REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
August 6, 2024
FROM
JEANY ZEPEDA, Director, Children and Family Services
SUBJECT
Title
Amendment to Contract with Public Consulting Group, LLC. for Supplemental Income Advocacy Services
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Approve Amendment No. 2 to Contract No. 20-288 with Public Consulting Group, LLC. to provide Supplemental Income Advocacy Services for foster care children, increasing the total contract amount by $114,750 from $650,250 to $765,000, extending the contract for nine months, for the total period of July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2025.
(Presenter: Jeany Zepeda, Director, 387-2792)
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 impact Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). The recommended contract, as amended, will not exceed $765,000 and is funded with 2011 Realignment funds. Adequate appropriation and revenue are included in the Human Service Administrative Claim 2024-25 budget.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Public Consulting Group, LLC. provides Supplemental Income Advocacy Services (SIAS) on behalf of children in Foster Care in San Bernardino County (County). SIAS include, but are not limited to, timely and accurate evaluations for potential Social Security and Veterans’ Administration (VA) benefits, efficient application processes designed to improve Social Security Administration (SSA) processing timeframes, 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/or veteran’s VA benefits. If a child meets the criteria for eligibility, an application is filed and processed on the child’s behalf. A special emphasis is placed on filing claims for 18year old dependents that may be exiting the Foster Care system. CFS refers approximately 250 cases a month for supplemental income benefit review and approximately 124 applications are completed annually.
The objective of SIAS for Foster Care children is to maximize the amount of federal benefits received for the care of children, thereby reducing the amount of required County funds, 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.
On May 19, 2020 (Item No. 33), as the result of a formal procurement, the Board of Supervisors (Board) approved Contract No. 20-288 with Public Consulting Group, LLC. to provide SIAS, in an amount not to exceed $497,250, for the period of July 1, 2020 through September 30, 2023.
On September 26, 2023 (Item No. 26), the Board approved Amendment No. 1 to Contract No. 20-288, with Public Consulting Group, LLC., updating standard contract language, increasing the contract amount by $153,000 from $497,250 to $650,250, and extending the contract term through September 30, 2024.
The recommended amendment will allow Public Consulting Group, LLC. to continue using its comprehensive knowledge and experience to navigate the extensive and perpetually changing SSA and VA policies and regulations, and act as a liaison between CFS and SSA to effectively pursue, maintain, and evaluate potential eligibility for foster youth in the shortest possible time frames.
Contract performance is monitored by review of monthly reports and regular site visits to ensure compliance with the administrative, program, and fiscal terms and conditions of the contract. CFS Budget and Administrative Services reviews the invoices prior to payment. The contract may be terminated without cause by the County with 30 days’ written notice.
PROCUREMENT
N/A
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by Human Services Contracts (Patty Steven, Contracts Manager, 388-0241) on June 28, 2024; County Counsel (Kaleigh Ragon, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on July 1, 2024; Finance (John Hallen, Administrative Analyst, 388-0208) on July 22, 2024; and County Finance and Administration (Cheryl Adams, Deputy Executive Officer, 388-0238) on July 22, 2024.