Year End Reflections

2024: Year End Reflections

Over the last year, the Rhode Island Department of Human Services (DHS) worked diligently to improve access, operational efficiency, and leverage technology to enhance the customer experience. 

Initiatives such as Processing Wednesdays, Document Scanning Centers, IVR phone enhancements, and the focus on staffing have collectively improved the way customers interact with DHS to be a more positive and rewarding experience for them and their families. These initiatives have contributed to a reduction in the number of applications awaiting state action by about 48%, moved DHS closer towards its Call Center wait time goal, and helped the agency be able to more quickly implement policy changes for Rhode Island families, resulting in more assistance to working families. Importantly, the focus on these processes and initiatives are helping ensure Rhode Island residents have access to benefits and services they are entitled to receiving on a timely basis. 

With the introduction of Technology Adoption Days and SNAP Connect towards the end of 2024, DHS is excited to build on its momentum going into 2025 as we look to give customers more convenience and flexibility.

Other year end highlights: 

• DHS launched the SNAP Eat Well, Be Well Pilot Program, which promotes healthier eating habits by reimbursing .50 for every $1 spent on fresh fruits and vegetables, up to $25 per month. Through this pilot, SNAP households have been issued over $3.2 million in extra SNAP benefits. 
• The SUN Bucks program was successfully launched to increase food security for eligible school age children when school is out of session. Every eligible child at a participating National School Lunch Program school received $120 in benefits.
• The FY25 enacted budget included additional funding for 10 FTEs at DHS’s Call Center to support efforts to reduce overall wait times for customers calling in. The majority of these positions have been filled and the agency continues to make progress in reducing wait times.
• The Office of Child Care at DHS led a competitive grant process and was awarded $4.95 million per year to support the continuation of a wide range of child care initiatives, including the Step up to WAGE$ initiatives, that intersects with the work of multiple state agencies. 
• The threshold to access CCAP increased from 200% to 261% of the federal poverty level, making more working families in Rhode Island eligible for essential child care beginning January 1, 2025.
• The first release of the Early Childhood Education Workforce Registry launched in February 2024, marking an important milestone in centralizing child care data across the state. The system will help provide key insights into the child care sector to optimize resources and supports for families, children, providers, and educators. 
• This year, rates were increased for child care centers serving children in the CCAP program by 5%. The increase marks the first increase since 2022 for these providers and is comparable to the increase family child care providers received through collective bargaining. 
• Starting July 1, 2024, Rhode Island Works beneficiaries who have earned income received up to an additional $112.50. This additional support is the result of increasing the earned income disregard, which allowed RI Works families to keep a larger share of their earnings. 
• Beneficiaries of Rhode Island Works and Refugee Cash Assistance received a permanent 20% increase in cash assistance totaling $4.8M in federal funds, providing relief for low income working RIW families in Rhode Island.

2023: Year End Reflections

With the return of Medicaid Redetermination in April 2023DHS, in partnership with the Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) and HealthSource RI (HSRI), quickly understood the task for 350,000 individuals in Rhode Island would  be one of the most important  undertakings to address. This would be the first time in three years such an effort would take place, with the end of the pandemic.

Lasting for a year, the plan included redetermining eligibility, going out in the community to provide education on this effort, and partnering with local community organizations. HealthSource RI, EOHHS, and managed care organizations all played an important role in the successful implementation of the strategy, creating innovative ways to educate, connect, train, and reenroll eligible Rhode Islanders.

Through the collective efforts of staff and DHS leadership, the agency saw 2023 as a year to implement creative solutions to address administrative and operational improvements. From greatly improving application processing, to the opening document scanning centers, and the opening of a new public-facing office on Holden Street, in Providence, DHS made great strides in enhancing access and helping the lives of many in the Ocean State.

Other highlights include:

• DHS launched the Child Care Assistance Program for Child Care Staff pilot, which was approved in the FY 24 budget, and expands CCAP eligibility for educators and staff who work at DHS licensed child care sites needing affordable child care. The program expands income eligibility to 300% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL), up from 200%, for eligible staff. 
• The Department also prioritized expanding the Child Care Assistance Program for college students. For college students striving to attend classes while raising a child, this program provides essential support and builds economic security for their families. Eligible students enrolled in associate or bachelor’s degree programs at the Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI), Rhode Island College (RIC), or University of Rhode Island (URI) may qualify for benefits. The program directly reimburses the chosen provider up to a specified amount for child care services, with applicants contributing no more than 7% of their household income. 
• In partnership with the Rhode Island Association for the Education of Young Children (RIAEYC), the Step Up to Child Care WAGE$® Program (WAGE$) pilot has awarded 276 early childhood educators education-based supplements totaling $847,812. Step Up to WAGE$ provides education-based salary supplements to teachers, directors, and family childcare providers working with young children. 
• DHS launched the first document scanning centers in 2023. The document scanning centers provide customers with a way to quickly scan and submit requested documents for their case, which helps expedite the in-person process by reducing lobby wait times and improving the customer experience. Most customers are in and out in about 15 minutes. 
• DHS opened a regional, customer-facing office located at 125 Holden St., in Providence, on December 18. This customer-facing DHS office is conveniently accessible through public transportation and provides an array of customer services , including benefit applications, transactions, interviews, and a document scanning center. 
• DHS in partnership with EOHHS and HSRI successfully restarted Medicaid renewals for more than 350,000 Rhode Islanders. This is the first time in three years the state has undertaken Medicaid redeterminations. Redeterminations are now more than halfway through the process at the end of 2023.
•  DHS launched the Elderly and Disabled Simplified Application Project, which simplifies the application process and allows for a longer eligibility period for SNAP applicants and households that meet the following criteria: all members of the household are age 60 or older, receive disability payments regardless of age, or are a combination of both, no household members have income from working. 
• Expanded RI Works eligibility to include pregnant individuals at the onset of pregnancy, rather the beginning of third trimester.
• With General Assembly approval, DHS invested $3 million in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) to increase access to early learning opportunities.
• The agency continued to distribute child care retention bonuses to child care staff and early educators.
• DHS increased the monthly, personal needs allowance from $20 to $45 for individuals on Supplemental Security Income (SSI) living in an assisted living facility.