Tag Archive for: Tribal TANF
Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians Goes Live on RiteTrack Tribal TANF Solution
The Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians Tribal TANF department went live on its new RiteTrack system in January 2015. RiteTrack was customized for the unique eligibility requirements of the Pechanga TANF program. With the TANF department live on RiteTrack, a second phase slated to implement the Child Protective Services and Indian Child Welfare Module will begin later this year.
The Pechanga TANF Program assists low income families moving toward self-sufficiency by providing cash aid and other assistance designed to increase job preparation, employment, and allow children to be cared for in their own homes.
Red Lake Nation Oshkiimaajitahdah partners with Handel Information Technologies
The Red Lake Nation Oshkiimaajitahdah (New Beginnings) program recently began working with Handel Information Technologies to implement the RiteTrack TANF Module. Employment and Training staff will begin using RiteTrack in the coming months, followed by TANF as Red Lake Nation begins taking over TANF cases from Beltrami County.
RiteTrack for the Northeastern Nevada TANF Consortium
Handel Information Technologies, Inc. is currently developing and implementing RiteTrack for the Northeastern Nevada Tribal TANF Consortium (NNTTC).
Handel’s integrative, flexible solution will be the perfect fit for the NNTTC because RiteTrack will allow the nine consortium member tribes to input data while maintaining tribal member confidentiality.
One reason the NNTTC decided to partner with Handel is that RiteTrack offers the required, complex security. This security is needed to keep member data confidential in the system between the tribes.
The consortium will submit one federal TANF report with the combined data from all nine tribes using the TANF funds. Programs like the NNTTC’s TANF program are making a difference in tribal nations and families every day. Handel is proud to help support that mission.
The nine tribes or bands that comprise the NNTTC including the Ely Shoshone Tribe, Duckwater Shoshone Tribe, Confederated Tribes of Goshute, Elko Band, Wells Band, South Fork Band, Battle Mountain Band, Duck Valley Sho-Pai, and the Temoke Tribe.
RiteTrack is software for tribal, state, and county governments. Handel works with tribal nations across the country in many tribal departments. Handel is an experienced, trustworthy technology company that goes above and beyond in serving American Indian Tribes and specializes in designing the best possible software solutions for American Indian social service agencies.
TANF and Enrollment Data Conversion Tools Developed with Tribe’s Help
Converting data from a legacy system to an upgraded solution is often a time-intensive and arduous process.
However, this may change for Tribes searching for a better TANF or enrollment case management solution. Working with the Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians, Handel developers have standardized a data conversion tool that converts data from other leading solutions for TANF and enrollment.
This conversion tool identifies data points from legacy systems and imports them for a faster, more accurate data conversion. However, it not only converts data from only specific legacy solutions; it has the potential to convert cross-platform (meaning it can work with many different systems to convert data) as well.
After beginning a partnership in July 2013, implementation of the Soboba solution is currently in progress and the date for the Band to begin using the system to support its data collection for TANF case tracking and reporting and enrollment management begins the first quarter (Q1) of 2014.
The integration of information of these departments will help them better leverage that information and generate meaningful reports and statistics to further support the Tribe in providing client services more efficiently.
This RiteTrack system integrates multiple departments, including enrollment, TANF, family services (with child protective services) and the accounting department for grant tracking purposes. The solution has this capability because it is built on core, essential, shared data points. The database serves as the central hub of information with each department accessing consistent, reliable data on members.
As a sovereign nation, the Soboba Band’s mission is to assist American Indian families and future generations to reach their fullest potential in securing economic stability while encouraging wellness in the family.
Soboba’s Tribal TANF program strives to provide welfare-related services to eligible Native American families who meet all STTP requirements in an equitable and fair method according to customs and traditions.
Soboba’s Family Services Department seeks to ensure services for needy and vulnerable children and adults that aid and protect in ways that strengthen and preserve Native American families, that encourage personal responsibility, and that promote self-sufficiency.
Handel specializes in creating the best possible software solutions for American Indian service agencies. RiteTrack is software for tribal, state and county government. RiteTrack serves tribal nations throughout the country in nearly every tribal department. With the experience and accountability that Handel offers, RiteTrack is the trusted information solution that tribal social services can rely on.
Soboba Band Partners with Handel for Integrated Solution
This July the Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians Tribal TANF has partnered with Handel Information Technologies who will deliver a TANF solution that will expand into an integrated software solution.
An important factor in the Tribe’s decision to upgrade to RiteTrack was the modular nature and consideration for future growth inherent in the solution.
As a Sovereign nation, our mission is to assist American Indian families and future generations to reach their fullest potential in securing economic stability while encouraging wellness in the family. Soboba Tribal TANF strives to provide welfare related services to eligible Native American families who meet all STTP requirements in an equitable and fair method according to customs and traditions.
Handel specializes in creating the best possible software solutions for American Indian service agencies. RiteTrack is software for tribal, state and county government. We work with tribal nations throughout the country in nearly every tribal department. With the experience and accountability that Handel offers, we are the trusted information solution that American Indian tribes can rely on.
Stewards of Change Provides Hope for Interoperability in Human Services and Beyond
Since starting Handel IT in 1997 I have seen a growing demand for information sharing between different entities with which our customers interact. Whether it is a juvenile intervention program that needs information from the judicial system, or a school or a tribe who needs to share enrollment data with their social services department; the trends are clear. Our customers believe that interoperability is a key ingredient for providing better services to the clients that they serve, for giving their employees better tools, and for creating better results overall for all stakeholders. Over the past 15 years we have seen major advancements in information technologies, and with that, a growing group of people are supporting the concept of inter-agency information sharing. One has to look no further than to the most popular social media sites to realize the benefits of information sharing (of course, one also has to look no further than some of these sites to see some of the potential caution one has to take with regards to information sharing). Today, technology is no longer a barrier to interoperability. Over the past several years I have come to learn that the biggest barriers to interoperability come from government regulations, politics, and just people in general who are adverse to the concept of sharing “their” data.
Handel’s view of information what an information sharing scenario may look like in a juvenile justice program.
With this mindset, it was a great experience and a great honor as well, to be invited to the 2012 Stewards of Change Conference at the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. This year the 7th Stewards of Change Conference was titled “From Field to Fed III: Advancing Health and Human Service Interoperability Amid the Challenges and Opportunities of Healthcare Reform.” The roughly 100 invite-only attendees represented Federal Government, State Government, County Government, and Industry. Being a part of this three-day symposium gave me a whole new outlook on how far we have come in changing interoperability in human services from a dream to a reality. Videos and commentary about the conference are accessible on the Stewards of Change Web Site. Perhaps one of the highlights for me was the ability to hear how motivated some of the key players across Federal and State Government are to make this happen. In opening remarks, George Sheldon, Assistant Secretary for Administration for Children and Families, commented on the need for creating common eligibility determination systems across programs such as SNAP, Medicaid, and TANF. His sentiment is that it is ultimately about serving the client better and by connecting systems we can accomplish just that. We have already removed the technology barriers. Now we need to remove what Sheldon refers to as “mindset” barriers. We need to move from a mindset of “my information” to “our information.” Mr. Sheldon’s comments resonated from other attendees, State CIOs, heads of State Health and Human Services, and other key players throughout the conference. It was truly refreshing to discover that these groups of key decision makers are getting behind an initiative that has been a fundamental belief here at Handel for many years.
Upon return from Stewards of Change conference, it is even clearer to me where we are moving, and how Handel and our RiteTrack platform is aligned for where the industry is moving. One thing is certain: Information sharing and interoperability between different departments is going to be a reality of our future. Number one, because we owe it to our clients in order to provide the best possible services. Number two, because the world is coming to expect this from us. Our clients can share their vacation video on YouTube, their photos on Facebook, but their social workers can’t get access to their education records. As one conference attendee put it, “My credit card company knows more about me than I know about the clients I am supposed to serve.”
While we don’t have a completely clear picture to what the future may hold when it comes to sharing information, we have a few ideas of what it may entail. Two ideas seem to prevail. One is the concept of a common client index, or a common person registry. The other is the concept of web-based client portals. These concepts are familiar to RiteTrack customers. For many years now RiteTrack has been grounded in the philosophy of a “hub and spoke” model, where the “hub” represents a common client index. In a tribe this is the enrollment system which tracks all members enrolled in the tribe. To get services from the tribe, a person typically (but not always) has to be enrolled in the tribe. The various “spokes” represent the different services that the tribe offers, whether TANF, General Assistance, Indian Child Welfare, or other programs. While the central enrollment data (basically client demographics and contact data) may be shared across programs, the data specific to a particular program (i.e., TANF) is not shared unless a specific request for sharing is made. The concept of a client or citizen portal is one which we have experimented with and the one we are currently doing for a few of our customers. We are convinced that the concept of accessing your own data inside a RiteTrack system will become (someday soon) as common as checking your bank account online. Why shouldn’t our clients be able to review their service history, see what programs they are eligible for, complete assessments, and see their service utilization online?
I remain confident that in the coming years, we will overcome the current obstacles to information sharing. Here at Handel we are excited to be part of driving the change. If you would like to discuss interoperability and information sharing, please do not hesitate to contact me.. Perhaps one of the highlights for me was the ability to hear how motivated some of the key players across Federal and State Government are to make this happen. In opening remarks, George Sheldon, Assistant Secretary for Administration for Children and Families, commented on the need for creating common eligibility determination systems across programs such as SNAP, Medicaid, and TANF. His sentiment is that it is ultimately about serving the client better and by connecting systems we can accomplish just that. We have already removed the technology barriers. Now we need to remove what Sheldon refers to as “mindset” barriers. We need to move from a mindset of “my information” to “our information.” Mr. Sheldon’s comments resonated from other attendees, State CIOs, heads of State Health and Human Services, and other key players throughout the conference. It was truly refreshing to discover that these groups of key decision makers are getting behind an initiative that has been a fundamental belief here at Handel for many years.