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WALKER - Cass County Board approved hiring an additional eligibility worker for the Health, Human and Veterans Services (HHVS) income maintenance staff, largely due to the increase in cases and complexity of the MNsure health care insurance data program.

Melanie Wolfe, HHVS business director, told the board the former computer program the department used to enter information about medical assistance clients and update their information such as adding a new baby or changing addresses took about five minutes to enter data.

Since the state's MNsure program for the Affordable Care Act started, it now takes about an hour to enter data for each client.

Further extending time required, workers no longer can add one address change for a whole family. The new MN Sure program requires an address change entry for each family member - in two places.

She said her staff is unable to meet state data entry time requirements due to the added number of entries required and number of clients.

Complicating the problem for Cass County is the fact the income maintenance division has had a high staff turnover. It takes about 18 months to fully train new staff on all the different income support programs available to clients, Wolfe said.

The county will get 50 to 75 percent reimbursement to cover some of the additional staffing cost, she said.

HHVS spent 36.44 percent of the 2014 budget during the first 41.67 percent of the year. The out of home placement services spent 32 percent of its budget during the same time period.

The highest costs were for placing children in correctional facilities.

Minnesota Counties Computer Cooperative (MCCC) recognized HHVS Director of Public Health Nursing Jamie Richter with an award for outstanding dedication and service to MCCC. Richter donated the $50 gift card that came with the award to the county Second publication rights after Brainerd Dispatch.

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