&T strategies designed to help SNAP (known in California as CalFresh) recipients enter the workforce, increase their earnings, and ultimately reduce their participation in SNAP. The Agreement was previously amended in 2016 to revise the term and Summary of Services, and in 2017 to adjust the Budget. Enrollment of Pilot participants concluded on July 31, 2017, and as designed by FNS, all direct client services will end on December 31, 2018.
Under the terms of the current Agreement, Reading and Beyond is compensated for services related to all Pilot activities through December 31, 2018. The recommended amendment will support Reading and Beyond’s data collection activities, as required by FNS, by providing funding for one office location and staff activities limited to the administration of data collection from January 1, 2019 through March 31, 2019. This will not increase the total compensation under the Agreement as there are unspent funds in the Agreement to cover the data collection activities. This will ensure the Pilot evaluation team has access to sufficient data from which to formulate their analyses of the SNAP E&T Pilot. No outcome data is currently available for your Board due to the nature of the Pilot, as a release of interim data on Pilot participants is not permitted.
OTHER REVIEWING AGENCIES:
The United States Department of Agriculture FNS agency supports payment for administrative functions for the initial three months of post-Pilot data collection.
REFERENCE MATERIAL:
BAI #51, August 22, 2017
BAI #53, March 15, 2016
BAI #56, November 17, 2015
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
On file with Clerk - Amendment III to A-15-603 with Reading and Beyond
CAO ANALYST:
Ronald Alexander