North Coast Regional DCSS Presented With Merit Award at CSAC 2017 Challenge Awards

By: Janelle Mora, CA DCSS

 

On November 14th, California State Association of Counties (CSAC) representative DeAnn Baker presented North Coast Regional Department of Child Support Services (NCR DCSS) the Merit Award at the Humboldt County Board of Supervisor’s meeting. The award was given based on NCR DCSS’s program efforts to collect child support for families in multiple counties from workers' compensation payments.

For the 2017 Challenge Awards, CSAC received a record high of 288 entries for awards given to innovative counties throughout the state. A total of 16 programs were selected to receive a Challenge Award and 31 programs were recognized with Merit Awards.

NCR DCSS Child Support Specialist Supervisor Angela Bott developed an expertise in workers' compensation collection cases through her work in case management as well as from assisting her husband personally navigate the workers' compensation system. Over time, Bott developed relationships at various agencies who taught her all about the workers' compensation world. After learning more about insurance carriers, the Department of Industrial Relations, and the Workers' Compensation Appeals Board, she used her knowledge to collect payments on particularly difficult child support cases.

Now, under the tutelage of Sharon Mitchell, NCR DCSS has a full team of experts that collect workers' compensation child support for parents in Trinity, Humboldt, and collaboratively with the following local child support agencies: Yolo, Solano, Plumas, Sutter, Colusa, Sierra-Nevada, Siskiyou-Modoc, Mariposa, Mendocino, Lake, Lassen, Butte, and starting in January, San Joaquin. Increases in child support collections have already been noted as a result in several counties including Yolo, Lake, and Colusa. Each partner county still maintains case management responsibility and all collections credit.

“Staff have been working in a highly collaborative model, occasionally gathering in a room to perform case work together as a team. This has created an engaging, active learning model for all of those who spend time doing this work. All staff in the hub have a sense of shared responsibility for creating excellence in workers' comp,” said NCR DCSS Director Lisa Dugan.

The team members involved in the project, seen as a “Center of Excellence,” are currently putting together instruction manuals so that other local child support agencies can also effectively handle cases involving workers' compensation. Because of the expertise and passion of Angela Bott and the coaching and leadership of Sharon Mitchell, NCR DCSS and several other child support agencies can now more readily and effectively assist more families and children get the support they need.