Director's Message

March 3, 2006

To: DHS employees

From: Dr. Bruce Goldberg, DHS Director

"Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any one thing." -- Abraham Lincoln

Our budget shortfall has challenged us to find ways to work smarter and more efficiently. I'm very proud of the efforts that are being made and the spirit with which everyone is working. Regrettably, that same cooperative spirit is absent from our federal partners.

Providing health and human services to our citizens, whether Medicaid or child welfare, public health or long term care, mental health or just about every one of our programs has long been a shared partnership between the states and the federal government. When Oregon passed its balanced biennial budget in August of 2005, it was with the understanding that this long-standing partnership would continue. Our budget was based on those long-standing agreements.

However, now the federal government is changing the rules midstream. At a time when we are working to improve our accountability, the federal government is less accountable to its agreements with states. That's no way to run a business. 

The past few months have seen efforts by the federal government to shift more of the responsibility for human services onto the states. This comes at a time when our human services needs are increasing.

This past week, I went to Washington, D.C., with the Governor to attend the National Governors Association meeting to work with other states in combating these changes, to meet with federal officials, and to brief our congressional delegation on the situation and solicit their support. The delegation shares our concern and will work to do what they can to forestall and prevent federal cuts. There are a number of opportunities to do so in the rule-making process and other avenues. We will be exploring each and every one, and with your help and support I will work vigorously and determinedly to stave off any reductions.

The following are just some of the examples of the reductions in federal support and the human consequences Oregonians will experience if proposed changes are enacted:

• The Deficit Reduction Act, passed by congress last month, will make cuts to a number of our programs. It will impact the lives of many of our most vulnerable citizens. The changes are many. Among the most troubling are reductions in our federal support for targeted case management and changes to the TANF program.
  
  
• Targeted case management services assist in providing coordinated access to services for child welfare, self-sufficiency, developmentally disabled, high-risk infants, and other populations. Targeted case management saves future dollars by providing preventive services now. It helps move people to self-sufficiency, independence and better lives.
  
  
• The Deficit Reduction Act of 2006 contains TANF provisions that could significantly harm Oregon's TANF clients and cause the state to lose millions of dollars. Much of the success of Oregon's TANF program is attributable to the flexibility it allows individuals with significant barriers to employment (addiction and mental health issues) to count treatment and rehabilitation for those issues (at least in part) toward their work participation requirements.
  
  
• The Deficit Reduction Act changes that. It will most significantly impact those clients who are most difficult to employ, impairing their ability to meet the new work participation standard. It will also significantly impact those individuals who cannot meet the work participation requirement because of their own disability, or the disability of the child they care for. If work requirements are not met, clients will move off of TANF, joining the ranks of the unemployed and the uninsured and putting pressure on other social service programs. In combination with loss or reduction of targeted case management, they will not have the tools to provide their family with basic care. Kids may move into the child welfare caseload and we may see additional homeless families.
  
  
• Then on top of that there is the President's proposed Federal Fiscal Year 2007 budget. It contains changes to provider tax regulations that will impact funding for OHP Standard and nursing facilities. In addition, there are reductions in public health program support and changes to eligibility criteria that may reduce the number of Oregon households eligible for food stamps.

Well, I had meant to provide you with a brief update of federal matters and my trip to D.C., but as you can see, I am quite zealous about this issue and I went on a bit more than planned. In fact, I was also going to tell you about the Center for Family Success and the wonderful collaborative effort between DHS, the Department of Corrections and community partners. That will have to wait until next week.

To provide feedback email: DHS.Directorsoffice@state.or.us

This message is intended for all department employees. Please read it electronically, if possible. Managers and supervisors are asked to share the message each week with employees who do not have email access.

If you have a disability and need this message to be provided to you in another format, please send an email to dhs.forms@state.or.us, or call (503) 947-5107. You can also fax your request to (503) 373-7690, or call (503) 947-5080 for TTY service. If you know of others who need this accommodation, please let them know it is available.