VIRGINIA

NETWORK VIDEO CONFERENCE DEMONSTRATION

Goals:

• To introduce video conferencing as an additional tool for social services and child support staff to lessen the workload and increase productivity.
• To demonstrate the increased effectiveness of broadband network video- conferencing over narrower bandwidth ISDN lines. The narrower bandwidth ISDN was used in the first video demonstration.

Objectives:

• To save staff time in scheduling and case-processing for social services and child support staff during the initial eligibility Interview, at the same time creating a "one stop" service for the client at the local social services agency.
• To reduce/eliminate additional appointments and travel to the child support office for joint social services/child support clients and save the client time.
• To reduce/eliminate child support staff traveling time to the social services agency for client interviews and follow-up appointments.
• To reduce required travel for social services and child support staff when holding joint meetings and training sessions.

Description: The project, "Spotsylvania - Fredericksburg Network Video Demonstration: "Making the Connection," was composed of partners from the Spotsylvania Department of Social Services and the Fredericksburg district office of child support enforcement. The project ran from June 1, 2000 to June 30, 2002 during which social services workers scheduled and held a number of their TANF re-determination and new TANF or Medicaid appointments as video-conferences as a means to provide an easier way for overworked staff to handle heavy caseloads.

The social services agency provided a list of appointments, with the client's social security number, to the child support agency so they could review the automated system and determine if the client had an existing child-support case. If there was an existing case, then the case was screened for a possible video interview to be held before or after the Social Services interview. Child support then provided its list of requested video interviews to the social services agency. Child support and social services coordinated the video interview schedule. For existing child support cases, information was obtained by video interview and the automated case-management system was updated during the interview. The case was usually processed at that time. Similarly, new social services applicants were video interviewed, and their cases were set up in the automated case-management system by the child support worker during the interviews. Those cases were also processed at that time. The eligibility worker faxed documents provided by the client, and documents requiring a client's signature, to the child support agency. Where original documents were required, they were sent to the child support agency by courier after the interview. For the convenience of some child support clients, video appointments were scheduled at the social services agency.

Results: Both new and re-determination cases were processed in a more timely fashion, cutting processing time, especially for new cases by between 30 and 60 days. Additionally, joint staff meetings and training sessions were held by video, rather than at one of the agencies. This practice has saved both travel and scheduling time and expense. The department information systems director has been using video conferencing for his bi-monthly information-sharing meetings with field staff and offices.

In May 2003, the commissioner of the department of social services started to hold separate monthly videoconferences with staff in the social services and child support offices around the state. The commissioner uses this forum for staff to provide suggestions, ask questions, and express concerns they have about agency operations and their jobs. This has been especially useful during the ongoing departmental restructuring.

By July 2003, the state department of social services had equipped 38 offices for video conferencing: 28 child support offices (i.e., all 21 district offices, 3 regional training centers, and 3 field directors' offices and central office), and 10 local and training (regional) social services offices. Furthermore, there is considerable interest in equipping more of the local social services offices with basic (i.e., 1-2 desktop systems) video. There are 121 local social services offices in Virginia.

By summer of 2001, the network was upgraded with ATM T-1 circuits to each location. This infrastructure was required to support video and data over a single data circuit. From that point, we were able to migrate from ISDN lines (128 Kbps) to IP video conferencing. The upgraded video-conferencing network provides three times the bandwidth (384 Kbps).

Location: Video conferencing systems are in place in the Fredericksburg District Child Support Office and in the Spotsylvania County Department of Social Services. Spotsylvania County has a rural-urban population of 99,915. It covers 400 square miles and is just south and west of Fredericksburg. The Fredericksburg district office is planning to equip several outlying Social Services sites with video. Two immediate locations are the Westmoreland and Lancaster County Departments of Social Services. Both are about a two-hour drive from the Fredericksburg office. Clients will be able to video-conference with their child support worker on scheduled days and times of the week.

Funding: For "Making the Connection," state child support, state and local social services had cash and in-kind funds, as well as private in-kind support from several vendors. The cash outlay for desktop video systems (23, totaling $20,200), group video systems (2, totaling $20,400), and network video equipment (totaling $49,000), was about $90,000. Ongoing, in-kind network and technical support from all partners is critical and priceless.

Replication Advice: The introduction and implementation of a major organizational change (in this case, video technology) requires substantial funding (cash and in-kind), almost daily oversight and trouble-shooting, and continual staff training. Training is also necessary for desktop and group users and on-site technical assistants who serve as the "eyes and ears" for a small technical support staff.

There must be a commitment of the participating agencies and staff to use video conferencing to accomplish their work, along with an attitude of flexibility and willingness to make video conferencing a useful tool.

Contact:

Carol M. Marion

Program Administration Specialist

Phone: 804-786-0965

Email: cam900@dcse.dss.state.va.us