July 13, 2006, 2:17PM
By CLAY ROBISON
Copyright 2006
Houston Chronicle Austin Bureau
AUSTIN - Sixty members of the Texas House, Republicans and Democrats, Wednesday called for the state to cancel a controversial, $899 million privatization contract to screen applicants for public assistance programs.
Their letter to Health and Human Services Commissioner Albert Hawkins, however, followed on the heels of a competing letter, signed by 30 Republican legislators, including several members of House Speaker Tom Craddick's leadership team, urging Hawkins to continue his agency's privatization transition.
The dueling messages mark the latest episode in a continuing furor over the privatization of health and human service programs, including the contract with Accenture LLP, a company hired to screen applicants for children's health insurance and other assistance programs.
Hawkins, an appointee of Gov. Rick Perry, said through a spokeswoman that he remained committed to the privatization effort, part of a massive reorganization of health and human services agencies ordered by the Legislature in 2003.
Perry spokeswoman Kathy Walt said the governor "is not pleased that the company (Accenture) hasn't been able to address the issues as quickly as contemplated" but didn't support canceling the contract.
Accenture, which manages a consortium of subcontractors called Texas Access Alliance, has been under attack for weeks from social services advocates and some legislators, who say low-income Texans are losing benefits because of inadequate staffing and training at private call centers.
Hawkins has canceled plans to lay off hundreds of state workers who were to have been replaced by contract employees.
And Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn has made Accenture's performance an issue in her independent race for governor, announcing two months ago that she would investigate the contract.
Spokeswoman Jill Angelo said Texas Access Alliance was working with the state to meet its requirements and has made "significant progress over the past several months to improve performance."
State Rep. Patrick Haggerty, R-El Paso, said he and 59 colleagues seeking the contract's cancellation are concerned about the Bermuda-based company's "poor performance during the pilot phase of the project and want to protect (our) communities and constituents from similar calamities."
The letter, dated Wednesday and written on Haggerty's letterhead, was signed by 11 other Republicans and 48 Democrats. It urged Hawkins to use the contract money to "rebuild a community-based system that works and does not waste tax dollars on broken contractual promises."
The competing letter, signed by state Rep. John Davis, R-Houston, and 29 other Republicans, was faxed to Hawkins on Monday. Davis, the budget and oversight chairman for the House Human Services Committee, said the timing wasn't coincidental.
He said he learned the Haggerty letter was being circulated and wanted to assure Hawkins that many lawmakers supported the agency's privatization efforts.
"We recognize that the new system has experienced challenges. Frankly, this is not unexpected given the size of this transformation," Davis said in his letter.
But, he said, the agency's pilot program in Travis and Hays counties was the first step toward modernizing the application process.
"So far, more than 540,000 Travis and Hays residents have accessed the pilot program by phone and over 5,000 people statewide have applied for benefits online. These early results prove Texans want access to these services through modern means," Davis added.
Spokeswoman Stephanie Goodman said Hawkins "certainly understands the concerns about performance but remains committed to the long-term goals of the program, which are to create a system that works better and is more efficient."
Haggerty said lawmakers were alarmed by the report of dozens of Texans "who slipped through the cracks" after their Medicaid and food stamp applications were faxed into a "black hole" in Seattle.
The Houston Chronicle reported last month that dozens of applications with personal and medical financial data were mistakenly faxed by applicants to a warehouse in Seattle after a wrong number was listed on an information sheet.
clay.robison@chron.com
Saturday, July 15, 2006
Been too busy to post!
I have been way too busy to post lately - Sorry about that!
I've worked tons of OT this week and can barely drag myself home after work. I am so grateful for my "friend" who has picked up my child from daycare EVERY DAY THIS WEEK because I could not get out of the office in time. Last weekend, I actually brought some work home with me. I absolutely refused to do so this weekend!
My child now asks me everyday when I get home "How was your day, mama? Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?". He is such a sweetheart but it seems our roles are reversing. He is the one worrying about me when I am the parent and should be the one worrying about him. Thank God for little angels!
All of our lives (and our health) are being affected by this. Our client's are being affected. The Texas budget is being affected. How much longer can they expect us to maintain? We are getting more and more complaints about "rudeness" on the part of the workers. We have never, as an agency, been deliberately rude to anyone, but as one who has to deal with alot of complaints, I can't really blame the workers. They don't deliberately mean to be rude but they are so overwhelmed and exhausted that their emotions are now affecting their jobs. Some of the clients are understanding but as you all know, each one is focused on their own needs. When they can't feed their kids, of couse they get upset or angry. When their child is scheduled for surgery or needs meds and they lose their Medicaid, of course they get upset or angry. Wouldn't you?
Please check the list below for your State Rep. If they signed the letter to stop this madness, don't forget to call or write them a thank you! If they did not, ask they why not?
I am so ashamed of what the current administration has allowed to happen to Texas. I certainly hope that in the next election, we can rid ourselves of the "powers that be".
I've worked tons of OT this week and can barely drag myself home after work. I am so grateful for my "friend" who has picked up my child from daycare EVERY DAY THIS WEEK because I could not get out of the office in time. Last weekend, I actually brought some work home with me. I absolutely refused to do so this weekend!
My child now asks me everyday when I get home "How was your day, mama? Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?". He is such a sweetheart but it seems our roles are reversing. He is the one worrying about me when I am the parent and should be the one worrying about him. Thank God for little angels!
All of our lives (and our health) are being affected by this. Our client's are being affected. The Texas budget is being affected. How much longer can they expect us to maintain? We are getting more and more complaints about "rudeness" on the part of the workers. We have never, as an agency, been deliberately rude to anyone, but as one who has to deal with alot of complaints, I can't really blame the workers. They don't deliberately mean to be rude but they are so overwhelmed and exhausted that their emotions are now affecting their jobs. Some of the clients are understanding but as you all know, each one is focused on their own needs. When they can't feed their kids, of couse they get upset or angry. When their child is scheduled for surgery or needs meds and they lose their Medicaid, of course they get upset or angry. Wouldn't you?
Please check the list below for your State Rep. If they signed the letter to stop this madness, don't forget to call or write them a thank you! If they did not, ask they why not?
I am so ashamed of what the current administration has allowed to happen to Texas. I certainly hope that in the next election, we can rid ourselves of the "powers that be".
TEXAS STATE EMPLOYEES UNION EMAIL BROADCAST UPDATE TO MEMBERS
July 13, 2006
Human Services call center plan/ Accenture contract
60 LEGISLATORS SIGN LETTER: CANCEL THE CONTRACT, REBUILD HHSC
* 30 others sign letter supporting Accenture contract
* all signers listed in this broadcast
* see TSEU's website (http://www.cwa-tseu.org/ at High Tech Boondoggle) for copies of the letters
* See also Press Releases and Press Clippings on TSEU's web site for more
On July 12 State Rep. Pat Haggerty ( R El Paso) released a letter to HHSC ExecutiveChairman Albert Hawkins that calls on the commissioner to cancel the contract with Accenture,commit resources to rebuild the HHSC community-based eligibility system, and to demand arefund from Accenture. TSEU worked closely with Rep. Haggerty's staff on the project,contacting dozens of legislators to explain the issues and ask for their support. The letter was signed by a bi-partisan group of 60 state representatives.
The letter applauds Commissioner Hawkins' decision to delay the rollout of theAccenture/call center plan and to rescind the layoff notices for HHSC employees. It goes on to note that Texas faces a severe funding crunch, and that the state should not throw good money after bad by continuing to fund the call center plan or the Accenture contract. The letter continues: "In light of all these issues, we ask you to consider the following proposal to rebuild a community-based system that works and does not waste tax dollars on broken contractual promises. We ask you to cancel the contract with Accenture for non-performance and commit the remaining resources to rebuild the human services eligibility system that, as little as two years ago, was among the best in the country. In addition, we ask you to consider demanding that Accenture return some of the payments for which Texas has not received the products and/or services as promised."
The legislators who signed the letter (in order as they appear on the letter):
Rep. Pat Haggerty (R) El Paso
Rep. Elliott Naishtat (D) Austin
Rep. Dawnna Dukes (D) Austin
Rep. Rick Hardcastle ( R) Vernon
Rep. Charlie Geren (R) Fort Worth
Rep. Tony Goolsby ( R) Dallas
Rep. Mike "Tuffy" Hamilton ( R) Mauriceville
Rep. Yvonne Gonzalez Toureilles (D) Alice
Rep. Jim Dunnam (D) Waco
Rep. Brian McCall ( R) Plano
Rep. Toby Goodman ( R) Arlington
Rep. Bryan Hughes ( R) Marshall
Rep. Joe Pickett (D) El Paso
Rep. Delwin Jones ( R) Lubbock
Rep. Robert Puente (D) San Antonio
Rep. Tracy King (D) Eagle Pass
Rep. Bob Griggs ( R) North Richland Hills
Rep. Pete Gallego (D) Alpine
Rep. Rafael Anchia (D) Dallas
Rep. Carter Casteel (R) New Braunfels
Rep. David Farabee (D) Wichita Falls
Rep. Hubert Vo (D) HoustonRep. Garnet Coleman (D) Houston
Rep. Chuck Hopson (D) Jacksonville
Rep. Craig Eiland (D) Galveston
Rep. Bob Hunter ( R) Abilene
Rep. Allan Ritter (D) Nederland
Rep. Roberto Alonzo (D) Dallas
Rep. Mark Homer (D) Paris
Rep. Donna Howard (D) Austin
Rep. Ruth Jones McClendon (D) San Antonio
Rep. Juan Escobar (D) KIngsville
Rep. Richard Raymond (D) Laredo
Rep. Marc Veasey (D) Fort Worth
Rep. Rick Noriega (D) Houston
Rep. Stephen Frost (D) Atlanta
Rep. Jim McReynolds (D) Lufkin
Rep. Armando Martinez (D) Weslaco
Rep. Senfronia Thompson (D) Houston
Rep. Eddie Rodriguez (D) Austin
Rep. Lon Burnam (D) Fort Worth
Rep. Dora Olivo (D) Houston
Rep. David Leibowitz (D) San Antonio
Rep. Scott Hochberg (D) Houston
Rep. Norma Chavez (D) El Paso
Rep. Ana Hernandez (D) Houston
Rep. Ryan Guillen (D) San Diego
Rep. Alma Allen (D) Houston
Rep. Jessica Farrar (D) Houston
Rep. Mike Villarreall (D) San Antonio
Rep. Yvonne Davis (D) Dallas
Rep. Abel Herrero (D) Corpus Christi
Rep. Aaron Pe a (D) Edinburg
Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer (D) San Antonio
Rep. Terry Hodge (D) Dallas
Rep. Jose Menendez (D) San Antonio
Rep. Joaquin Castro (D) San Antonio
Rep. Paul Moreno (D) El Paso
Rep. Joe Deshotel (D) Port Arthur
Rep. Chente Quintanilla (D) El Paso
30 LEGISLATORS SIGN TO SUPPORT ACCENTURE & CALL CENTER PLAN
After the release of the letter initiated by Rep. Haggerty, Rep. John Davis ( R Houston) pulled together 30 legislators, all Republicans, to sign a letter supporting the discredited callcenter plan and the contract with Bermuda-based Accenture. The letter claims that the call center system "provides Texans with new channels of access," and that it "has handled more than 2.8 million phone calls" and "processed more than 6.8 million documents and mailed more than 1.5 million pieces of correspondence." The letter does not address the plummeting number of Texans who successfully navigate the system and begin to receive benefits or the 12,000-case backlog that has been transferred from the call centers to state employees. It does concede that "the new system has experienced challenges."
Signers of the letter supporting the Accenture contract:
John Davis ( R -Houston)
Jim Pitts ( R -Waxahachie)
Suzanna Gratia Hupp ( R -Lampassas)
Warren Chissum ( R -Pampa)
David Swinford ( R -Amarillo)
Beverly Wooley ( R -Houston)
Dan Gattis ( R -Georgetown)
Robert Talton ( R -Pasadena)
Ruben Hope Jr. ( R -Conroe)
Fred Brown ( R -Bryan)
Bill Callegari ( R -Houston)
Bill Keffer ( R -Dallas)
Joe Nixon ( R -Houston)
Jerry Madden ( R -Plano)
Buddy West ( R -Odessa)
Ken Paxton ( R -McKinney)
Rob Eisler ( R -The Woodlands)
Jim Jackson ( R -Carrollton)
Betty Brown ( R -Athens)
Bill Zedler ( R -Arlington)
Larry Taylor ( R -League City)
Leo Berman ( R -Tyler)
Corbin Van Arsdale ( R -Houston)
Debbie Riddle ( R -Houston)
Linda Harper-Brown ( R -Irving)
Mary Denny ( R -Flower Mound)
Glenda Dawson ( R -Pearland)
Jodie Laudenberg ( R -Rockwall)
Joe Driver ( R -Garland)
Valerie Corte ( R -San Antonio, temporary for Frank Corte)
*****************************************************************************
To contact TSEU for more information or for materials: Austin: 512 448-4225 Houston: 713 661-9030 San Antonio: 210 354-2900 Dallas: 214 631-7863 Harlingen: 956 428-0251 Lubbock: 806 741-0044
For information about contacting your state legislators, go to the TSEU websitehttp://www.cwa-tseu.org/hhsc_fdstmp_contact.html
To add your name to the list for these broadcasts (you must be a TSEU member):
send an email to tseubroadcast@cwa-tseu.org Put "subscribe me" in the subject line Put your full name and work location in the text of the email
Human Services call center plan/ Accenture contract
60 LEGISLATORS SIGN LETTER: CANCEL THE CONTRACT, REBUILD HHSC
* 30 others sign letter supporting Accenture contract
* all signers listed in this broadcast
* see TSEU's website (http://www.cwa-tseu.org/ at High Tech Boondoggle) for copies of the letters
* See also Press Releases and Press Clippings on TSEU's web site for more
On July 12 State Rep. Pat Haggerty ( R El Paso) released a letter to HHSC ExecutiveChairman Albert Hawkins that calls on the commissioner to cancel the contract with Accenture,commit resources to rebuild the HHSC community-based eligibility system, and to demand arefund from Accenture. TSEU worked closely with Rep. Haggerty's staff on the project,contacting dozens of legislators to explain the issues and ask for their support. The letter was signed by a bi-partisan group of 60 state representatives.
The letter applauds Commissioner Hawkins' decision to delay the rollout of theAccenture/call center plan and to rescind the layoff notices for HHSC employees. It goes on to note that Texas faces a severe funding crunch, and that the state should not throw good money after bad by continuing to fund the call center plan or the Accenture contract. The letter continues: "In light of all these issues, we ask you to consider the following proposal to rebuild a community-based system that works and does not waste tax dollars on broken contractual promises. We ask you to cancel the contract with Accenture for non-performance and commit the remaining resources to rebuild the human services eligibility system that, as little as two years ago, was among the best in the country. In addition, we ask you to consider demanding that Accenture return some of the payments for which Texas has not received the products and/or services as promised."
The legislators who signed the letter (in order as they appear on the letter):
Rep. Pat Haggerty (R) El Paso
Rep. Elliott Naishtat (D) Austin
Rep. Dawnna Dukes (D) Austin
Rep. Rick Hardcastle ( R) Vernon
Rep. Charlie Geren (R) Fort Worth
Rep. Tony Goolsby ( R) Dallas
Rep. Mike "Tuffy" Hamilton ( R) Mauriceville
Rep. Yvonne Gonzalez Toureilles (D) Alice
Rep. Jim Dunnam (D) Waco
Rep. Brian McCall ( R) Plano
Rep. Toby Goodman ( R) Arlington
Rep. Bryan Hughes ( R) Marshall
Rep. Joe Pickett (D) El Paso
Rep. Delwin Jones ( R) Lubbock
Rep. Robert Puente (D) San Antonio
Rep. Tracy King (D) Eagle Pass
Rep. Bob Griggs ( R) North Richland Hills
Rep. Pete Gallego (D) Alpine
Rep. Rafael Anchia (D) Dallas
Rep. Carter Casteel (R) New Braunfels
Rep. David Farabee (D) Wichita Falls
Rep. Hubert Vo (D) HoustonRep. Garnet Coleman (D) Houston
Rep. Chuck Hopson (D) Jacksonville
Rep. Craig Eiland (D) Galveston
Rep. Bob Hunter ( R) Abilene
Rep. Allan Ritter (D) Nederland
Rep. Roberto Alonzo (D) Dallas
Rep. Mark Homer (D) Paris
Rep. Donna Howard (D) Austin
Rep. Ruth Jones McClendon (D) San Antonio
Rep. Juan Escobar (D) KIngsville
Rep. Richard Raymond (D) Laredo
Rep. Marc Veasey (D) Fort Worth
Rep. Rick Noriega (D) Houston
Rep. Stephen Frost (D) Atlanta
Rep. Jim McReynolds (D) Lufkin
Rep. Armando Martinez (D) Weslaco
Rep. Senfronia Thompson (D) Houston
Rep. Eddie Rodriguez (D) Austin
Rep. Lon Burnam (D) Fort Worth
Rep. Dora Olivo (D) Houston
Rep. David Leibowitz (D) San Antonio
Rep. Scott Hochberg (D) Houston
Rep. Norma Chavez (D) El Paso
Rep. Ana Hernandez (D) Houston
Rep. Ryan Guillen (D) San Diego
Rep. Alma Allen (D) Houston
Rep. Jessica Farrar (D) Houston
Rep. Mike Villarreall (D) San Antonio
Rep. Yvonne Davis (D) Dallas
Rep. Abel Herrero (D) Corpus Christi
Rep. Aaron Pe a (D) Edinburg
Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer (D) San Antonio
Rep. Terry Hodge (D) Dallas
Rep. Jose Menendez (D) San Antonio
Rep. Joaquin Castro (D) San Antonio
Rep. Paul Moreno (D) El Paso
Rep. Joe Deshotel (D) Port Arthur
Rep. Chente Quintanilla (D) El Paso
30 LEGISLATORS SIGN TO SUPPORT ACCENTURE & CALL CENTER PLAN
After the release of the letter initiated by Rep. Haggerty, Rep. John Davis ( R Houston) pulled together 30 legislators, all Republicans, to sign a letter supporting the discredited callcenter plan and the contract with Bermuda-based Accenture. The letter claims that the call center system "provides Texans with new channels of access," and that it "has handled more than 2.8 million phone calls" and "processed more than 6.8 million documents and mailed more than 1.5 million pieces of correspondence." The letter does not address the plummeting number of Texans who successfully navigate the system and begin to receive benefits or the 12,000-case backlog that has been transferred from the call centers to state employees. It does concede that "the new system has experienced challenges."
Signers of the letter supporting the Accenture contract:
John Davis ( R -Houston)
Jim Pitts ( R -Waxahachie)
Suzanna Gratia Hupp ( R -Lampassas)
Warren Chissum ( R -Pampa)
David Swinford ( R -Amarillo)
Beverly Wooley ( R -Houston)
Dan Gattis ( R -Georgetown)
Robert Talton ( R -Pasadena)
Ruben Hope Jr. ( R -Conroe)
Fred Brown ( R -Bryan)
Bill Callegari ( R -Houston)
Bill Keffer ( R -Dallas)
Joe Nixon ( R -Houston)
Jerry Madden ( R -Plano)
Buddy West ( R -Odessa)
Ken Paxton ( R -McKinney)
Rob Eisler ( R -The Woodlands)
Jim Jackson ( R -Carrollton)
Betty Brown ( R -Athens)
Bill Zedler ( R -Arlington)
Larry Taylor ( R -League City)
Leo Berman ( R -Tyler)
Corbin Van Arsdale ( R -Houston)
Debbie Riddle ( R -Houston)
Linda Harper-Brown ( R -Irving)
Mary Denny ( R -Flower Mound)
Glenda Dawson ( R -Pearland)
Jodie Laudenberg ( R -Rockwall)
Joe Driver ( R -Garland)
Valerie Corte ( R -San Antonio, temporary for Frank Corte)
*****************************************************************************
To contact TSEU for more information or for materials: Austin: 512 448-4225 Houston: 713 661-9030 San Antonio: 210 354-2900 Dallas: 214 631-7863 Harlingen: 956 428-0251 Lubbock: 806 741-0044
For information about contacting your state legislators, go to the TSEU websitehttp://www.cwa-tseu.org/hhsc_fdstmp_contact.html
To add your name to the list for these broadcasts (you must be a TSEU member):
send an email to tseubroadcast@cwa-tseu.org Put "subscribe me" in the subject line Put your full name and work location in the text of the email
Bipartisan group of 60 state representatives calls on state to fire Texas Access Alliance
30 Republican representatives say to stick with the public assistance outsourcing project, despite problems.
By Corrie MacLaggan <
mailto:cmaclaggan@statesman.com>
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Thursday, July 13, 2006
A bipartisan group of 60 state representatives asked Texas officials Wednesday to cancel a controversial five-year contract with a private consortium to enroll Texans in food stamps, Medicaid and welfare.
The letter to state officials from 48 Democrats and 12 Republicans was the largest showing of discontent among lawmakers with the progress of the problem-riddled Texas Access Alliance project, which is anchored by Accenture LLP.
Albert Hawkins Health and Human Services commissioner lauded for delaying system.
Dawnna Dukes Austin representative says constituents had problems.
Dan Gattis Jr. One of 30 representatives who support contract.
* House members' HHSC letter
http://alt.coxnewsweb.com/statesman/news/13callcenters_HouseMembersHHSCLetter.pdf
* Letter to Albert Hawkins
http://alt.coxnewsweb.com/statesman/news/13callcenters_LettertoAH.pdf>
But 30 Republican representatives sent their own letter to state officials saying that despite problems with training and technology, they support the work of the alliance, which has an $899 million contract to run call centers that would replace some state offices where Texans apply for public assistance. (Wonder how much those 30 received in campaign contributions from Accenture? If anyone knows, please comment!)
Both groups of lawmakers commended Health and Human Services Executive Commissioner Albert Hawkins for halting the statewide expansion of the new eligibility system until concerns can be resolved.
The state has paid the private group $103 million so far, state officials said.
"At this point it is unclear what work, if any, is being done by Accenture, or what, if any 'deliverables' have been delivered as promised," the 60 legislators wrote. (My sources inform me that all they are doing now is gathering and scanning documents....it seems State workers are actually doing the eligibility determinations.)
But Health and Human Services Commission spokeswoman Stephanie Goodman said "the notion that (the Texas Access Alliance) isn't currently doing any work is wrong." (Yeah - we all know what a mouthpiece Goodman is!)
And Texas Access Alliance spokeswoman Jill Angelo said the companies in the group are "working with the state to meet their requirements and have made significant progress over the past several months to improve performance." (Like what? The workload in the State local offices is still increasing!)
A pilot phase of the new system, originally expected to save the state $646 million over five years, started in January in Hays and Travis counties.
But many applicants encountered long hold times or representatives who couldn't answer their questions. (Lets not forget the long lines the appicants/clients are encountering in the non-rolled out areas because of staffing shortages, caused by HHSC and Accenture! I've heard the lines outside the offices in Houston are blocks away from the front doors!)
In May, Hawkins canceled plans to lay off 1,000 state workers, though other state jobs had already been eliminated as the private group took over some of the state's duties.
The 60 legislators say they are alarmed that an error with the privately run system led to dozens of applications with sensitive personal information being faxed to a warehouse in Seattle.
But state officials say a review shows that the documents were most likely sent to Seattle because of random misdials by public assistance applicants. (Do you honestly expect us to believe that thousands of people misdialed the exact same number? It has already come out that Accenture listed the wrong fax number. Why don't they just admit that instead of trying to imply that all these Texans were so stupid that they dialed the wrong number?!)
State officials point out that the new eligibility system provides the 3 million Texans who receive public assistance with more options: They can now apply for services by phone, fax or Internet or in person, rather than just in person. (Why didn't they give these 3 millions Texans the option to do that without crumbling the system already in place? Again, how much money did Accenture "donate" to ensure the legislators let them jump in and destroy a working system already in place?)
And the letter from 30 Republicans says the fact that more than 540,000 Travis and Hays County callers have accessed the pilot system by phone shows that low-income Texans want new channels of access. (Nope. It shows that they were left no choice but to use the "new channels"....even when it caused their benefits to be delayed or lost. It's not like they can "take their business" elsewhere.)
Democrat Mark Strama of Austin was among 60 representatives who did not sign either letter.
Strama said he was more interested in weighing in on policy decisions that affect public assistance than in whether Texas Access Alliance was properly delivering services.
"You'd have to know an awful lot about the contract, about the technology and their success or failure in delivery to make a judgment on that," Strama said.
But Rep. Dawnna Dukes, an Austin Democrat who said she has heard from many constituents who have been improperly denied services or who have had their public assistance renewal delayed, signed the letter asking Hawkins to cancel the contract. (You go, girl!)
"With the State of Texas having the highest uninsured rate in the nation, it is a travesty that those who are eligible for such vital services are not receiving them due to nonperformance of a private contractor," Dukes said.
cmaclaggan@statesman.com; 445-3548
Central Texans' stands
Signed letter asking state to cancel Texas Access Alliance contract:
State Reps. Dawnna Dukes, D-Austin; Donna Howard, D-Austin; Elliott Naishtat, D-Austin; Eddie Rodriguez, D-Austin
Signed letter in support of the new enrollment system for public assistance:
Reps. Dan Gattis, R-Georgetown; Suzanna Hupp, R-Lampasas.
Did not sign either letter:
Reps. Robby Cook, D-Eagle Lake; Harvey Hilderbran, R-Kerrville; Terry Keel, R-Austin; Mike Krusee, R-Williamson County; Patrick Rose, D-Dripping Springs; Mark Strama, D-Austin
More on the OES jobs....
OES Employees:
At times a current regular status OES employee may desire to apply for
a legacy (old world) temporary position. The temporary position may
have a higher salary, be in a more appealing work location, allow for
learning new skills, or in general just be more attractive to the
individual. We want these employees to retain regular status so they
can continue to receive all current benefits associated with being in regular status.
Our solution to this issue is to continue posting these legacy jobs as
temporary using perpetual postings. However, if a current regular
status employee applies and is selected, he/she will remain in regular
employment status. All legacy jobs are "time limited" in that they
will all go away when the new eligibility system rolls out. All
externally selected applicants will be hired as temporary. We will
add wording to the perpetual postings of temporary jobs to allow for this change.
If you are interested in applying for a temporary position in the
legacy system and you are a regular status OES employee,
* Apply to the temporary postings. Upon selecting an applicant for the
job, the hiring authority will determine if the selected applicant is
an OES regular status employee. If so, the hiring authority will
process the hire so that the selected applicant will be flagged as a
regular status employee, not a temporary. Hiring managers will receive
detailed instructions under separate cover.
* As a reminder, priority consideration rules do not apply to jobs in
the legacy system.
Current OES staff who previously accepted a temporary position and had
their employment status changed from regular status to temporary
status will be identified and his/her employment status will be
revised to regular status effective as soon as possible.
This new posting and selection process will be effective July 17, 2006.
Questions should be directed to State Operations through the
appropriate regional director.
Jerry Wallace
Director of State Operations
Office of Eligibility Services
Aw, Jerry. Tell it to us in simple English! Our minds are too tired to try to decipher this.....When/if the rollout happens, do those regular status employees go back to the jsap job or will they get to keep their "new title / position"?
At times a current regular status OES employee may desire to apply for
a legacy (old world) temporary position. The temporary position may
have a higher salary, be in a more appealing work location, allow for
learning new skills, or in general just be more attractive to the
individual. We want these employees to retain regular status so they
can continue to receive all current benefits associated with being in regular status.
Our solution to this issue is to continue posting these legacy jobs as
temporary using perpetual postings. However, if a current regular
status employee applies and is selected, he/she will remain in regular
employment status. All legacy jobs are "time limited" in that they
will all go away when the new eligibility system rolls out. All
externally selected applicants will be hired as temporary. We will
add wording to the perpetual postings of temporary jobs to allow for this change.
If you are interested in applying for a temporary position in the
legacy system and you are a regular status OES employee,
* Apply to the temporary postings. Upon selecting an applicant for the
job, the hiring authority will determine if the selected applicant is
an OES regular status employee. If so, the hiring authority will
process the hire so that the selected applicant will be flagged as a
regular status employee, not a temporary. Hiring managers will receive
detailed instructions under separate cover.
* As a reminder, priority consideration rules do not apply to jobs in
the legacy system.
Current OES staff who previously accepted a temporary position and had
their employment status changed from regular status to temporary
status will be identified and his/her employment status will be
revised to regular status effective as soon as possible.
This new posting and selection process will be effective July 17, 2006.
Questions should be directed to State Operations through the
appropriate regional director.
Jerry Wallace
Director of State Operations
Office of Eligibility Services
Aw, Jerry. Tell it to us in simple English! Our minds are too tired to try to decipher this.....When/if the rollout happens, do those regular status employees go back to the jsap job or will they get to keep their "new title / position"?
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