REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
June 18, 2025
FROM
JEANY GLASGOW, Director, Children and Family Services
SUBJECT
Title
Contract with Maximus US Services, Inc. for Supplemental Income Advocacy Services
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Approve Contract with Maximus US Services, Inc., to provide Supplemental Income Advocacy Services for foster care children on a fee for services basis, in an amount not to exceed $459,000 for the period of July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2028.
(Presenter: Jeany Glasgow, Director, 658-1181)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Provide for the Safety, Health and Social Service Needs of County Residents.
Pursue County Goals and Objectives by Working with Other Agencies and Stakeholders.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
This item does not require additional Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). The total cost of these services will not exceed $459,000 and funding is 100% Local Share which is made up of 1991 or 2011 Realignment, Net County Cost and Wraparound Reinvestment funding which already exists within the Human Services (HS) Administrative Claim 2025-26 budget. Adequate appropriation and revenue are included in the HS Administrative Claim 2025-26 budget and will be included in future recommended budgets.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Under the recommended contract, Maximus US Services, Inc. will provide Supplemental Income Advocacy (SIA) Services on behalf of children in Foster Care in San Bernardino County (County). SIA Services include, but are not limited to, timely and accurate evaluations for potential Supplemental Income benefits, benefit application processes designed to improve Social Security Administration (SSA) processing timeframes, processing applications and claims for benefits, and completion of continuing disability reviews to ensure ongoing eligibility, whenever appropriate.
Since 1993, the County has utilized contracted providers to file and process applications for supplemental income. Contracted providers are responsible for reviewing files of children in Foster Care to determine if they are potentially eligible for Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Social Security Administration Death and Disability Title II benefits (SSA Title II), and Veteran’s Administration benefits (VA). If a child meets the necessary criteria for eligibility, an application is filed and processed on their behalf. A special emphasis is placed on filing claims for 18-year-old dependents that may be exiting the County Foster Care system in order to ensure they have income to assist in meeting their basic needs. Children and Family Services (CFS) refers approximately 225 cases annually for Supplemental Income benefit review.
The objective of SIA Services for Foster Care children is to maximize the amount of federal benefits received for the care of children, thereby reducing the amount of County funds required, and to assist children in their transition to self-sufficient living upon leaving Foster Care. For each case in which SSI, SSA Title II benefits, or other supplemental income is awarded, the amount paid by the County for that child's foster care is reduced by the amount received.
The recommended contract will allow Maximus US Services, Inc. to use its comprehensive knowledge and experience to navigate the extensive and perpetually changing SSA and VA policies and regulations, and act as a liaison between SSA to effectively pursue, maintain, and evaluate potential eligibility for County foster youth in the shortest possible time frames. Maximus US Services, Inc. will also be responsible for submitting applications and processing claims throughout the entire standard application process.
PROCUREMENT
The County Administrative Office approved and authorized the release of Request for Proposals (RFP). No. HSSA24-HSSA-5514 with the Purchasing Department on February 6, 2025, to solicit proposals from interested and qualified agencies to provide SIA Services for a period of three years. Approximately 250 prospective proposers with experience providing SIA Services were notified via the County’s Electronic Procurement System (ePro# HSSA24-HSSA-5514).
On or before March 18, 2025, the proposal submission deadline CFS received one proposal in response to RFP HS 24-08 which met the minimum requirements and continued through the evaluation process. Maximum US Services, Inc. submitted the following proposal:
|
Description |
Proposed Fee |
|
Initial Applications: Notice of Award of Benefits: Continuing Disability Reviews: Submitting age 18 re-determination Successful SSI award after appeal Successful SSI award after ALJ appeal |
(SSI) $725 (SSA/Title II, VA) $100 $500 $400 $750 $675 $1,000 |
An evaluation of the proposal was completed by a team that included representatives from CFS and the HS Administrative Support Division. Based on the evaluation, Maximus US Services, Inc. is recommended for award; their proposal was determined to be effective, documented extensive experience working with the targeted population, and met the overall needs of the County.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by Human Services Contracts (Patty Steven, Contracts Manager, 388-0241) on May 23, 2025; County Counsel (Daniella V. Hernandez, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on May 22, 2025; Risk Management (Greg Ustaszewski, Staff Analyst II, 386-9008) on May 29, 2025; Finance (John Hallen, Principal Administrative Analyst, 388-0208) on May 29, 2025; and County Finance and Administration (Cheryl Adams, Deputy Executive Officer, 388-0332) on May 30, 2025.