Authority: Title 63.1, Chapter 1, Code of Virginia; P.L. 104-193, Federal Code.
A. It is the intent of the General Assembly that the Department establish a Statewide Electronic Benefits Transfer System, contingent upon favorable action by the federal government regarding Regulation E.
B.1. Except as specifically provided for in Items 14. F. and 383. C., of this act, no funds appropriated by this act shall be used to: (i) plan, or implement any plan, to privatize, out-source, contract for, or in any other way alter the practices of providing computer services which were provided to the Department of Social Services on January 1, 1996, by the state data center which is maintained by the Department of Information Technology, or (ii) transfer to any other data center or data computer services provider, except in a disaster, computer systems operating at the state data center which is maintained by the Department of Information Technology on January 1, 1996.
2. Neither the Commissioner of Social Services, nor any employee of the Commonwealth acting on his behalf, shall incur any obligation with, or make any payments to, a provider of the computer services set out in paragraph B.1. of this Item, other than the Department of Information Technology.
3. In implementing the provisions of this paragraph: (i) the Comptroller shall process no vouchers for payments prohibited by paragraph B.1., (ii) the Treasurer shall issue no warrants for payments prohibited by paragraph B.1., and (iii) in the event such payments are made, the Attorney General shall take immediate action to recover the full amount of such payment from the individuals who authorized the payment and the recipient.
4. The Department of Social Services, in cooperation with the Department of Personnel and Training, shall develop a plan for reimbursement to local departments of social services for employee compensation based on a scale similar to the plan in place for state employees. A report shall be submitted to the Governor and the Chairmen of the House Appropriations and Senate Finance Committees by November 1, 1997.
C. The Commissioner of the Department of Social Services and the Secretaries of Administration and Health and Human Resources shall develop an automated system for eligibility and service programs that include Aid to Families with Dependent Children, Food Stamps, and Medicaid. The maximum use of federal funds for this purpose shall be explored. The Department shall continue the ten pilot sites under the Application Benefit Delivery Automation Project (ADAPT) in fiscal years 1997 and 1998.
D.1. The Application Benefit Delivery Automation Project (ADAPT) Task Force shall report its recommendations to the Governor and the Chairmen of the following committees: House Appropriations, House Health, Welfare and Institutions, Senate Finance, and Senate Rehabilitation and Social Services no later than July 15, 1996. Before implementing any of the Task Force's recommendations or other actions pertaining to an automated eligibility system, the Commissioner shall advise these Committee Chairmen of the feasibility and cost of implementing the recommendations. If any of the Committee Chairmen determines that a public hearing is desirable, they shall so advise the Commissioner within 15 days. Implementation of the recommendations shall thereafter be delayed for up to 30 days. The results of any recommendations implemented shall be reported to the Committee Chairmen by December 1, 1996.
2. To provide adequate oversight of the implementation of automated systems, and to ensure coordination with local social services agencies, the Department of Social Services shall maintain a Local Information Technology Planning Committee. The Committee shall include one representative each from the Council on Information Management, the Department of Information Technology, the Department of Social Services, the Department of Medical Assistance Services, and the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission, and at least five local social services personnel to be selected by the Virginia League of Social Service Executives. The Committee shall provide advice to the Commissioner on all computer and telecommunications systems operated by the Department in support of programs administered by local social services agencies.
3. The Department shall retain the services of a qualified independent contractor with appropriate experience in information technology project management and systems integration to perform periodic audits of the performance of the ADAPT project. Such audits shall be conducted under the direction of the DSS Local Information Planning Committee and shall include, but not be limited to, the progress of the project in terms of: (a) planned versus actual work plan activities; (b) milestones and deliverables, (c) critical path activities, (d) execution of risk reduction activities, and (e) application of any contingency plans. The audit contractor shall report audit exceptions in a timely manner, note any areas of concern, and recommend remedial actions. At least semi-annually, beginning July 1, 1997, the audit contractor shall issue a written report including audit findings, recommendations, and the results to date of any follow-up actions by the Department. The contractor shall distribute such reports to the Commissioner of Social Services, the DSS Local Information Technology Planning Committee, the Governor, the Department of Planning and Budget, the Council on Information Management, and the Chairmen of the Senate Finance and House Appropriations Committees.
4. Out of this appropriation $1,225,000 from the general fund and $1,225,000 from the federal trust fund shall be provided in the first year for the Department of Social Services to purchase hardware and database management software for the ADAPT project. The Department of Social Services (DSS) shall own such equipment and products. The Department of Information Technology may charge the Department of Social Services for operations and maintenance of such equipment and products but may not include any portion of the purchase price in the calculation of such charges. The Department of Information Technology may not use or sell the excess capacity resulting from these purchases.
E. Out of this appropriation shall be provided $25,000 the first year and $25,000 the second year from the general fund for the Richmond One to One Partnership.
F. Out of this appropriation, $1,952,684 from the general fund and $6,429,871 from nongeneral funds the first year and $638,339 from the general fund and $2,061,533 from nongeneral funds the second year shall be made available for "Network 2000." From appropriate sources, the Department of Social Services shall obtain cost estimates which include direct capital and operating costs and properly allocated indirect costs. The Department shall solicit such estimates from at least the Department of Information Technology and the Virginia Department of Health for alternative approaches to the development, installation, and operation of the network. The Department of Social Services shall submit to the Department of Planning and Budget, the Council on Information Management, and the DSS Local Information Technology Planning Committee a detailed and full burdened cost-effectiveness comparison of the proposals received. In selecting an approach for implementation, the Department of Social Services shall consider, among other factors it deems appropriate, the cost-effectiveness comparison and the recommendation of the DSS Local Information Technology Planning Committee.
G. The Commissioner shall cooperate with localities in a study of the need and options for the provision of nutritional assistance to individuals who are ineligible for federal food stamps. Results of the study shall be reported to the Governor and the Chairmen of the House Appropriations and Senate Finance Committees by October 1, 1997.
H. As a condition of the appropriation for this item, pursuant to the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, Public Law No. 104-193, the Department shall, in cooperation with local departments of social services, develop a request for a waiver of the work requirement for Food Stamp recipients residing in areas that do not have a sufficient number of jobs to provide employment for such individuals, including those areas designated as labor surplus areas by the U.S. Department of Labor.