HHSC has rolled out new technology and streamlined processes to help keep pace with rising eligibility caseloads without additional resources. But ask Deputy Executive Commissioner Stephanie Muth the key to success, and she’s got a one-word answer: staff.
“All the highlights of 2014 really lead back to our staff,” Muth said. “I could not be more proud of what we accomplished last year.”
HHSC employees put together an impressive highlight reel for 2014:
- SNAP error rates are less than 1 percent – an all-time low for Texas and among the best in the nation – and 97 percent of applications are processed on time,
- Cost per case fell 15 percent, from $108 in fiscal year 2011 to $92 in 2014.
- 70 percent of applications are now submitted online, up from 15 percent in January 2012.
- Clients can now renew benefits online, with 54,000 online renewals in December.
- Payments for call centers and document processing fell $13 million between 2012 and 2014 while monthly caseload increased by more than 600,000.
“That was all on top of implementing the federally-required Affordable Care Act, one of the largest changes in eligibility history,” Muth said. “We processed a flood of more than 130,000 Marketplace account transfers in just eight days to make sure eligible Texans would have access to health coverage before the deadline.”
Muth says that expanding self-service options for clients will continue to be the key theme in 2015.
The Your Texas Benefits smart phone app has been updated to expand its capabilities, and there are more updates coming. More than 100,000 documents have uploaded through the app, and that number is expected to grow as clients realize they can handle their accounts at times most convenient to them, often without a trip to an office.
HHSC also expanded its Community Partner Program. The network now has more than 1,000 community-based organizations that can help people learn how to apply for and manage their benefits using YourTexasBenefits.com.
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